Les Arcs 2022 / 2023

A snowHead

@Rob Mackley, thanks, that’s brilliant. What an amazing design.

A snowHead

@Rob Mackley, this is why I love snowheads.

Every day a learning day!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Rob Mackley, W stayed in one of those chalets once they were nice inside but very inconvenient. No snowmobiles are allowed on the slope while the pistes are open so it is quite a slog up the road with your luggage when you arrive and though they are pretty much ski in ski out it is a long trek down to the village in the evening for a drink or to go to the shops.

The dezeen article you post is quite interesting, but I have to disagree with some of the comments they make. The Cascade in Arc 1600 may look wonderful, but it's actually not great to stay in. The airy ski lockers may allow skis to dry but they are very easy to break into. Friends had their skis stollen from one. Many owners have now lined them with steel doors. Most of the properties are in fact single room studios not 2 to 5 bedroom apartments. The sloping windows are a nighmare. They cut down the floor space. The bathrooms seem to take up 50% of the apartment and offer little privacy. You can watch your flatmates having a shower or a ***. The Belles-Challes and Lauzières buildings look magnificent (as seen in Apocalypse Snow) but no mention is made of the lack of noise breaks within the buildings - they are noisy. I loved the one piece plasic bath rooms but they are very difficult to maintain and almost impossible to replace.

I'm with you on the Arpette @rob@rar, I don't think I'll be calling in for a meal or a drink very often.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@johnE, Never stayed in 1600 , first place I stayed in as 12 yr old was the Du Golf just after it had been built nothing beyond it towards the lifts as was . I can imagine the problems now the bathroom pods are 50 years old . Always found Les Arcs fascinating and love pointing out to my girls all the various residences I have stayed in as a teenager , my parents were big fans of ski evolutif . I do however much prefer my bigger and less modern designed apartment in Sainte Foy .m

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Rob Mackley, I own one of the old 1974 apartments in Arc1600. In the Cachette building. It doesn't have sloping windows. The ones above do, but we can have normal curtains. The combined kitchen/living room is good so I can cook while talking to everyone. This seems to be the fashion now in many apartments. The bathroom is traddional. I notice all modern apartments and houses have drop in bathrooms - much easier to maintin quality control - but they are not plastic. So some of the features of those original Les Arcs buildings have become common place now.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I upset the whole system when I taught her the snowplough Yes that would Laughing

I wonder what happened to all those short skis

After all it is free

@johnE, No doubt about it it really was forward thinking and very clever and many of the ideas are now common place . I wonder how many still have the original Les Arcs dining chairs or have they flogged them off , big money theses days .

What have they done to the Arpette?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@Rob Mackley, interesting link/article that.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I can't see Rob's pictures on either my PC or laptop - used to have this problem years ago.

Anyone else?

snow reports

I can see the ones on page 8 - but the ones on page 7 have disappeared..

He says this on page 7 :; "...PS: Apologies that the photos from earlier posts have disappeared. I think this is because Facebook is using dynamic URLs for photos in my Season 22/23 album...."

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

At a guess, I’d say another 15-20cm overnight at 1800m, with lower temperatures than the last few days. Currently -6 degrees at 1800m and there’s snow to the valley floor at Bourg (850m).

A few little flocons floating around with some mid-mountain cloud, but also some patches of blue sky can currently be glimpsed. Lots of avalanche blasting at the moment. The Yuge app says normal lift opening times for Arc 1600, 1800 and Vallandry side of things, no times yet given for the 2000 bowl.

Should be a great day!

A snowHead

Seems like quite a few of the lifts/pistes are shut, is that normal after a snowstorm? Although I must say the previous 2 places I've been everything is still open this morning
We're arriving on 14th so just trying to preempt what might be similar conditions as there looks to be another snowfall upcoming.
Where do you recommend going from Arc 2000 to make the most of what's open? It's our first time in France...

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@viciousvulture, yes, it's perfectly normal. They need to do avalanche control.

Higher villages like 2000 are not the best places to be during a storm - you need trees. Although when I stayed there Arcabulle stayed open and we lapped that.

Losing a few hours, maybe even a day or two to the weather gods is part and parcel of skiing in the mountains. Or indeed not being able to ski everywhere.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

There was an APB out on Yuge last night that there would be blasting this morning in 2000 valley, and access roads closed.
Quite normal.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Layne, Thanks! I've not done off-piste before so I suppose that's why solely looking at pistes, which are a bit few and far between around 2000

You'll need to Register first of course.

@viciousvulture, if the road is open, and after particularly heavy snow fall it is often closed for avalanche protection, take the navette around to 1600 and start from there. This is quite common, but expect the busses to be packed.

Some of the safer 2000 lifts open later in the day, but closures of high steep terrain after storms is quite common. Where have you skied before¿

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I'm heading out to Arc 2000 on Sunday Very Happy

In previous years if the lifts in 2000 have been slow to open I've dropped down to Villaroger and lapped through the trees / under the lifts.
Its always quiet down that end of the map as you cant get across from 1600 if the top lifts are shut, and the trees make a nice change from the moonscape of 2000.
Keep the updates coming, I'm like a dog with two d!cks at the moment with anticipation.

