Take even the briefest glimpse at the La Plagne piste map and it’ll soon become clear La Plagne is an intermediate’s paradise. Around 55% of the runs here are graded blue meaning intermediate riders can make their way around the area without fear of getting stuck on runs beyond their abilities. Read on for the answer to ‘Is La Plagne good for intermediates?‘

Small point of note – La Plagne 360 guides are written by humans, not scraped from other websites using AI apps like ChatGPT or similar AI software.

The spectrum of intermediate riders

Here’s a simple truth – despite what many people believe (or will claim), the vast majority of skiers and snowboarders fall squarely within the intermediate bracket. As a rough definition, the term ‘intermediate’ means being able to ride in control on most piste gradings with the ability to tilt your skis or board onto the edge to limit speed. Intermediates should be comfortable going quickly on blue runs but still be able to handle getting down red (advanced) runs – albeit even if that means going a little slower.

For skiers, intermediates lie on the spectrum between stem christie turns and carved parallel turns. For snowboarders, riders should be able to comfortably perform slide turns through to fully controlled, edged carve turns. Take an honest look at your riding and you should be able to work out where you are. If these skills aren’t quite in your bag, you may be better looking at our ‘Is La Plagne good for beginners‘ article which covers everything from absolute beginner pistes through to areas suited to advancing beginners.

Should intermediates buy the full Paradiski lift pass?

This very much comes down to your position on the spectrum of intermediate riders and your thirst to see more of the area. La Plagne’s 225km of pistes are more than enough to keep most intermediate riders busy for at least a week – more likely considerably longer. Then again, with Les Arcs sitting on the doorstep and just a short ride away on the Vanoise Express lift, there’s a convincing argument to buy the full area pass. The Les Arcs link almost doubles the available area and gives access to one of Europe’s most famous ski resorts. Better yet, for advancing intermediates, the runs tend to be a little steeper and more testing than those in La Plagne – plus there are more reds on this side. Throw in the fact that the Paradiski pass costs around only 30€ more for a week and we personally think the upgrade is more than worth the outlay. Also, if you’re in a group of mixed abilities, you might want to check our Is La Plagne good for advanced riders page (as well as the beginner page linked above).

Advice for intermediates in La Plagne

So, is La Plagne good for intermediates? In a nutshell, yes, it’s one of the best resorts on the planet for improving riders. Intermediates are spoiled for choice in La Plagne with around 80% of the runs graded red or blue (the majority of that figure are blue). Note, for this article, we’re focussing purely on pistes in La Plagne but Les Arcs also has great intermediate pistes. As a general rule, even the most timid of early intermediates will be able to make their way comfortably around the entire resort, almost exclusively on blue runs.

One of the major reasons for La Plagne’s enduring popularity is its huge variety of wide-open, intermediate pistes. In many cases, the blue grading is quite flattering compared to many other ski areas so intermediates should handle these runs without issue. That said, there are occasional exceptions – in particular, the start section of the Mira blue off Grande Rochette and also parts of the Verdons blue.

Best intermediate areas in La Plagne

Plagne Centre best intermediate areas: Plagne Centre has an abundance of blue runs that are perfect for intermediate riders. In particular, you should aim for the Colorado chair, Lovatière chair and Funiplagne – all of which offer great intermediate pistes (even if the Colorado is one of La Plagne’s busiest lifts). Just remember the Mira off Grande Rochette and Verdons off Les Verdons are both quite steep near the top. Check this guide to the best blue runs in Plagne Centre.

Plagne Villages best intermediate areas: If your skills are up to it, the Aollets poma serves the majority of the blues directly above Plagne Villages – and also gives easy, quick access over to Plagne Bellecôte / Centre. However, by far the most popular area in Plagne Villages for intermediates is the Écartee piste off the Bergerie chair. The downside of this popularity is that, just like the Colorado in Centre, this chair is one of La Plagne’s busiest lifts. As Plagne Villages is considered part of Plagne Centre, check the best Centre blue runs guide above.

Plagne Soleil best intermediate areas: Due to its proximity to Plagne Villages, the advice for Plagne Soleil is the same. If you’re in Plagne Soleil try the Écartée piste, accessed via the Bergerie chair. Alternatively, if you want to explore out of the immediate vicinity, don’t forget the Dou du Praz drag lift that will drop you above Bellecôte and save queueing for the Bergerie. Plagne Soleil is also considered part of the greater Plagne Centre / Grande Rochette sector so check the best blue runs video noted above.

Plagne Bellecôte best intermediate areas: Apart from the Sources red, Inversens red and the Lognan run (which never seems to open), all the pistes in the Plagne Bellecôte bowl are graded blue, making this a huge playground for intermediates. You’ll want to try the runs off the Arpette chair – even if this is year-on-year the busiest lift in La Plagne. If you want to minimise queue time, try the Blanchets chair instead (always much quieter than either Colosses or Arpette). You could also use the Colosses to get over the Plagne Centre pistes or take the aging Roche de Mio gondola to go higher. Here you’ll find four great intermediate runs – the Inversens red, Sources red, Tunnel blue and long Levasset piste to Champagny. Have a look at our best Plagne Bellecôte / Belle Plagne blue runs article and video to get an idea of these runs. You might also want to check the video of the routes Sources red onto Belle Plagne blue and Levasset blue onto Les Bois red.

