Visit Les Arcs this Easter 2018

We are having an exceptional year. It started snowing before December 2017 and, pretty much, kept going until the last week of January. Since then we have had regular top-ups of the white stuff, ensuring that the slopes have been superb week-on-week. The snow depth has, so far, reached a high of four metres on the Aiguille Rouge, and that could still increase through February. All of these factors make us very confident that the skiing will be pretty special from now until the very end of the season. The slopes could hardly be in a better condition right now and that is undoubtedly very good news.

Once we have finished with the French February “half-term” holidays, prices traditionally begin to fall across the mountain. You can, therefore, find good deals in resort on accommodation, transfers and ski hire, but also on other necessary things like flights and train tickets. Also, with longer days and a wide range of events occurring in Les Arcs, you get a bit more “bang” for your buck, pleasure for your pound or excitement for your euro (whichever works best for you).

If you are looking to update your equipment, ski shops across the mountain often have sales in March and April, selling new 2018 skis, ‘boards, accessories, clothes and boots at dramatically reduced prices. You can do some serious shopping, pimp your ride and get a few bargains in the process.

It is an astronomical fact that, as the year progresses slowly towards the summer solstice, the days become incrementally longer. Respecting this inevitable shift, the lifts in Les Arcs are opened for longer each day (from 10th February), meaning you can enjoy more time on the pistes and some excellent early-evening skiing. As the sun stays out for longer, it is much easier to “make the most” of your après-ski hours. At many on-piste bars and restaurants you can hang around after the lifts officially close, enjoying a final beverage before you slide back to your accommodation. There are a number of extra-curricular afternoon activities such as multi-glisse, crazy ping pong, pool tournaments, ski joëring, live music, night skiing and lots more, which are much more enticing when it is light outside. See our events calendar for more regular local events.

It may be at altitude and there may be snow EVERYWHERE but, once spring comes around, you quickly remember that Les Arcs is technically in the South of France and therefore habitually warm and sunny. The two main reasons I do not snowboard in a t-shirt for most of March and April are: 1. I will always fall over at some point, and 2. I will get seriously sunburned within two hours. Unless we get some prolonged cloud, the idea of feeling cold is almost as absurd as the reality of getting a suntan whilst sitting on metre-thick snow.

The warmer weather also makes complementary activities like skiing, outdoor eating and drinking wine on a mountainside terrace demonstrably more pleasant. There are innumerable restaurants and bars on the slopes and in the resorts of Les Arcs which provide a mixture of spectacular views, fresh air and bonhomie that you will struggle to find at any pub garden in Chingford.

Often the overall decrease in snowfall and increase in temperature during March and April make the roads around resort easier to navigate. You are certainly less likely to be parking on an extant snowdrift when you arrive. Driving to resort can make the overall holiday experience cheaper (especially if you bring a few children/passengers and/or a lot of equipment) and gives you the option of exploring areas outside of the immediate resort. Most people know that, as part of Paradiski, Les Arcs is connected to La Plagne by the Vanoise Express gondola but fewer people realise it is within an hour’s drive of La Rosière, Tignes, Val D’Isère and Les 3 Vallées. As a result, you can schedule in a day-trip (or two) to some of the other big ski domains in the Tarentaise region. However, regardless of typical weather conditions or forecasts, ALWAYS bring snow chains to the mountain; better to have them and not need them...

So it is only Easter and you are not keen on expending all of your hard-earned annual leave like a ten-year-old who has a pile of chocolate eggs and no appreciation of rationing. Why not take a long weekend away, economising on your those precious vacation days but still enjoying all the benefits of a holiday abroad? Check out our guide to short ski breaks for more information.

At Easter there are plenty of additional activities happening across the villages of Les Arcs. The official mountain-wide festival of skiing in springtime, Printemps du Ski, starts on 24th March and usually involves a number of themed events happening in the various resorts: from relaxing pastimes like concerts and on-piste golf (good luck finding the ball) to more adrenaline-pumping pursuits like the waterslide and freestyle sessions, there is always something occurring. The Great British Celebration week also starts on 24th March, the epic Course du Coeur finishes in Les Arcs on the 1st April and Festislack, the annual slackline party, is scheduled for 6th to 8th April. Keep an eye on our regularly updated events calendar to keep abreast of what’s on.

So don’t put your salopettes in the loft just yet, scrub the summer wax off your skis and get booking!