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Bars and Clubs
There are about 50 restaurants/bars and 10 night clubs, so apologies to those that are not on our list but these are some favourites:
1800
La Mine, seasonaires favourite, gets really crowded has live music.
Plagne Centre
PlanJA.nl - Plays all kinds of music, dancing, gets very lively, great atmosphere and shows the Big Games (also known as the Dutch Bar).
No’bl’m Café Bar – Live Bands and dancing with ‘house shooters’.
La Luna Bar – Popular meeting place which sells ‘towers’ of beer, live music.
Bar Plein du Soleil – Good atmosphere, music and has all the live Footie and Rugby games.
Bellecote
Cozy Bar – Good atmosphere, DJ,s, late free shuttle bus.
Opening December 2007 – NEW
‘Spittin’ Feathers’, Bar, music and live Sports.
Belle Plagne
Le Saloon Cowboy Bar – Can be very lively and is open until 4am, Also lots of other good bars with Live Music and entertainment, great for a pub crawl.
Plagne Soleil
Monica’s Pub – DJ’s, live music and good outside deck for lunch.
Aime 2000
La Montana –Smallish bar with Live music, theme evenings and sheepskins on the chairs. Nice sunny deck at lunch time.
Lots of other watering holes too numerous to mention!
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Off-piste
Usual advice here, do not go alone, practice and know how to use your transceiver, probe and shovel. There are organised practice sessions by SAP that you can attend, there is one in Plagne Soleil at the top of Colosses drag lift by the Dou Du Praz cross country track.
Please ski with a guide.
The North Face of Bellecote – has become popular in recent years, there are a few routes to take down it, (the Couloir Canadiene with its 45 degree angle is used for freeride competitons). You finish by the cross country track above Nancroix.
Glacier of Col De Nant – Take a guide to avoid the crevices! Wind your way down to Laissonney and its cross country tracks, then finish your work out at Champagny-le-Haut where you can catch the bus to Champagny for a well earned beverage before you catch the bubble back to reality!
Check out the web site below, it will tell you all you need to know!
www.pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Savoie/La-Plagne-Bellecote www.pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Savoie/La-Plagne-Off-Piste
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Moguls
Well anything marked red or black is likely to get moguly,(For example La Source). You can find some, if you must, on Les Bosses, a Black at the top of Les Verdons, snow permitting. Also under the Bellecote Bubble on the Roche de Mio glacier and sometimes on the always un-pisted Morbleu and Les Etroits (Blacks) which are accessed by the drag at the top of Le Becoin chair. Bon Chance! Oh and when the bump course is built for competitions!
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Speed
Lots of wide open reds and blues to blast on when the crowds permit of course.
Snowparks
Good one above Centre on the Capella Piste. A Skier Cross and a good Half Pipe at Bellecote. Also a small park at the top of the Bijolin and Dos Rond lifts.
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Events
There are always things going on. The best advice is to is get Le Guide Hiver from The Tourist Office, it is a small book packed full of info. there is also another small weekly events magazine, which keeps you up to date and aware of changes.
1. The Telemark World Cup will be in Mantchavin/Les Coches 10-12 January 2. Plagn Arctic 21-27 January, all resorts will have free ‘polar based themed’ activities…sounds like a giant snow ball fight to me! 3. The French Freestyle Championships take place 14-16 March
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Away
Days
We are quite close to La Rosiere, Val d’Isere, Tignes and The Three Valleys it would be an awful waste not to make the most of your days off.
It’s really easy to hop on the impressive Vanoise Express, a 4 minute ride from Montchavin to Peisey and explore Les Arcs too.
A real skiers challenge in one day is to ski from one side of Paradiski to the other and return. If you have the legs, start at Montalbert 1350m in La Plagne and travel to Villaroger 1200m in Les Arcs (via the Aiguille Rouge). Lunch at La Ferme at Villaroger is recommended.
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Shopping
Things in resort are quite expensive so it is best, if you can, to wait until you go to the valley eg Bourg St. Maurice, Moutiers.
