Nightfall in Arc 1950 Le Village.

LES ARCS HAS BEEN A FIRM FAVOURITE with a whole generation of French family skiers, who appreciate its combination of extensive and accessible high-altitude skiing with lots of self-catering accommodation. The British, too, have taken it to their hearts in increasing numbers, particularly since the liaison with La Plagne opened things up still further to create the vast Paradiski area. Add the direct funicular link to Bourg St Maurice, for slick transfers to overnight Snow-Train services direct from London and you have an unbeatable package.

Whichever way you look at it, Les Arcs can hardly be called a slave to convention. Conceived as one of a new generation of high-altitude French ski stations, the setting among the alpages above Bourg Saint-Maurice turned out to have been inspired, not least since it also allowed the creation of a funicular for swift tansfers direct to and from Bourg’s TGV terminus. British skiers can now travel overnight direct from London, courtesy of RailEurope’s Ski-Train service.

Arrive by road, however, and you can see the various phases in the development of Les Arcs, starting with the distinctive sloping apartment facades of Arc 1600. Next come the larger, more assertive lines of Arc 1800, long favoured by tour operators for its visitor capacity, services and ski-schools. The final development was Arc 2000, conceived to provide younger, more committed skiers with rapid access to the highest terrain well above the tree-line. Or so it seemed. After MGM added some premium accommodation above Arc 1800 a few years ago, the massive Canadian Intrawest Corporation went one better and built a whole new village just below Arc 2000. Read our profile of Arc 1950 Le Village.

Arc 2000 sits in the very heart of the ski action.

Arc 1950 is an excellent, ski-in/ski-out base for exploring the mountain. But the ski domain is just so varied as to offer something, somewhere for just about every type of visitor. There’s no doubt that this is one of the keys to Les Arcs’ remarkable success. Another is continuous heavy investment in lift infrastructure, making getting around a breeze.

Which brings us to the skiing. Trying to be objective is to miss the point; ask people why they ski here and you’ll realise that everyone has their own favourite places, usually several. And they’re passionate about them. Take the cable car from Arc 2000 to Aiguille Rouge (3226m) and you can start the day in style, on the famous red run which fires you into a wealth of possibilities. If conditions are good you could cruise over to Arc 1800 and continue down through the sheltered forest glades to Peisey for coffee or a vin-chaud. En-route you’ll cover some mileage, get your bearings and, like us, discover a few places to which you’ll want to return.

Scenic cruising aficionados are well catered for.

Still feeling more adventurous? Well, take the nearby Vanoise Express across to La Plagne, and you could do the whole Paradiski experience. On the other hand, from Aiguille Rouge you could take a combination of black and red pistes all the way down to Villaroger (1200m). Or you could get away from it all by heading over to the Grand Col to begin a breathtaking off-piste guided tour high above the Tarentaise valley which will eventually take you to the same destination point. Now take the chair-lift haul back up to Arc 2000 while struggling to take in what you’ve just done.

Varied and seemingly-limitless terrain make this a popular choice for families and mixed-ability groups.

Not that those of more modest aspirations are overlooked; Les Arcs knows its main market and provides intermediate skiers with plenty of well-prepared blue-graded cruising, along with safe, reassuring débutant areas. Its wide choice of ski-schools is another factor which has made it one of the most popular of all French ski stations for family skiers.

© Roger Moss