If you’re starting out skiing or snowboarding, your choice of resort is one of the most important aspects of having a successful holiday, progressing as quickly as you can and maximising your time on the hill. Compared to many resorts, La Plagne is a perfect choice for beginner skiers and snowboarders – due mostly to its plethora of easy, low-gradient pistes. Read on for the answer to ‘Is La Plagne good for beginners?‘

Note – La Plagne 360 guides are human-written, not generated by ChatGPT or similar AI software.

The spectrum of beginner riders

It’s important to remember there are various levels of ‘beginner’ rider going from first-day, never-before-been-on-snow right up to those skiers and snowboarders that can gingerly make their way down easy runs. However, no matter where you lie on this curve, La Plagne has pistes and lifts that will help you make the most of your time learning. For clarity, we’ve split these classifications below.

Are beginner lifts free in La Plagne?

The absolute beginner lifts are free and serve the so-called ‘zone debutants’. Most of these lifts are magic carpets – think travelators on snow – which provide by far the easiest way up the hill. The debutant zones are specifically roped-off from nearby pistes meaning you can learn in a calm and safe environment. Most also feature run-off areas to help kill your speed if you lose control. As your skiing or snowboarding skills progress, you’ll no doubt want to ride other slightly more testing runs meaning you’ll need to invest in a lift pass. Note – unless you learn at lightning speed, there’s probably no need to consider the full Paradiski pass. Also, if you’re in a group of mixed ability, you might want to check our Is La Plagne good for advanced riders and Is La Plagne good for intermediates pages.

Advice for absolute beginners in La Plagne

First things first – if you’re total beginner (ie with zero snow experience) you would be well-advised to take some lessons at your local drymat or, if you’re lucky enough, a nearby indoor snowdome. While neither are as good as riding in the mountains, they still do an admirable job of letting you find your snow legs. If you nail the fundamentals of sideslipping and basic turns, you’ll save spending precious holiday time on beginner slopes and instead be able to explore more of La Plagne. If possible, try to take your absolute beginner lessons at home.

If it’s not possible to take pre-holiday lessons, La Plagne has some very good beginner areas in all the main resorts where you can learn how to ride. On the piste map, these are marked as green runs and normally have a symbol of a beginner skier. This link shows some of La Plagne’s beginner pistes.

Another tip – if you want to really progress your skiing or snowboarding and build your skills, it’s worth taking La Plagne ski/snowboard lessons. This advice applies equally to complete beginners and relatively confident novices. Your snowboarding and skiing will improve massively once you’ve had a few pointers in the right direction.

Best absolute beginner areas in La Plagne

Plagne Centre best beginner areas: There are two main areas in Plagne Centre for beginners. As you look at the La Plagne piste map, there’s one on the left of the main La Plagne Centre buildings under the Boulevard chair (part of the Boulevard piste that used to be called La France). The other is located directly in front of Plagne Centre – the Télébaby – served by the Télébaby lift next to the Funiplagne gondola.

Plagne Villages best beginner areas: There is a very short green piste behind Plagne Villages – the Biquet. This is also served by a very easy lift. Depending on where you’re staying in Villages, this could involve quite a long walk back home (particularly if you’re staying in Villages Haut) so you may want to take the La Plagne shuttle bus.

Plagne Soleil best beginner areas: If you’re in Plagne Soleil, head to the green run next to the Écartée piste, just below the Dou du Praz draglift. This area is just a short walk from most accommodation – and handily near the local pubs and restaurants.

Plagne Bellecôte best beginner areas: The main Plagne Bellecôte beginner zone is located directly up from the main station, served by a magic carpet. There is also another beginner area served by the Ange magic carpet much higher up – but you’d need to take the Arpette chair to access this area (meaning you’d need a lift pass).

Belle Plagne best beginner areas: The pistes that run through Belle Plagne resort would make an ample beginner zone but this would involve walking back up. Rather, you should head for the Belle Plagne carpet runs at the top end of the village near the Tyrolien drag lift.

Plagne 1800 best beginner areas: The beginner zone in Plagne 1800 is right next to the base of the village, handily close to the local bars and restaurants. This slow drag lift is great for beginners to find their feet.

Plagne Aime 2000 best beginner areas: The main Aime 2000 beginner zone is located a little behind the main building served by the Téléski Aime 2000 drag lift. There is also another beginner area near the top of the Golf chair.

Plagne Montalbert best beginner areas: Plagne Montalbert has two beginner zones but, just like Plagne Bellecôte, one requires taking a lift to access. The main Montalbert beginner area is served by the Montalbert drag lift just above the village. The other is at the top of the Montalbert gondola and has the advantage that beginners will at least feel like they’ve ventured a little further up the mountain.

Plagne Montchavin best beginner areas: Montchavin has a very short beginner piste near the base of the Montchavin chairlift within easy access of the village. There is also another beginner area at the top of the Plan Bois gondola.

Plagne Champagny-en-Vanoise best beginner areas: Champagny has a very small beginner at the base of the gondola – mostly aimed at kids. Note, Champagny is much lower than La Plagne’s main stations and snow here is almost always the first to melt due its south-facing aspect. A better beginner zone can be found at the gondola top station.

Plagne La Roche best beginner areas: There are no specific beginner facilities in La Roche – but there is usually snow so you could always ride and hike back up.

Advice for improving beginners in La Plagne

One of the reasons for La Plagne’s enduring popularity is its abundance of wide-open, easy blue runs. Blue runs are technically rated intermediate but many of La Plagne’s blues are within the scope of even the most timid novice skiers and snowboarders. The key here is to make sure you have solid base skills before venturing further afield – and by this we mean being able to sideslip in control if needed. At the very minimum this will allow you to make your way down, should you find yourself at a tricky section.

