Les Arcs | Ski Resort Review

Les Arcs ski resort consists of four linked villages with a combined ski area that is one of the greatest in the French Alps, lift-linked with the neighbouring La Plagne ski area to form one of the world's most extensive ski domains, collectively known as Paradiski.

When it was inaugurated in 1968, Les Arcs' original development - Arc 1600 (aka Arc Pierre Blanche) - was one of France's first purpose-built 'designer' ski resorts; Les Arcs has remained at the avant-garde for winter-sports tourism and snowsports innovation ever since.

"Les Arcs has remained at the avant-garde for winter-sports tourism and snowsports innovation"

In the 1970s, the local Les Arcs branches of the national French Ski School (ESF) introduced the Ski Evolutif method of teaching, whereby beginners were taught to ski using the parallel-turn technique from the outset, starting on very short skis that were then swapped every couple of days for progressively longer ones throughout the initial week's lessons; advances in modern ski design have rendered this method obsolete, but the principle remains.

Les Arcs can also claim to be the spiritual home of European snowboarding, since local instructor Regis Rolland was featured riding an early-model snowboard in the seminal Apocalypse Snow ski movies filmed in Les Arcs in the early 1980s.

In 2003 Les Arcs was party to another world first when it was linked to the adjacent La Plagne ski area to form the huge Paradiski domain; the impressive double-decker Vanoise Express cable car that connects them was the largest, fastest, and longest single-span cable car in the world at that time.

Throughout the intervening years Les Arcs continued to develop and expand: in 1975 Arc 1600 was joined by the now bigger and livelier resort village of Arc 1800, followed by the highest altitude base at Arc 2000; the most recent addition is the Intrawest development Arc 1950 with its echoes of North American Alpine villages.

Les Arcs' ski area also expanded and now encompasses the slopes of the outlying villages of Le Pre and Villaroger to the east, plus Peisey, Vallandry, and Plan-Peisey to the west; the latter closest to the eastern terminal of the Vanoise Express link with La Plagne.

Les Arcs makes an excellent choice for families: its car-free village zones, mellow beginner areas and dedicated kids’ zones mean little ones can get on skis without fuss, while older children and adults still benefit from the full breadth of the terrain. With childcare from infancy, generous family ski-pass deals and gentle slopes in each sector, it ticks all the boxes for a truly family-friendly alpine escape. Learn more about the dedicated family-zone in Arc 1950 in our piece on Les Arcs 1950 — The Perfect Ski Resort for Families.

Best deals on Les Arcs hotels: Book now on Booking.com

Best deals on Les Arcs Ski Hire: Extra 5% off with SnowRental

Best deals on Les Arcs Ski School: Book now with Maison Sport

Les Arcs - Interactive Ski Map & Pistes:

All of the 'Arc' resort villages offer ski-in/ski-out convenience and all have adjacent beginners' slopes; the vast majority of Les Arcs' terrain is ideal for intermediates and there's plenty of scope for inter-piste powder-field hopping plus serious off-piste opportunities for more advanced visitors.

The core Les Arcs ski area is comprised of two principal sectors, separated by an impressive arete: the first contains Arc 1600 and Arc 1800, which are terraced into a steep mountainside that is crisscrossed by a wide choice of traversing blues and fall-line reds; the second is a huge high-altitude bowl above Arc 2000 and Arc 1950, filled with great intermediatel pistes and the highest concentration of some of the best black runs in the domain.

The highest lift-served peak is the Aiguille Rouge (3,225m), which towers above Arc 2000; this gives access to steep off-piste powder slopes, as well as an epic 7km long black-into-red piste with a vertical drop of over 2,000 metres down to the linked village of Villaroger, one of the best on-piste descents in the Alps.

On the opposite western side of the domain, lies the Peisey-Vallandry sector, where pretty forested slopes house an excellent range of long tree-lined runs that sweep down to the satellite resort villages of Vallandry and Plan Peisey, where the keenest big-mileage enthusiasts can connect with the cable link to La Plagne and open up the entire Paradiski area.   

Noteworthy specialist zones at Les Arcs include the 'Apocalypse Parc' snowpark, situated above the tree line midway between Arc 1600 and Arc 1800, consistently rated as one of the best freestyle parks in the Alps. They also have a permanent airbag where you can safely try out your freestyle skills. The Olympic KL 'Flying Kilometre' piste above Arc 2000, has seen countless speed-skiing records achieved.

