Les Coches and Paradiski – Ski Resort Information
Les Coches
Built using local materials and designed for sustainable development, Les Coches has retained a true village feel whilst at the same time ensuring that visitors are well provided for.
The pedestrian village centre with its shops, bars and restaurants is compact and friendly. There is a sledging area and small ice rink, as well as a modern swimming pool and spa complex in nearby Montchavin. The excellent snowshoeing around Les Coches is popular with skiers and non-skiers alike.
Based in the very centre of Paradiski and home to the impressive Vanoise express lift, Les Coches is perfect for accessing one of France’s largest ski areas.
Les Coches is an ideal base for discovering the wide variety of terrain available in La Plagne and Les Arcs. The area around Les Coches boasts some excellent tree-lined skiing for intermediates and experts as well as a popular boarder cross. Beginners are well catered for with two fantastic beginner areas, and a long “cool ski” improvers run to progress onto.
Paradiski
La Plagne and Les Arcs together make up the famous Paradiski area, spanning 425km of piste skiing and linked by the world famous Vanoise Express lift between Les Coches and Plan Peisey.
Paradiski Facts
- 425 skiable kilometres
- 160 lifts
- 264 runs: 52 green/blue – 79 red runs – 22 black runs
- Snow sure glacier skiing
- 70% of pistes above 2000m
- Great variety of runs & off piste
- Superpipe and snow parks
- Olympic bobsleigh
- Fun activities
- Great picnic spots and restaurants
- Personalised Smartphone app
La Plagne
Set between Montchavin at 1250m and the Glacier De La Chiaupe at a whopping 3417m, La Plagne has a huge selection of high altitude skiing to choose from.
Beginners can test their turns on the “debutants” area in Les Coches whilst intermediates have a wealth of smooth blue runs to choose from.
As you progress there is a good selection of challenging red runs spread across the domain, and some excellent blacks in the Le Fornelet and glacier areas.
La Plagne - Recommended Routes
Head up over to Champagny and try the “Mont de La Guerre” red piste through the trees offering nearly a thousand meters of vertical drop. It’s a beautiful descent, but long and tiring on the legs. Or spend the day gently making your way to Montalbert. You’ll go through some beautiful tree lined spots and maybe even catch sight of a deer or two in the woods.
For black run enthusiasts, a trip to the Le Fornelet area is a must. From the top of the Stade take the steep Cretes drag lift to the top of the ridge, before following the long Les Etroits run down towards Coqs. With meters of snow on powder days, and huge moguls the rest of the time, this is a run that will challenge you to the max.
Derochoir is also a good one but not always open.
Mont de la Guerre is one for the views and the variety of skiing it offers.
New for 2023 is the opening of a reimagined La Plagne Glacier area including a 10 person telecabine lift which will replace the older, slower access from the glacier and traversee lifts. This change will make the high altitude glacier area more accessible and enjoyable for guests, as well as opening up several new pistes. The modern lift is equipped with state of the art technology, allowing a smooth and efficient ride up the mountain. Starting from the Roche de Mio, the new gondola will have a mid-station at the Col de la Chiaupe and a top-station at 3000m altitude at the glacier.
La Plagne - Snow parks
Take the Colorado chair from Plagne Centre to check out the 7 cube park offering jumps and rails for all abilities, graded with the same colour system as the pistes. Once you’ve mastered your tricks try them out for real in the boarder cross in Belle Plagne or the half pipe in Plagne Bellecote.
Les Arcs
Famous in the Paradiski area, Les Arcs has over 70% of its skiing above 2000m. It’s home to the famous Aiguille Rouge glacier
Les Arcs offers an excellent variety of runs and is particularly good for intermediates with many wide open red runs. It also boasts a 7km run from the top of the Glacier at 3226m to Villaroger at 1200m. There are modern fast lifts from each of the four main areas and the whole area is very easy to navigate around.
The Vanoise Express, the largest cable car in the world, provides a high-speed link between Les Arcs and La Plagne.
If you enjoy or want to try Nordic Skiing there is a fantastic area in Rosuel, accessible by free shuttle from outside the Vanoise Express cable lift. The area is stunning and the skiing tracks varied. You can try both types of Nordic skiing, the classic style (following 2 tracks) or the skating type.
This area is also a great option to go for a walk; a dog, reindeer or horse sled ride. There are a couple of nice restaurants to stop for a meal or a hot chocolate!
Les Arcs - Recommended Routes
From the top of the Peisey chair lift, you can cruise along La Forêt and Maitaz all the way to the Transarc lift giving you access to the centre of the domain. From the scenic top of the Transarc, you can continue on down the Plan des Eaux. Vallee de l’Arc runs for a lunch stop at the highly recommended Pre Saint Esprit restaurant. Then why not take the Belvedere blue run all the way home?
Fancy a challenge? Then aim for the Aiguille Rouge, the highest point in Les Arcs. From here, a selection of challenging reds or terrifying blacks take you on down to Villaroger, a drop of more than 2000 vertical meters and one of the longest runs in Europe.
Les Enfants Terribles and les 3 Saveurs restaurants on the Peisey side of the domain are great options for lunch or a beer or two on the sunny deck area.
Les Arcs - Snow parks
The Apocalypse snow park in Les Arcs is almost 1km long and has a large variety of jumps, rails and other features that are graded in the same way as the pistes so whether you are a total beginner or a seasoned pro there is a huge variety of runs. Towards the far side of the snow park is also a boarder cross run.
The Luge 2000 is a 3000m toboggan run from the top of the Col De la Chal chairlift open in the afternoons for some high adrenaline fun!
Les Arcs also has an airbag for anyone wanting to practice those backside 1080’s before trying it out on the hard stuff!