If you look at La Plagne’s piste map, you’ll find the vast majority of runs are graded blue. In most cases, this grading is quite flattering compared to many other ski areas so improving beginners should handle the majority of the blues without issue. However, there are occasional exceptions – most notably the top of both the Mira blue off Grande Rochette and the start of the Verdons blue from Les Verdons.

One other thing worth bearing in mind for beginners in La Plagne is that, due to the shallow incline of many of the blue pistes, as a beginner you may end up poling or unclipping over the flats if you don’t carry your speed from the steeper pitches. We’ve listed potentially problematic runs in our La Plagne pistes to avoid article.

Also, as mentioned above, no matter how you feel you’re progressing, a lesson will go a long way to improving your abilities and helping you learn quicker. The adage, “practice makes perfect” is perfect for describing learning how to ride. However, as much as snowboarding and skiing are all about practice, if you’re practising the wrong things, you’ll only end up with much bigger problems further down the line – issues that will be significantly harder to fix since you’ve drilled them for such a long time. Pretty much all riders benefit from the occasional lesson – especially if you only get one ski trip a year.

Best improving beginner areas in La Plagne

Plagne Centre best improving beginner areas: Plagne Centre is full of flattering blue pistes that are great for learning. In particular, the runs off the Colorado are good for improving beginners – even if this is one of La Plagne’s busiest lifts. The other option is the higher runs off Grande Rochette, however, this means taking the Mira or Verdons, both of which are quite steep in places. Check this guide to the best blue runs in Plagne Centre.

Plagne Villages best improving beginner areas: By far the best area in Plagne Villages for improving beginners is the Écartee piste off the Bergerie chair. However, like the Colorado above, this chair is also one of La Plagne’s busiest lifts. If you’re skills are up to it, the Funiplagne gives access to more options. As Plagne Villages is considered to be the same sector as Plagne Centre, check the best Centre blue runs guide above.

Plagne Soleil best improving beginner areas: Due to its proximity, the advice for Plagne Soleil is the same as Plagne Villages and Centre. The best area in Plagne Soleil is the Écartée piste, accessed via the Bergerie chair. Again, see the best blue runs video noted above to get an idea of the runs.

Plagne Bellecôte best improving beginner areas: The vast majority of the pistes in the Plagne Bellecôte bowl are graded blue, making this an ideal area for improving beginners. Of particular note are the runs off the Arpette chair – even if this is normally the busiest lift in the whole of La Plagne. if you want a quieter lift, try the Blanchets chair instead (always much quieter than either Colosses or Arpette). Check our best Plagne Bellecôte blue runs feature to get an idea of these runs.

Belle Plagne best improving beginner areas: As Belle Plagne shares most of the same blue pistes as Plagne Bellecôte, the advice remains the same. The Arpette chair and Blanchets chair give access to the best blue pistes in this sector. See the best blue runs in Plagne Bellecôte link above for more information and a video guide.

Plagne 1800 best improving beginner areas: If you’re staying in Plagne 1800, you’ll want to take either the Mélézes chair or 1800 chair out of the resort to access other areas as there are only two blues nearby – the Loup Garou and the Jean Marie. Aime 2000 is probably the best area to head for so see the link below to get an idea of the best blue pistes.

Plagne Aime 2000 best improving beginner areas: Aime 2000 has some of the best beginner runs in La Plagne – especially when taken with the incredible views across Mont Blanc. In particular, the Golf blue run has the perfect incline for improving beginners and, while served by an almost agonisingly slow chair, is a great place to learn. It’s also super close Aime’s bars and restaurants. Check our video guide to the best blue runs in Aime 2000 for more information.

Plagne Montalbert best improving beginner areas: With its rabbit warren of blue pistes snaking through the trees, Plagne Montalbert is a great area for more confident beginner riders. Best of all, this entire area can be accessed from just one lift – the Montalbert gondola. While this lift can be busy first thing in the morning, the queues normally die down quickly as riders spread out to the other sectors of La Plagne. As the Montalbert pistes are tree-lined, this sector is also a good choice if the weather closes in. Note – while there are tougher red runs here, they are easily avoided and blue routes are well-signposted, plus the red runs typically take a more direct route down the hill.

Plagne Montchavin best improving beginner areas: The Montchavin has La Plagne’s longest piste – which also happens to be blue – making this sector a playground for better beginner riders. Again, the majority of runs here are blue so you have a lot of options.

Plagne Champagny-en-Vanoise best improving beginner areas: The Champagny sector is one of the most fun and largest areas for confident beginners. The runs off the Rossa chair are particularly noteworthy and offer the perfect gradient for learning accompanied by spectacular views over to Courchevel and Les Trois Vallées. Check this video guide to the best Champagny blue pistes to get a better idea.

Plagne La Roche best beginner areas: If you’re staying in La Roche, you’ll almost undoubtedly end up doing the Edmond Blanchoz piste (formerly Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille)). However this run can get icy, particularly in low-snow years, so you may want to consider heading further up to the blue runs around Aime 2000 (check the guide link above)

La Plagne month-by-month

Learning to ski or snowboard is considerably easier in good conditions – whether that be sunny weather or the quality of the snow underfoot. Check our month-by-month La Plagne guides for more information: La Plagne in December, La Plagne in January, La Plagne in February, La Plagne in March and La Plagne in April. There’s also an abbreviated, shorter version at when is the best time to ski in La Plagne. Remember too that taking the train from Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry can often help extend your time on the hill and give you more flexibility in terms of when you holiday. Click here for La Plagne by train schedules and online booking

See the best of La Plagne on blue pistes

Once you’ve built your skills and are feeling more confident, you may want to try this route to see the best of the La Plagne ski area in just one day on mostly blue runs.

Best of La Plagne in a day video guide

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