Made up of 4 villages (1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000) whose names all refer to their altitude, Les Arc offers some of the most convenient and snow-sure skiing across the entirety of The Alps. With all 4 villages being fully pedestrianised, they lend themselves to family orientated skiing and therefore offer the perfect conditions for anyone learning to ski.
The combined area of Les Arcs alone enjoys a healthy 200 KM of slopes, however through Les Arcs ability to link up with the neighbouring resorts of Peisey Vallandry and La Plagne to make up the Paradiski, the total distance of skiable area jumps up to a phenomenal 425 KM of piste. The area itself is a unique, limitless playground, with all 4 villages offering a different style of skiing: Les Arc 1600 offers a more peaceful and family orientated setup, Les Arc 1800 is the main area offering a well balanced blend of relaxed skiing and resort atmosphere with the pick of the bars, restaurants and shops. Les Arc 1950 and 2000 offer the best access to the high altitude snow-sure skiing that the area is known for with a handful of nice bars and restaurants to choose from.
First opened in 1986 with just Les Arc 1600, the then groundbreaking design and styling of the first purpose built apartment blocks in The Alps was the complete opposite of the more traditional wooden chalet laden resorts. Before long this more modern approach proved its worth and was soon copied across other ski resorts around the world.
With five village resorts, Les Arcs necessarily has five times more skiing and best leisure facilities to offer its visitors to book for holidays but also, and this is the charm of this domain, five different atmospheres to propose to them. Each village has created its own identity to attract a specific type of clientele.
Following the success of Les Arc 1600, Arc 1800 was constructed in 1974, Arc 2000 in 1979 and Arc 1950 in 2003. Each project was accompanied by the construction of ski lifts (chairlifts, cable cars, funiculars…) so that the whole piste area was perfectly connected. A successful gamble since Les Arcs is now part of the second largest linked ski lift area in the world, The Paradiski.
There is no question that Les Arcs main selling point is its amazing variety of ski-in/ski-out chalets and apartments making sure that you make the absolute most of your time on the mountain.
With its highest point at 3226 m, the resort benefits from exceptional snow conditions, Les Arcs has a great reputation for off-piste terrain; the resort covers a huge area and much of it is outside the groomed motorways. The north face of the Aiguille Rouge is highly regarded with its long ridge opening up a myriad of off-piste options in what are the few remaining areas of the Tarentaise not yet filled with lifts and pistes.
Les Arcs is a very family-oriented resort, on and off the slopes, with 75-percent of terrain rated easy or intermediate and more than 50 blue runs to choose from.
In general terms the terrain becomes progressively more challenging the further you ascend with gentle runs through the woods down at Arc 1600, then the heart of the ski area is home to many wide cruising blue and red pistes as you move above the treeline, and then the upper runs on the exposed Aiguille Rouge offer some of the greatest challenges. A sign as you board the cable car up here advises that only good skiers should attempt to ski down. There are red as well as black options.
The resort has a strong history of excellence when it comes to ski tuition dating right back to the 1970s when it pioneered ‘ski evolutif’ which saw first-timers learn proper technique (rather than progressing from snowplough) on progressively longer skis. This teaching method was superseded by the arrival of carving skis, but Les Arcs has sought to maintain its leading status as a teaching resort and operates a number of learner-only areas close to the resort bases, complete with easy to ride conveyor lifts serving very gentle gradients.
The most recent opening is at Arc 2000 close to where the Olympic Flame is located commemorating the resort’s role in the 1992 Albertville Olympics. Both adult and child beginners are welcome to use these facilities.
