A Beginner's Guide to Skiing in Les Arcs

Beginner skiers will have the time of their lives in Les Arcs. A French skiing powerhouse, the purpose-built resort is nestled in the Tarentaise Valley and boasts some of the best snow conditions and skiing in Europe.

In this guide, we'll tell you why Les Arcs is such a great choice for beginner skiers - whether you're a friendship group or a family. 

In this beginner's guide, we answer:

• Is Les Arcs suitable for beginners?
• Is Les Arcs suitable for a first-time family ski holiday?
• Where are the learner areas in Les Arcs?
• What are the beginner slopes called in Les Arcs?
• How much do lift passes cost?
• Beginner access to bars and restaurants
• How much do ski lessons cost?
• Is there a beginner-friendly snow park?

Let’s dive into the details of your first trip to Les Arcs.

Is Les Arcs suitable for beginners?

Les Arcs is a great choice for beginner skiers - whether you’re in a mixed-ability group, with fellow starters, or part of a family with young children.

There are more than enough beginner slopes to keep you occupied for the week, while ski lessons are competitively priced. If you’re an adult, you won’t have to worry about mixing it with the kids, as group lessons will be adult-only or children-only. Alternatively, if you want to stick with your own children, you can arrange private lessons.

Meanwhile, beginners will be able to easily access mountain apres bars and restaurants, and you’ll even be able to save money thanks to specific discounted beginner lift passes - a fairly rare offering when it comes to ski resorts.

While apres is certainly an aspect of Les Arcs, families need not worry, as you can choose to stay in quieter villages for a bit of peace and quiet - Arc 1800 is the apres hotspot.

Les Arcs is made up of a number of villages - the Arcs (1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, all named after their altitude in metres), the twin village of Peisey-Vallandry (1600m), and Villaroger (1200m). Meanwhile, the principal town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a seven-minute funicular ride down from Arc 1600.

If you're set on France but want somewhere much more quiet, then have a look at our beginner's guide to skiing in La Rosière. Not too far from Les Arcs, this is a gorgeous, sleepy village with similarly great skiing. 

Meanwhile, check out our beginner's guide to skiing in Val Thorens for something very lively. Europe's highest resort has an easily accessible nursery slope, plenty of leisurely runs, and an excellent après scene.

Is Les Arcs suitable for a first-time family ski holiday?

Absolutely. There are plenty of gentle practice areas (which we’ll get into below) to learn the vital skills. We’d highly recommend getting lessons, and Les Arcs is home to a range of top ski schools (also further down in the article).

As Les Arcs is a purpose-built ski resort, children won’t have to lug about their skis and poles for long distances to reach lifts - many slopes and lifts are within a short walking distance of accommodation.

We’d recommend booking accommodation in a resort other than Arc 1800 though, as that’s the main apres hotspot for the cluster of villages that make up Les Arcs. Why not try Arc 1600’s Club Med, a family-friendly haven? Peisey-Vallandry also boasts a Club Med, and is nice and low-key, with just a handful of bars, shops and a supermarket.

There’s plenty of non-skiing activities to keep busy with, too. You should definitely check out the Mille 8 spa and swimming pool complex, while there’s also an ice rink and snowshoeing to do. You can also go down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice to explore. Les Arcs at Christmas is also a fantastic experience for families.

Where are the learner areas in Les Arcs?

There are various learner areas throughout the Les Arcs villages. A good one to start with is at the top of the Vallandry 74 gondola (don’t worry that it’s up the mountain, you’ll be absolutely fine!) where there is a magic carpet with a very gentle slope. After this, you can go on the drag lift right next door to practise some bigger turns. From there, you can plod along through the lovely tree-lined forest run.

Another learner area is at the bottom of the Villards 25 gondola in Arc 1800. After this, get the gondola up past the “Mille 8” leisure centre and water park, where there’s a magic carpet and a slope specifically made for beginners, with its winding path going past a giant xylophone that you can play with your ski poles, among other things.

There is also the Le Cube run at the top of the magic carpet which has a very gentle gradient to perfect your craft. After gaining a bit of confidence you can head up that lift for some gentle runs down.

Meanwhile, there is some space just on the edge of the Arc 2000 village, with some gradually more challenging stuff at the top of the St Jacques 33 chairlift.

Read more:

Another great beginner resort is Méribel. It's got plenty going on with a traditional resort centre playing host to plenty of bars, restaurants and shops.

Zell am See in Austria also has a good offering for beginners and first time families. It has a similar laid-back vibe, a bustling, pedestrianised resort centre, and access to the Skicircus for any experienced skiers in the group!

What are the beginner slopes called in Les Arcs? 

Once you’ve got to grips with skiing in the learner areas listed above, it’ll be time for you to tackle some green and blue slopes.

Aside from the green Cabanes slope at the top of the Villards 25 gondola in Arc 1800 and all that the Mille 8 complex has to offer, you can also head to Arc 2000 for a number of nice blue runs. These include Plan Vert (at the top of the Transarc gondola) which then continues into the lovely Edelweiss run until you hit the Marmottes chairlift. Alternatively, the Cascades piste (at the top of the Bois de Lours chairlift) is also beautiful and manageable.

The Vallandry area is really lovely for first-timers because of the wealth of pretty tree-lined runs which attract more leisurely skiers compared to the more lively freeways at the top of the mountain. Among these pretty runs include the Foret des Pitchouns green run (starting at the top of the Vallandry 74 gondola), and there are others at the top of the Vallandry chair lift and Flocon J bar lift - the Plan Bois and Foret 1 blues stand out.

