10 reasons to ski & board in Les Arcs, France

There’s a world-famous ski area on your doorstep Not only can you ski 200km of local slopes, Les Arcs also joins up with neighbouring resort La Plagne to form the enormous Paradiski ski area. The third largest linked ski area in the world, it totals a whopping 425km of varied pistes with something for all abilities and ages.

While many French resorts base their pistes above the tree line, Les Arcs boasts a lovely mix of tranquil forest runs and wide, open snowbowl cruising. That means you can choose your runs to suit the weather conditions, taking to the shelter of the trees on snowy, low-visibility days.

Try the infamous 7km descent down from the summit of the Aiguille Rouge at 3,226m right down to the village of Villaroger at 1,200m – it’s one of the longest in Europe.

You get seven villages in one Les Arcs as a whole is made up of four linked, purpose-built resorts – all designed by famous French modernist architects. Arc 1600 is the lowest and original resort, a real pioneer of its time, with Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 dotted up the mountain at increasing altitudes.

Arc 1600 has a lovely peaceful feel, situated amongst the trees, while Arc 1800 is the largest and most bustling of the four, with lots of shops, bars and restaurants to keep you entertained. Traffic-free Arc 1950 is the newest resort and home to the most luxurious accommodation, while Arc 2000 is quiet with easy access to the best snowbowl skiing in the area.

As well as the four modern Arcs, the picturesque traditional villages of Plan Peisey, Vallandry and Peisey Nancroix complete the Les Arcs line-up.

The off-piste terrain is great There may be 425km of pistes to explore but Les Arcs also has some epic off-piste adventures waiting for you. Powder days call for exploring the area’s ‘nutur’ unpisted (but marked) runs.

These offer a great opportunity to test out your skills without heading too far afield, although be prepared to come across some pretty sizeable moguls! You can find the best runs above the Arc 2000 bowl or from the summit of the Aiguille Rouge lift.

If you want to head properly off-piste, we always recommend going with an expert local guide who knows the mountain.

The lifts are slick There’s been a lot of recent investment in the Les Arcs system of 47 lifts (122 in the Paradiski area), especially since linking with La Plagne. There might be a few slow chairlifts lingering around in the less-popular runs, but for the most part you can look forward to high-speed chairs and state-of-the-art cablecars.

In fact, the double decker Vanoise Express cablecar that links Les Arcs with La Plagne is the biggest in the world.

The snow record is reliable With the majority of skiing and snowboarding in Les Arcs taking place above 2,000m, the resort enjoys an excellent snow record. If you look at the stats for Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 particularly, thanks to their high altitude, sheltered and north-facing slopes, they rival the most snowsure resorts in France.

There’s an awesome snow park If you fancy mixing things up with some freestyle, you can head to one of two snowparks in Les Arcs, with another two over in La Plagne.

Apocalypse Snowpark sits between Arc 1650 and Arc1800. You’ll find a great selection of kickers, jumps, boxes and pipes to suit everyone from beginners to experts. They also have a huge airbag, so you can push yourself to the limits - with the safety of a nice soft landing.

Up at Arc 1800, you’ll find the new Mille8 freestyle zone, with loads of features for all abilities and an electric atmosphere complete with big screens and sound systems.

It's fantastic for families If you’re booking a family ski holiday, you won’t do much better than Les Arcs. Each of the main villages have wide, gentle nursery slopes and several free lifts for little ones who are learning. The English-speaking ski schools are excellent and there’s loads of convenient ski in-ski out accommodation options offering easy access to the slopes.

The leisure centre is amazing Arc 1800’s Mille8 aquatic and fitness centre is a huge space for families, couples and friends alike to hang out and relax. Enjoy a swim in the outdoor or indoor pool, soak your aching legs in the massage jets, unwind in the steam rooms and saunas or have a play with your kids in the rivers, waterfalls, caves and games area.

The après-ski is chilled out Les Arcs isn’t known for its crazy après-ski, but with plenty of friendly bars – some of them pretty lively after hours – and relaxed restaurants to relax in, you won’t miss the wild parties.

And with such an incredible ski area to explore, a glass of wine as you watch the sun go down behind the snow-capped Alps makes a pretty blissful end to the day – and guarantees another great day’s skiing tomorrow.

And last but not least, you can visit an igloo village! Yep, head along to the igloo village above Arc 2000 to admire the ice sculptures and enjoy a very cool drink in the ice bar.