Les Arcs - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:

Les Arcs has a deserved reputation for good off-piste skiing. Being spread over such a large area, much of the terrain is not touched by lift systems meaning more powder to explore - and it takes longer to get tracked out.

Highlight areas include the Grand Col below Aiguille Rouge. Because the whole area is above 2,500m it keeps more fresh snow than most other areas in the resort. A bit lower down, there is good off-piste accessible from Arc 1800’s Vagere lift around the Golf and Vagere red runs.

Novices making their first ventures off-piste should head for the wide-open area above Peisey-Vallandry, around the 2300 lift. Although largely groomed - so you're never far from the reassurance of a piste - some patches are left unpisted, and can be great fun immediately after a snowfall.

For experts, the north face of the Aiguille Rouge offers a huge area of off-piste skiing down towards Villaroger. However, here, far from the pistes and lifts, the dangers are real and should only be attempted with a guide.

Finally, there’s plenty of forest near the Derby lift for those who love trying to stay socially distanced from trees! There’s more woodland leading down to, and beyond, Arc 1600.

Les Arcs - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:

Les Arcs was  designed and purpose-built to be a winter sports station, alternative daytime visitor attractions weren't really a feature of the planning, although a good range of alternative activities are now available.

There are ice skating rinks at Arc 1800 and Arc 2000; plus a swimming pool, fitness suite and squash courts in 1800; other more adventurous activities on offer include paragliding, dog-sled mushing, snowmobiling, and helicopter sightseeing flights.

Non-skiers can also get out amongst the mountains by going on guided snowshoe treks or on way-marked walking trails that offer wide reaching views over the Tarentaise Valley towards Mont Blanc; the Ponturin Gorge and along the Nancroix Valley below and beyond Peisey-Vallandry is one of the most attractive routes.

"It is possible to travel from the Eurostar terminal in London all the way to Les Arcs without a car journey"

Pedestrians can also access Les Arcs' key inter-sector link lift, the 'Transarc' gondola, which connects Arc 1800 to the Col de la Chal (at 2,600m); this high-altitude col is the starting point for a 3 km long tobogganing/sledding run, and is also the site of an Ice Cave attraction filled with ice & snow sculptures.

Free shuttle buses run between Arcs 1600 and 1800, plus 1600 and 2000, regularly in the mornings and afternoons and until around 8pm (later at weekends); Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 are connected by a pedestrian gondola lift. Arc 1600 also has a quick funicular railway connection with the TGV/Eurostar station at Bourg-Saint-Maurice (meaning it is possible to travel from the Eurostar terminal in London all the way to Les Arcs without a car journey; Bourg-Saint-Maurice  also offers plenty of shopping opportunities, non-touristy bars and restaurants, and has good public transport connections with other towns and resorts in this region.

Après-ski in Les Arcs is generally unsophisticated but does get fairly lively at weekends and during high season, focused mainly on a couple of the liveliest base-area bars in each of the resort villages. All of the Arc villages have an adequate selection of restaurants and bars, each including at least one venue with live music and/or a dance floor.

Arc 1800 is by far the liveliest place for nightlife, with a bowling alley and numerous bars and pubs, some featuring live music — try Le JO for rock sessions or Red Hot Saloon for big-energy band nights. For late-night dancing, Jungle Caféand Le Before are the go-to spots, popular with locals and seasonnaires alike.

Les Arcs - Ski Hire:

Readers booking through Snowrental can take advantage of an exclusive 5% discount on online rates, making it a smart first stop for ski hire in Les Arcs.

If you're hiring when you get there then it’s best to choose a shop close to where you’re staying, and there’s plenty of choice across all altitudes. The familiar chains - Intersport, Sport 2000 and Skiset - have multiple outlets throughout the different Arc villages, ensuring easy swaps and returns wherever you are. Arc 1950 alone has four rental shops, including Precision Ski, which also operates in other parts of the resort.

Les Arcs - Ski School:

You can quickly find top-rated ski and snowboard instructors in Les Arcs through Maison Sport — simply pick your dates, choose your lesson type and select the instructor that best suits your style.

Other options include the ESF which offers a full programme of group and private lessons, New Generation, Supreme and Evolution 2.