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Internet
Cafés
Cyber Café in Centre by the shuttle bus-stop is probably the most well known, but there are also various hot spots around all the resorts as you would expect. Some bars let you use the internet if you buy a drink.
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Eating
Out
There are many Restaurants as you would expect, of different types and standards, most bars also serve reasonably priced food, here are some of our faves.
1800 – Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, Savoyarde Specialities
La Grande Mere.
Plange Centre – La Vega, a good all rounder, on the piste-front, also has a good sunny deck for lunch.
Le Chaudron – Always busy, pricey, piste-front and has sunny deck for lunch.
L’Estaminet – Small and friendly, Savoyarde theme and reasonably priced.
La Ferme – Kebabs, pasta, burgers, sandwiches etc
La Refuge – The original ‘warming place’, reasonably priced.
Dominos Pizza – Lots to choose from.
Belle Plagne
Le Matafan – Savoyarde, a bit pricey, but good. Also has a sunny deck for lunch.
Pappagone and North Face are across the path from each other by the entrance to the ‘bubble’ both are good and have a varied menu, you can ski in!
Plagne Villages
Le Grizzli - is a favourite, it’s small, pricey, but has good charm!
Le Spatule – Good Pizza and character don’t be put off by the apartment building it is in. Yummy Hot Chocolate on their small’ ski in’ deck in the day.
Plagne Soleil
The Gargantuan- very popular, nice atmosphere.
Aime 2000
La Montana – Good Restaurant, which is no smoking, quite pricey.
Le Mont Blanc – Great views. Good food but expensive.
Mountain Restos
Again, too many to mention them all but here are some worth a visit.
Les Borseliers – Is towards Champagny and has the most reasonable prices, is a sheltered suntrap, very popular inside and out, great deck.
Roc de Blanchettes –One of the best views in town out towards Courchevel and its altiport, also has deckchairs on the snowy beach!
Le Chalet de Friolin at Les Bauches. Very traditional inside and recently refurbished. There are a few ‘leg burning’ off-piste routes to get there.
Le Plein Soleil- towards Montchavin, has a Father Christmas hanging from the roof! Best Coffee in town last season! Le Sauget is just down the hill, it is also a very cosy Auberge with lots of character.
Le Forperet and L’Abreuvoir at Montalbert are old, quaint, cosy, charming, and traditional, a perfect stop when you take to the trees on snowy days!
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Shopping
Day
Things in resort are quite expensive so it is best, if you can, to wait until you go to the valley eg Bourg St. Maurice, Moutiers.
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Radio
I mention this because Aire-la-Plagne 101.5 have good piste and snow reports in French and English in the mornings.
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Après-ski
Options
All the usual: Skidoos, Parapenting, Bowling, Ice Skating, Swimming, Tobogganing.
Then there is the Bob Sleigh: Unique to La Plagne, it was built for the Olympics in 1992 and it is just that, it is not a ‘tourist attraction’ where you take a Disney type tour! If you want to scare yourself witless go on the Mono-Bob, you are sent on your way, alone, enclosed in a cage, on a high-tech sledge 90kph!! On Taxi-Bob you go with a professional driver and experience 3.5 g. Holy S…! (Keep your eyes OPEN so as not to miss a thing) The more sedate driverless Bob-Raft only goes at 80kph and you travel with three other people which is great fun (wear a head-cam, so you can relive the adventure). All are highly recommended, can’t wait to go again!!
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Living
.It’s very easy to get around with the free resort bus service, but beware if you miss the last bus it’s a long cold walk home, it has been known for the last one not to turn up at all!! Plagne Centre, Aime 2000, Bellecote and Belle Plagne are quite spread out but you will be amazed how the news of a ‘nite out’ travels
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MyNatives
If you’re thinking of doing a season inLa Plagne then check out MyNatives to see who else has worked there and what advice they may be able to offer. Why not join yourself and tell us about your season, in a blog, or post some photos in our Gallery.
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[Thanks toChrissie Kimber for putting this Guide together] |
