Belle-Plagne
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise (Savoie). Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area. La Plagne consists of 6 high altitude resorts, at the bottom of the pistes, linked by free transport between 8 a.m. and midnight, enabling you to enjoy your holiday without a car:
- Aime la Plagne: alt 2100 m
- Belle Plagne: alt 2050 m
- Plagne Villages/Soleil: alt 2050 m
- Plagne Bellecôte: alt 1930 m
- Plagne Centre: alt 1970 m
- Plagne 1800 m
And 4 village resorts with access to the entire ski area:
- Champagny en Vanoise: alt 1250 m
- Plagne Montalbert: alt 1350 m
- Montchavin: alt 1250 m
- Les Coches: alt 1450 m
Ski area
La Plagne lies at altitudes between 3250 metres (on the Glacier de la Chiaupe near the top of Bellecôte) and 1250 metres (in the village of Montchavin):
- 100 km² of ski area spread across four communes (Aime, Bellentre, Champagny-en-Vanoise and Mâcot-la-Plagne)
- 225 kilometres of slopes
- 134 slopes : 15 black, 30 red, 72 blue, 10 green
- Les Coches: alt 1450 m
- 2 cable-cars: the Telemetro, linking Plagne Centre and Aime-La Plagne and the Vanoise Express, which links La Plagne to Les Arcs and was opened in 2003 and travels at over 40 kilometres/hour, making it one of the fastest of its kind in the world
- Ski lifts: 8 gondolas, 36 chairlifts, 38 drag lifts.
A bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track was built in La Plagne for the 1992 Winter Olympics held in nearby Albertville.
Winter activities
Bobsleigh, air bag in snowpark, dog sledging, snow trekking, quad, ice climbing, snowbikes, parapenting, helicopter, ski alpinism, snow hiking, evenings at igloos, luges, ice rink, cross-country skiing, touring ski, paint-ball, blowing, games room, snowpark, half-pipe.
Apres ski
Squash, fitness, indoor climbing walls, interior and exterior swimming pools, spas, restaurants, bars.
History
La Plagne was created in 1961, as with many resorts in the Alps, to save the valleys from becoming deserted. The agriculture and mining industries were in crisis, which led to young people leaving the valley in search of work. In 1960, four towns (Aime, Bellentre, Longefoy and Macôt) created an association to defend their interests, with an initiative of Dr. Borrionne, mayor of Aime. On 24 December 1961, La Plagne opened, with its two drag lifts and its four slopes. Emile Allais, great ski-champion, has helped La Plagne to grow. Immediately, La Plagne generated a great deal of success.