After all it is free

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Lap after lap of fresh tracks. A most excellent morning so far. Initially I was on the Vagere chair, then Carrely opened, then Arpette. Arc 2000 opened a bit later, so I lapped Lanchette a couple of times before the legs started to complain. Lots of avalanche control was taking place. Snow was cold, and mostly deep enough not to be hitting the base, although ridges were still a bit crunchy with rain/wind crust. Pitches which had had full depth slides after the heavy rain/snow before Christmas are still very thin. Piste conditions seem fine, although not skied much on piste.

Now taking a much needed coffee break at the Bulle in perfect sunshine. Nice.

snow reports

@Layne, is right. I've never known the road from Bourg st Maurice to Arc1600 to be closed. It was even open during snowmaggeddon when thousands of people were trapped on the roads up the Isere valley. It is only the avalanche risk road from Arc1600 to 2000 than may close.

You know it makes sense.

@rob@rar, I'm jealous. Lanchette means little little avalanche?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@johnE, yes, it does mean little avalanche! From the top of the chair I traverse right, into the bowl that includes the Robert Blanc free ride piste. A lot of it is below 30 degrees, but you do see the occasional slide on there on the steeper pitches. Today it was mostly very nice, with great snow in the gullies.

A snowHead

@johnE, thanks for all the info, it’s really helpful.
I’ve booked a lesson early so should get some tips there about the area.
I think the main reason I chose this resort was the Aiguille Rouge run, but I’m sure there’s plenty else to do even if it’s shut.

A snowHead

@viciousvulture, the descent from Aiguille Rouge to Villaroger is top drawer when conditions are good and the shorter alternatives are not bad either. But yes, plenty of other stuff to do also.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@rob@rar, I thought you were circuiting Combes. In good condtions a very enjoyable black run, but in any other condtions can be a ski wrecker. I thought the Robert Blanc piste was only reachable from the Arandelieres piste - ie the red from the top of the Aiguille Rouge (A fine run when it is open, if a tad narrow at the top)

@viciousvulture, other fine long descents are possible. Try the top of the Grand Col to Pre st Espirit, mainly blue piste, but should be done none stop, about a 1200m descent. Or Col de Chal to Vallandry a mixture of blue and red pistes and another drop of over 1km

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@johnE, I’m not skiing Robert Blanc, but some off-piste lines in that broad bowl. Robert Blanc is great, but a pain to get to as you have to use the Aiguille Rouge cable car. I prefer to lap around the Lanchette for equally nice terrain/snow but without the slow turnaround time. My watch tells me I’d done nearly 4000m of vertical by lunchtime, almost all of it skiing fresh tracks. Legs are done for the day now!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@rob@rar, Not suprised the legs have gone. It sounds a good morning. Thinking about it the area you are in is where the old Varet and Genepi pistes were (and the original flying K course). A good area. Totally agree about the pain of getting to the Robert Blanc. A traverse to the recent flying K course from the top of the Varet lift also yields some good skiing, But when I look what's above it I would steer clear today.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@johnE, @rob@rar, I do recall one time, whay back... 15 years or so, when the road up from BSM was closed. Indeed the route to Val and Tignes as well. Bourg opened up the schools to allow all the coaches from the airports to disgorge their travellers and sleep the night on bedrolls and camp-beds before the roads opened the next day.

We were very fortunate - The Roll family plus friends (one of whose photos you can see under the dictionary definition entry for 'neurotic', and who was just a wee bit stressy) were called by the resort while we were on the daytime Eurostar train explaining the situation. We became the 'oracle' or the carriage, relaying the info to everyone else about what to expect and do.

Thanks to Snowheads, I was able to call a man I'd never met before except on line, PG (who can recall his huge contributions to the forum before a difference of opinion?), who picked all 7 of us up from the station, and fed and bed at his house. Miniroll 5 or 6 at the time, was hugely impressed with all the skiing trophies his teenage daughter had displayed in her room!

Next morning, AArthur taxis prioritised us up the hill (again, thanks to PG local contacts with the ski club) and we've used and recommended them ever since.

But that's the only time I recall it being closed in 20 years of coming.

I did get a Yuge alert this morning saying they were blasting today, and that the road to 2000 would be closed early doors. That's not at all unusual - and as above, usually open by 8am There would be notices in all the residences about delaying your leaving too.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

deleted

After all it is free

This is what Les Arcs looked like when I frst went there in 1984. Notice the drag lifts, the now defunct pistes and the regrading of runs

Les Arcs 1984

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I found this map in my apartment when I bought it. A lot changed between 1977 (the date of this map) and 1984 when I first came to the resort

Map of Les Arcs 1977

Help!!

Les Arcs 2022 / 2023

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Snow Reports - weather - snow conditions