Belle Plagne best intermediate areas: Belle Plagne shares the same blue runs as Plagne Bellecôte, so the advice is as noted for Bellecôte. In particular check the video guide for best Belle Plagne / Plagne Bellecôte blue runs.

Plagne 1800 best intermediate areas: Plagne 1800 is rather unique in terms of the La Plagne villages, in that it only really features runs to get back to the resort (the exception being the Crêtes Côte black). Nonetheless, you would tire pretty quickly just riding these pistes all day so you’re better taking either the Mélézes chair or 1800 chair out of the resort to access other areas. Other than that, there’s only the Loup Garou blue, Les Mines red, Jean Marie blue and Lovatière red (now reclassified from blue for some reason) here. Aime 2000 is the easiest and fastest area to get to so see the link below.

Plagne Aime 2000 best intermediate areas: Aime 2000 accesses some great blue and red runs. In particular, the Golf blue run can be fun for honing skills, even if the Golf chair is very slow. The Golf piste leads you naturally onto the Edmond Blanchoz piste down to La Roche as well as two of La Plagne’s longer red runs – the André Martzolf and Emile Allais – although, in truth, these are rather generously graded as being red. Check our video guide to the best blue runs in Aime 2000 for more information.

Plagne Montalbert best intermediate areas: Plagne Montalbert has a great mix of blue and red runs through the trees above the village that could keep you entertained for hours. Best of all, this entire area can be accessed from just one lift – the Montalbert gondola. Montalbert also features some of the best reds in La Plagne that carve a more direct line down the hill crossing the multiple blues. As an added bonus, the Montalbert pistes are tree-lined, making this area perfect for bad weather days. Also, as it’s one of the least popular sectors in La Plagne, any fresh snow that falls stays untracked for longer here.

Plagne Montchavin best intermediate areas: Plagne Montchavin has La Plagne’s longest piste – the Mont Blanc piste – as well as a plethora of entertaining blues and reds. Again, the majority of these pistes are tree-lined which makes them a perfect place to go if the weather closes in. Favourite blues here include the Mont Blanc, Teppes, Pierres Blanches and, in particular, the Myrtilles. The best red reds are the Stade de la Buffette (sadly often closed for race training) and the Montchavin back to the village base.

Plagne Champagny-en-Vanoise best intermediate areas: Despite being tucked away on a corner of the piste map, the sector above Champagny-en-Vanoise is one of the biggest and most fun areas in all of La Plagne. Indeed, the Champagny area is bigger than many standalone resorts. Of note here are the runs off the Rossa chair which normally stay very quiet and are perfect for dialling your intermediate skills. You should also do the Bozelet blue off the Verdons Sud chair. If you’re coming via Plagne Centre, there’s a fun route from Grande Rochette to Champagny taking the start of the blue Mira, Petite Rochette and Geisha pistes followed by Ravine onto the Les Bois red. There’s also the long Levasset blue piste. Notable reds here include the Hara-Kiri, Kamikaze and (if it’s open) the Mont de la Guerre that also takes in the upper part of Bozelet. All these runs also have spectacular views over to Courchevel and Les Trois Vallées – especially the Mt de la Guerre which is considered by many to be the best run in La Plagne. Check this video guide to the best Champagny blue pistes to get a better idea of what’s on offer here.

Plagne La Roche best intermediate areas: La Roche has one of La Plagne’s logest blues the Edmond Blanchoz piste (noted above). Note – this piste often gets icy, particularly in low-snow years. La Roche is considered part of Aime 2000 so please check the guide link above to get idea of the pistes here.

La Plagne glacier best intermediate areas: The La Plagne glacier area has been completely revamped through the last couple of years, including changes to the number of lifts and pistes on offer. For intermediates, the best run is probably the enjoyable Combe red, Lanche Rond red and the Fréte blue. Even if you’re not particularly interested in doing these runs, the trip is worth it for the views alone.

La Plagne month-by-month

A ski or snowboard is considerably more fun in good conditions – whether that be sunny weather or quality 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. You could also check the short version of these pages at when is the best time to ski in La Plagne. It’s also worth remembering that taking the train from Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry can often let you extend your time on the hill and give you more flexibility on your holiday. Click here for La Plagne by train schedules and online booking

Tour La Plagne on blue pistes

To see more of La Plagne and help you work out which areas you want to ride, try this ‘See La Plagne in a day’ guide and video. The full track is doable in a single day, taking mostly intermediate blue runs (there are two reds, neither of which are particularly challenging).

Best of La Plagne in a day video guide

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