La Plagne for beginners
Your first trip to La Plagne
Coming to any ski resort for the first time can be both exciting and, in some cases, a little daunting – particularly if you’re a beginner skier or snowboarder. If you or your group are beginners new to La Plagne, we’ve compiled a short list of links on this site that will help you pick the right village for your trip, find the best pistes and make the best of your time away.
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When to take your La Plagne holiday
Just like almost all other ski resorts around the world, La Plagne can get extremely busy over the main holiday periods of Christmas, New Year, Easter and, in particular, the dreaded February mid-terms.
If you want to enjoy La Plagne at its best with often-empty pistes and short lift queues, take a look at our when is La Plagne quietest article which will help you decide the best time to book.
Season guides:
La Plagne in December
La Plagne in January
La Plagne in February
La Plagne in March
La Plagne in April
The best villages as a beginner
As a rule, if you’re just starting out or are an advancing beginner / early intermediate rider, you’ll likely be looking for hassle-free accommodation with everything on your doorstep.
If that’s the case, Plagne Centre, Plagne Bellecôte and Belle Plagne win hands down for convenience. They also have (mostly) ski-in / ski-out accommodation which can be a bonus with tired legs.
Click this link for detailed information on the best La Plagne ski in / ski out villages. Check our La Plagne village guide for more information on each of the La Plagne stations.
New to riding La Plagne?
Quick tip: Beginners benefit most from booking equipment in advance. It avoids queues, helps ensure the right sizes are available and lets you choose a shop close to your accommodation — which makes the first morning far less stressful.
Booking ahead also usually means better online prices, so it’s one of the easiest wins before you travel.
Prefer to go straight to Skiset? Book here
Packing for your La Plagne holiday
If you’re new to skiing or snowboarding, it’s quite common to find it difficult to know what to pack for your trip. In fact, even the most seasoned skiers and snowboarders can have difficulty remembering what they need to bring.
If either of these applies, check out our La Plagne ski holiday packing list complete with downloadable checklists to ensure you don’t forget anything.
La Plagne flights
If you’re looking for flights for your La Plagne holiday, you can use the booking forms on these pages or click this link for the best deals on La Plagne flights to Geneva, Chambéry, Lyon or Grenoble (or any other airport).
La Plagne transfers
Book your La Plagne transfer in advance online. You can also see average La Plagne transfer times as well as La Plagne transfer previews like the example to Plagne Centre. We have previews of transfers to all La Plagne resorts on the link.
There are also options for getting to La Plagne by train (often much cheaper, quicker and easier) as well as La Plagne valley bus transfer times.
Covered for your first La Plagne trip?
Quick tip: You shouldn’t travel without insurance, especially as a beginner. Falls, collisions and simple confidence wobbles are all part of learning and mountain rescue or medical costs in France can be charged to you.
Good ski insurance covers you for lift evacuation, medical care and the other problems that can turn a good trip into an expensive one. If you haven’t sorted it yet, do it before you travel.
Best areas for beginners
Unless you’re a total beginner, you’ll easily handle most of La Plagne’s blue runs. If you do happen to find steeper sections, you can just sideslip them — they don’t last long.
We’ve produced a full guide answering the question – is La Plagne good for beginners – which covers the best areas, pistes and lifts for total beginners to those with advancing skills.
Alternatively, all the noted villages also have green beginner runs if you are completely new to riding. Click to see all La Plagne green pistes.
Use the piste map (and the best blue runs guides)
Just a cursory glance at the La Plagne piste map will let you see the vast majority of blue runs (technically intermediate but they are mostly very mellow) tend to be around the villages noted above.
Take a look at our list of La Plagne’s best blue runs where you can see full details of each piste along with 360 and preview videos so you can see the runs before riding. Note – Belle Plagne and Bellecôte pistes are grouped under the title ‘Bellecôte’ while Plagne Centre runs fall under the title ‘Grande Rochette’.
Quick links:
Plagne Bellecôte best blue pistes
Grande Rochette best blue pistes (Plagne Centre / Soleil / Villages)
Biolley Aime 2000 best blue pistes (including La Roche)
La Plagne Champagny best blue pistes
La Plagne ski & snowboard hire
Should you need to hire ski or snowboard equipment for your trip, you’ll find full details on the La Plagne ski / snowboard rental page where you’ll also benefit from an exclusive online booking discount.
Want more practical La Plagne info?
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Plan your trip
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La Plagne ski hire
La Plagne Geneva flights
More La Plagne flights
