Busy ski resort of Les Arcs is THE place to be for party animals
I STOMPED my heavy boots in time with the music, as the sun cast an orange glow over the white slopes.
La Folie Douce bar, in the busy ski resort of Les Arcs, is THE place to come for party animals. Revellers enjoy regular live shows, a huge Scandi-style bar serving up beers, jagermeister and pit stop grub.
From here the Vanoise Express, a huge double-decker cable car, connects this resort to the popular La Plagne, slightly west of Les Arcs, which is surrounded by pretty villages and ski towns.
My base was 10km away in the village of Plan Peisey, a vast region of the French Alps.
As a fairly inexperienced skier, I didn’t know much about the resort, which sits close to the Italian border, but friends had raved about it.
And it certainly didn’t disappoint.
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Sheltered from the winds at the foot of the mountains, the charming village is perfectly placed to take advantage of the 425km of pistes that make up the Paradiski ski area.
Traditional alpine restaurants and shops look out on to frosted pines and even the drive here from Lyon airport was a scene from a postcard.
Mountains loom over the winding roads, their perfect white peaks so tempting that by the time I’d arrived, I was itching to get my skis on.
For novices like me, there are several ski hire shops, most within walking distance of the chalets, that will kit you out. Our pad, Chalet Fleur de Neige, was just 50m from the piste, meaning minimal lugging around of ski gear — a real luxury.
Entering the wooden home, we were greeted by our warm and smiley chalet hosts, Tony and Carol, who had prepared homemade cakes and afternoon tea for us.
The chalet has seven spacious bedrooms which are basic but traditional and there’s also a sauna on the lower level which is a great place to unwind and ease those post-ski aches and pains.
In the cosy lounge you can marvel at the views and warm your toes by a roaring log-burner or get stuck into a board game.
Untouched snow
From the village, it only takes a few minutes to reach the slopes by cable car and despite visiting in French half-term, the resorts didn’t feel overcrowded, so I had ample space to fall over as much as I pleased (which I did a lot).
Having skied just once before, a major part of my trip was ski school. But with only two others in my class, it felt more like a private lesson than group learning.
My classmates were 12-year-old girls, which meant trips to the fun park with swirling lanes and jumps — which I ended up loving.
The resorts have runs for all abilities and ages, but it wasn’t long before I was venturing “off piste”, darting through towering trees and untouched snow.
After a tiring morning on the slopes, I couldn’t wait to get back to try the freshly baked cake prepared by our tireless chalet hosts. Lemon drizzle, carrot cake and Victoria sponge. Cake heaven. But these goodies weren’t a patch on the evening dinners.
The endless wine, beef stews, pork stroganoffs and Tartiflette, a local dish of potato, gooey cheese, onion and bacon made every night feel like Christmas.
There are also plenty of classic French restaurants in the village or you can head back to La Folie Douce bar for burgers and wine.
Perched on a snowy slope, watching the sun set behind the mountains is a scene I’ll never forget.
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