Peisey is the same - aim for the Peisey chairlift and the Cabri J bar lift. Overall in the Peisey-Vallandry region there are 14 blue pistes and 1 green piste.

If you’re after some really easy stuff though, Villaroger is not a bad bet. Go up the Replat chairlift and you’ll have four pretty variations back down the Lys blue run to the start of the chairlift - rinse and repeat until you’re ready for something more adventurous.

How much do lift passes cost in Les Arcs?

While you won’t be getting ultra cheap lift passes in Les Arcs, there’s a reason for that - it’s one of the largest local ski areas in the country and has brilliant infrastructure.

That being said, there are special deals to take advantage of below.

How much is a local lift pass?

A daily local lift pass for the whole of Les Arcs costs €65 - and although you can find cheaper elsewhere, the Les Arcs area is huge, meaning you’ll likely be exploring new places every day.

If you’re a fast learner, you can also expand this to a Paradiski area lift pass (€74 per day). Paradiski combines all of Les Arcs’ offerings with all of neighbouring La Plagne’s slopes - all connected by ski lifts on the slopes.

Is there a free lift pass for Les Arcs?

Overall, there are 11 free lifts (largely magic carpets and drag lifts) throughout the various villages, meaning absolute beginners could save a day or two in lift pass costs while learning the ropes.

You won’t need a specific pass to get on them. These free lifts are located at the dedicated learner’s zones, including at the Mille 8 area in Arc 1800 and at the top of the Vallandry 74 gondola in Vallandry.

Is there a discounted lift pass for beginners?

You can also opt to get daily discounted passes which work for each village, meaning that you only need to buy a whole Les Arcs area pass once you’re confident you can get around easily.

These hyperlocal lift pass prices are below:

▪ Arc 1600 - Arc 1800: €44 (full rate) and €36 (reduced rate - ie concessions)
▪ Arc 2000 - Villaroger: €44 (full rate) and €36 (reduced rate)
▪ Peisey-Vallandry: €44 (full rate) and €36 (reduced rate)
▪ Villaroger: €31 (full price) and €25 (reduced price)

Can you access après bars and restaurants from the beginner slopes?

Absolutely yes.

The liveliest village in the resort for apres-ski is Arc 1800 (although all have something going on) and the biggest name to aim for would be La Folie Douce. With a presence in many French resorts, the Les Arcs edition is found on the slopes (not in the town centre) at the top of the Villards gondola, very close to where the magic carpets for beginners are.

This means you should be fairly comfortable skiing back down after (at least by the second day!) - although if you’re not feeling confident then you can also hop back on the gondola to go back down. The bar will be a flat walk away from the gondola station so you wouldn’t have to climb any hills.

Other notable venues with easy access include Chez Boubou and the Red Hot Saloon.

Meanwhile, L’Arpette Restaurant is a popular one that’s located on the easy Belvedere blue slope in Arc 1800, and Le 2134 Rooftop Restaurant is highly recommended and easily accessible.

How much do ski lessons cost in Les Arcs?

The excellent ESF (French Ski School) is present in Les Arcs and has the best reputation in the country for its ski instructors and lessons. They all speak English and you’ll be placed in an appropriate group, including with people you can talk to in English as well.

There are other ski schools too, including Evolution 2 and Arc Adventures. Group lessons tend to be about two and a half hours long, while private lessons vary, so we’ve put those at their hourly rate.

Private lessons will get booked up early so make sure to get organised and book it all well in advance. Remember as well, these are prices from the 23-24 season so we can’t guarantee accuracy for the following seasons.

Is there a beginner-friendly snow park in Les Arcs?

Yes. Les Arcs’ snowpark is towards Arc 1600 and has appropriate runs and bits of fun for skiers of all ability - including beginners.

It includes woops, jumps and a mini-pipe for beginners, while newbies can also practise on the four lines of kickers and a box.

It’s great if you’re in a mixed-ability group as you can watch your advanced mates pull off some serious tricks.

Overall, is Les Arcs a good choice for beginners?

Les Arcs is indeed a great place for beginners to learn how to ski - for four key reasons.

Firstly, there are a number of beginner-friendly practice areas (including with free lifts) where you can learn the basics. After that, Les Arcs has a wealth of blue runs for you to enjoy all week. There’s also a great snowpark to enjoy.

Secondly, you can get discounted beginner-friendly lift passes if you’re happy to stay within a certain area of the resort when skiing. This is really useful for cutting costs, especially as you can buy the passes day by day, meaning you can get the full area lift passes once you’re confident enough to ski further.

Thirdly, beginners can easily reach the hottest apres bars and restaurants. You don’t have to worry about working your way down a treacherous black slope for some lunch - it’s all easily accessible.

Finally, the ski lesson offerings are really strong in Les Arcs. It’s one of France’s biggest ski resorts, so the instructors will be some of the best in the country. Don’t be put off if you’re an adult learner though - instructors are more than welcoming for adult groups - and probably secretly prefer them, too!

Try Les Arcs for yourself

If Les Arcs sounds like the one for you then make sure you browse our ski holidays and deals in the resort. Iglu Ski has been going for more than 25 years and has always helped people to find the best holidays - especially as our well-seasoned (we've spent a lot of time in the mountains!) sales team can navigate you through the process.