When is the best time to ski in La Plagne?
Ok – heads up – this article needs a slight disclaimer before we start. I don’t think I’m particularly alone in this respect but I have a definite preference for longer, sunnier days so this guide is going to be unashamedly weighted in favour of the later months of the ski and snowboard season in La Plagne. That said, there are a number of very good reasons why. Let’s look at La Plagne month by month.
A month-by-month guide to La Plagne
La Plagne holiday guide, month by month: If you’re looking for detailed guides to each month in La Plagne, check our La Plagne month-by-month guide (individual pages are linked below). These guides give comprehensive information on what you can expect from your Paradiski holiday covering everything from typical snow, weather and temperatures to nightlife, average prices, and road congestion etc. We’ve also included video reports from previous seasons (similar to the edit above) – from epic snowfall winters to more typical years – to give you a better idea of how things are.
What is La Plagne like in December?
Pre-season early December in La Plagne: The altitude stations of La Plagne typically open around the second week of December. At this point, the resort is pretty much deserted so you’ll get a lot of mileage in – although, in recent years, the snow quality has mostly been questionable and the majority of the resort stays closed i.e. everything from Plagne 1800 downwards. Ok, the exceptional 2017/18 was a standout but, really, this early in the season you’ll normally be riding a mix of artificial and real snow which is often quite hard. Also, the resort has yet to fully wake up so nightlife is pretty low-key – mostly over-exuberant, first-time, gap-year saisonnaires. It’s enough to make you feel very, very old 馃槼.
Have a look at our December in La Plagne article for more detailed information on typical snow, weather, queues and conditions.
What is Christmas and New Year like in La Plagne ?
Christmas and Hogmanay in La Plagne: Almost overnight, La Plagne suddenly goes from deserted to heaving on the weekend preceding Christmas. However, this applies the world over in ski resorts so should not come as any surprise. Thankfully, the full resort opens around this time meaning the skiers and snowboarders get spread out over a considerably larger area – also helped by the opening of the link over to Les Arcs. As mentioned in another post here, La Plagne is a very family-oriented resort so the majority of the Christmas celebrations are tailored to kids with sleigh rides and mock-Santas in each resort (busy lad that Santa bloke).
For New Year (Hogmanay) Plagne Bellec么te takes centre stage with the Pompon Rouge celebrations – however, make no mistake, this is nowhere near on par with the likes of New Year in Tignes or M茅ribel. Still, you’ll have a good night on the Front de Neige regardless – just make sure you leave a little early if you’re staying in any of the other satellites as the buses back to other villages get ridiculously busy. Subscribe to the La Plagne 360 / iRide YouTube channel for more info or watch our snow report footage.
What is La Plagne like in January?
January in La Plagne: After the somewhat hectic rush over Christmas and New Year, it’s always a relief to enter what is pretty much the quietest part of the season in La Plagne. As the hordes depart and return to their Mon-Fri, 9-5 day jobs, the entire resort takes on a much more mellow ambiance. The week directly after New Year is normally one of the quietest of the whole season – and often has some of the best conditions.
For whatever reason, snowfall in La Plagne seems to be coming later and later (possibly an offshoot of global warming). Anyway, whatever the reason, you should get a mix of snowy days and sun through January with much quieter lifts and pistes. This is particularly true of the first weeks in January, as the resort does tend to get a little busier as the month wears on.
This guide to January in La Plagne gives comprehensive information on what to expect, including typical snow depths, weather, conditions and how busy the resort can get.
What is La Plagne like in February?
February in La Plagne: Ok, while it’s true all ski and snowboard resorts get busier through the mid-term holiday period, La Plagne goes to an entirely different level. I say this without exaggeration – as saisonnaires, we frequently ditched days riding in favour of doing other things. However, if you are here in February (and, let’s face it, many people have no choice what with school holidays and work commitments), follow the sensible tips in our dealing with a busy ski resort article.
