FEBRUARY IN LES ARCS

The February holidays are now in view, with Les Arcs expecting 20,000 in resort next Saturday, 14th Feb.  This breaks down as follows: 10,500 in Arc 1800, 4,900 in Arc 2000, 2,800 in  Arc 1600 and 2,700 in Arc 1950, according to Le Dauphiné.  Interesting to see that, despite all the publicity it receives, Arc 1950 remains the smallest resort...

At Arc 1800, get ready for big queues at the Vagere or Transarc.  Things may be better next year if the new chair to Arc 2000 comes on stream (more here).  But for now, it's worth planning your day and exploring areas away from the mainstream.

Here is a guide from a few years ago on some of the less visited itineraries.  To this I would now add skiing anywhere above Arc 1600 - with the new Mont Blanc lift now running alongside Cachette, queues are now rare.

Take the Malgovert run from the Comborciere all the way down to Les Granges and you have 1100m of descent.  Alternatively, from Clocheret, descent via Gollet and the never-used Violettes piste, again  to the mid-station of the funicular, and you have a similarly long run.

The start of Malgovert this Christmas.
This wild, away-from-it-all, red piste is now open

The good news is that all the runs are currently open, and there is enough snow to build this:

Source: Les Arcs Freeski Academy