Bellecôte glacier lift Bellecôte
NOTE: This lift has been replaced for the 2023/24 season with the new Télécabines des Glaciers gondola. In fact, the whole La Plagne glacier area has been completely revamped in an effort to minimise environmental impact. The aging Bellecôte glacier lift Bellecôte gondola links the main area and Roche de Mio with the imposing glacier area over a 3km, 13-and-a-half minute journey. Starting from the summit of Roche de Mio, the lift rises gradually before dropping sharply following the natural contour of the bowls below the glacier. This is actually a two-stage gondola and the lift soon reaches the middle station before climbing again up the glacial slopes to the top station.
This lift really is in need of an upgrade as cabins are small, outdated and cramped (work has already started on a La Plagne glacier gondola replacement, scheduled for the 2023/24 season). However, the long journey is more than worth it to access the highest runs in the whole area – plus the epic La Plagne off-piste possible in the main bowl, as well as the famed north face of the Bellecôte glacier. However, to ride these areas safely, you really need to hire the services of a La Plagne guide.
Note: with the exception of the Frête blue, all the runs in this area are either marked black or red – and many remain unpisted – so the riding here really is reserved for better skiers and snowboarders. If your skills aren’t up to that, you can always ride the gondola back down after admiring the exceptional views over Trois Vallées, the Isère valley and Mont Blanc far in the distance. There’s also a small snack hut at the summit to grab a vastly overpriced beer, hotdog or other snacks.
It’s also worth noting the main glacial area retreated many years ago so, while La Plagne once offered summer skiing and snowboarding, these days this is a ‘glacier’ in name only. Still, going up here offers some of the best views in La Plagne.
- Accesses the glacier
- Great views
- Very slow lift
- Very bad queues
- Uncomfortable, small, aging lift that needs replaced
- The glacier is, more often than not, closed
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| Connecting lifts: | Connecting pistes: |
| Glacier fixed chair | Chiaupe black (lower section) |
| Traversée fixed chair | Frête blue (from mid station) |
Lift stats
| Length: | 2.9km / 1.8m |
| Base alt: | 2715m |
| End alt: | 3030m |
| Vert ascent: | 315m |
| Av gradient: | 41% |
| Max gradient: | 78% |
| Capacity: | 6 people |
| People per hr: | 925 |
| Av travel time: | 13min 30s |
| Type: | Gondola |
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