La Plagne is the world’s most visited ski resort – and through February you’ll get clear evidence of just how many people come here. As a rule, try to ski or snowboard when and where others don’t. The French are almost religious about stopping for lunch so the pistes empty between around 12 and 2pm (La Plagne is made up of around 65% French visitors).
Also, as the resort is so biased towards kids and beginner/intermediate riders, the busiest areas tend to be the ski-school-friendly pistes around the main stations where less experienced/younger riders feel most comfortable.
The image above shows the Belle Plagne piste down Plagne Bellec么te at the end of the day in mid-February – the runs that are close to the resort main stations are always much busier. Consequently, you’ll get way more mileage skiing or snowboarding in the less frequented sectors like Montchavin, Champagny and, especially, Montalbert.
The back of the hill and lower areas are always much quieter than the main runs around Plagne Centre, Plagne Villages, Plagne Soleil and Plagne Bellec么te / Belle Plagne.
At any given week through February, one of France’s departments (or one of the other Euro countries) will be on holiday so Feb is pretty relentless. Check the Euro resort holidays on this page so you can avoid the busiest times in La Plagne.
However, despite the inevitable queues and often horrendously busy pistes, February also often sees some of La Plagne’s best conditions with often frequent fresh snow – which is even more of an excuse to go off the beaten track and start exploring more of the La Plagne’s epic off-piste routes.
Have a look at our La Plagne in February guide which gives detailed information and videos of typical weather, snow and conditions.
What is La Plagne like in March?
March in La Plagne: With February firmly behind us and the pesky kids back in the classroom where they belong, March in La Plagne takes on a completely different vibe. While it can still be busy through the month, as a rule, this is still one of the quieter times across the entire domain. Throw in the fact that the days are getting longer – plus the very real and very frequent prospect of fresh snow – and you have one of our favourite times in the mountains.
Also, by now, resort staff are fully bedded-into their roles so there are happier faces all round as employees have fully acclimatised to life in a ski resort. The longer days also make for better apr茅s, particularly in the mountain apr茅s ski bars which also take on a more relaxed and chilled ambiance.
This La Plagne in March shows what to expect from a Paradiski holiday in this, probably the best value month in the resort that also typically offers the best conditions and shortest lift queues.
What is La Plagne like in April?
April in La Plagne: Easter is always a little strange in that the dates change every year but, chances are good, the majority of the Easter holidays will fall in April. Just like every ski and snowboard resort globally, there is always an increased influx of skiers and snowboarders through April – but, for some reason, the crowds seem less noticeable.
Again, with longer days and (normally) reliable snow – especially above the 2000m mark – La Plagne is one of the best places to come for an Easter ski or snowboard break. It’s quite likely you’ll also get powder days through April as there are often frequent dumps late season to freshen things up. While the snow doesn’t stay as fresh for so long, these late-season deluges are always a great way to sign off the long winter.
Take a look at our detailed guide to April in La Plagne which covers everything from typical queue lengths to the type of weather, ambience and snow conditions you can expect.
What is the end of season like in La Plagne?
Towards the tail-end of April, La Plagne very much winds down with many of the resort bars and accommodation closing right after the Easter break. Consequently, a trip at the end of the month could see you riding pistes on your own – but you should be prepared for considerably less in the way of night-time activities and places to go.
Season end in La Plagne typically falls on the last weekend in April when you’ll often find closing parties in the few bars that have remained open this long. Come the end of the month, the resort turns into a ghost town with pretty much all the saisonnaire staff packed up and away to enjoy the summer months elsewhere, in preparation of living the whole process again the following year.
More info about La Plagne on the LaPlagne360 site
The La Plagne 360 site and La Plagne 360 blog has extensive La Plagne activity guides, La Plagne information guides and La Plagne ski and snowboard edits – plus a La Plagne gallery to help work out how to make the best of your next La Plagne ski / snowboard holiday and help you choose the best accommodation in La Plagne.
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