The end of the old bubble era

The Roche de Mio gondola has been part of La Plagne’s lift network since it first went into service in 1975, built by Poma as a modern monocable system for its day. For nearly fifty years those chunky six-seat bubbles carried skiers from Belle Plagne towards the glacier but with a modest capacity of around 1,440 people per hour it had become a slow point on busy mornings. The original line including the old top section has now been removed as part of La Plagne’s wider modernisation which aims to tidy up the layout around the Bourtes ridge above Plagne Bellecôte / Belle Plagne and prepare for a smoother route to the glacier.

A new backbone from Plagne Bellecôte to Roche de Mio

The new version is a fresh two stage gondola built once again by Poma, split into Roche de Mio 1 (Plagne Bellecôte to Col de Forcle) and Roche de Mio 2 (Col de Forcle to Roche de Mio). The lower station now sits right on the snowfront at Plagne Bellecôte at roughly 1,930 m, making it easy to reach from the centre of the village. From here, the new ten-seat cabins rise over the slopes and head to a completely new mid-station at Col de Forcle, tucked beneath the Petite Rochette area.

A more direct link from Plagne Centre to RdM

The clever part is how this mid station now links the gondola directly to the main Plagne Centre bowl. Skiers can come up on the Funiplagne from Plagne Centre, ski down to the Forcle mid-station via Petite Rochette and hop straight onto the Roche de Mio 2 cabins. This gives far quicker access to the new glacier lift (and surrounding RdM pistes) from Plagne Centre without the detour through Plagne Bellecôte which should make the morning flow much smoother for anyone staying in the central villages.

The new route on the piste map

From Col de Forcle the second section climbs to Roche de Mio at about 2,739 m where it connects cleanly with the Les Glaciers gondola to Live 3000 and the high alpine sector. The whole system has been designed as the new backbone for reaching the upper mountain. Of course, it also gives access to the plethora of runs from the top of Roche de Mio which include Mio black, Levasset blue, Sources red, Tunnel blue and Inversens red – as well as the new-for-2025 Pentue black. Note, we have attempted to update all piste maps on the LaPlagne360 site but, should you see old versions, please disregard them.

Capacity and comfort

Across both sections the new lift will move up to around 3,140 people per hour, more than double the old capacity which should cut waiting times sharply on peak days. The ten-person cabins offer level boarding and plenty of space for skis and boards as well as making life simpler for families and those with reduced mobility.

The development of the Roche de Mio gondola

The development is led by SAP (Société d’Aménagement de La Plagne) with Poma as the ropeway manufacturer and firms such as Groupe Legendre involved in the civil engineering work. Construction began in 2023 as part of the second phase of La Plagne’s glacier access overhaul which started with the Les Glaciers gondola. The new Roche de Mio system is planned to open in December 2025, with the official inauguration set for 13 December 2025.

What happens to Belle Plagne and pedestrians?

Although the old upper section of the historic gondola has been removed the Belle Plagne link from Plagne Bellecôte remains in operation for both skiers and pedestrians. Non-skiers will still be able to ride to Belle Plagne – and will continue to have access to the higher areas using the new Roche de Mio and Les Glaciers gondolas on a pedestrian pass. It keeps a simple route for sightseeing and access to the high terrain even though the lift layout above Belle Plagne has changed.