Ride the best blue runs in Champagny, La Plagne
Champagny – a hidden gem
Tour the Champagny blues: La Plagne is famous for wide, confidence-building intermediate pistes, but one huge area is often overlooked by visiting skiers and snowboarders: the Champagny sector.
Sitting on the south-facing side of the mountain, Champagny offers long, flowing blue runs, some of the best views in La Plagne and noticeably quieter slopes than the central bowl around Plagne Centre and Plagne Bellecôte / Belle Plagne. Many riders never make it here during their week, which is exactly why it is such a good place to spend a full day. This route shows you how to ride the best blue pistes in Champagny without guesswork, backtracking or accidentally dropping into terrain that’s beyond your level.
Affiliations: La Plagne 360 works with trusted, industry-leading suppliers to bring you the best services for your trip. If you click on these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. In most cases, you’ll also benefit from a better deal. We only feature products and services we’ve used and genuinely recommend.
Save money on Champagny ski hire
Quick tip: Champagny is quieter than the central sectors, but that also means fewer easy last-minute options if your sizes or preferred setup are gone. Booking online usually gets you better prices and makes collection much quicker when you arrive.
If you’re staying in Bellecôte, Centre or heading straight for this route, it pays to get sorted in advance.
Prefer to go straight to Skiset? Book here
Champagny best blue runs video guide
This video shows the complete Champagny blue run route from start to finish, including lift links and pistes. The video will give you an idea of what to expect while the piste maps will help you visualise the day before you head out on the mountain.
Champagny blue route maps
The piste maps below show the full Champagny blue run route with numbered sections that correspond directly to the video guide.
You can join the route from either Plagne Bellecôte or Plagne Centre, and the return journey is straightforward using fast chairlift connections near the original start point.
Important Note: La Plagne has updated the Roche de Mio lift since this route was mapped. The skiing route itself is unchanged, but the new Roche de Mio lift isn’t shown. You can view the latest official La Plagne piste map here.
Champagny / blue pistes start / finish
Champagny / intermediate pistes route
Don’t ride without proper cover
Quick tip: Champagny feels quieter and more remote than the central sectors, which is great for a relaxed day out – but not the place to gamble on insurance. Even on blue pistes, accidents, evacuations and medical costs can get expensive quickly in France.
If you haven’t sorted cover yet, do it before you travel.
Where to start the Champagny route
The recommended start point for this route is Plagne Bellecôte on the Blanchets chair via Roc du Diable onto the Geisha piste to enter the Champagny sector. Blanchets is almost always quieter than the Roche de Mio gondola – plus you’ll get to ride that extra blue run (Roc du Diable).
If you’re staying in Plagne Centre, you can still join the route easily by taking the Funiplagne Grande Rochette and skiing the top section of Mira blue before veering right onto Petite Rochette blue. This naturally flows down to the Geisha piste and the start of the Champagny sector. The numbered pistes maps show where to link in.
Whichever village you start from, the route is designed to flow naturally without unnecessary lifts or repetition.
Champagny runs and lifts used on this route
This route strings together some of the best skiing and snowboarding across La Plagne’s Champagny area. The video gives you a clear idea of the sectors you’ll visit. And yep – all possible in just one day for early intermediates and above.
START – Plagne Bellecôte
1 Blanchets chair (Bellecôte) / 2 Roc du Diable blue
ALTERNATIVE START – Plagne Centre
(1) Funiplagne Grande Rochette gondola / (2) Petite Rochette blue
CHAMPAGNY SECTOR
3 Geisha blue > 4 Verdons Sud chair > 5 Bozelet blue > 6 Ravine blue
ROSSA CHAIR RUNS
7 Borseliers chair > turn right at top towards Rossa chair
8 Rossa chair > 9 Champagny boardercross > 10 Rossa chair > 11 Crépines blue > 12 Rossa chair > 13 Sérac blue > 14 Rossa chair > 15 Rossa haut to Rossa Bas to base of 16 Borseliers 3 drag lift
CHAMPAGNY WIDER AREA
16 Borseliers 3 drag lift > 17 Rossa chair > 18 Tome blue and stay left to > 19 Carella chair > 20a Bellecôte Levasset haut blue > (optional) Bellecôte Télécorde Plateau de Carella rope tow > 20b Champagny Levasset Mid blue and Levasset Bas blue sections
CHAMPAGNY ROUTE BACK
21 Borseliers chair > 22 Rossa chair > 23 Tome blue straight on to > 24 Quillis chair > 25 Bellecôte Blanchets blue > 26 Bellecôte Ours blue > FINISH
A blue run day in Champagny
This route follows a complete, lift-linked path through the Champagny sector, focusing on the best blue pistes in the area. Most of the key runs sit high and open, so they are relatively snow-sure for much of the season. Each stage is shown in the video above and outlined in the numbered piste maps, so you always know where you are and what comes next.
That said, Champagny’s south-facing aspect means conditions can soften during warm spells, especially later in spring. However, in normal winter conditions, this area has some of La Plagne’s best blue runs.
Why most people never ski Champagny properly
Many visitors stick to Plagne Centre, Plagne Villages, Plagne Soleil and Bellecôte because Champagny looks slightly disconnected on the piste map.
In reality, it’s one of La Plagne’s most rewarding areas for intermediates with some of longest blue runs in the resort, including the famous multi-stage Levasset descent from Roche de Mio towards the top of the Champagny gondola.
While there aren’t many lifts in this sector, the ones that are here are fast and efficient, allowing you to cover a lot of terrain rather than wasting the day queueing.
Other La Plagne blue run guides
If you like this Champagny route, you can also follow similar intermediate day guides in other parts of La Plagne, all built with the same video-and-map format.
Champagny best blue pistes
Plagne Bellecôte best blue pistes
Grande Rochette best blue pistes
Biolley Aime 2000 best blue pistes
The best time to ski Champagny
Champagny is south-facing and lower in places, so the base runs are often among the first to close at the start and end of the season.
If you are staying in the village during early or late winter, you will usually download via the Champagny gondola rather than ski all the way to the base. Moreover, the runs back to the village –Mont de la Guerre red and Les Bois (now black) – aren’t suitable for lower level riders.
For a clearer picture of conditions throughout the winter, use the month-by-month La Plagne guides, which explain typical snow, temperatures and visibility as the season progresses.
Champagny intermediate route FAQs
The Champagny Best Blue Runs Route – our most common FAQs? If the text above hasn’t answered your questions, you might find what you’re looking for here. If not, drop us a line on the La Plagne 360 Facebook page and we’ll get right back to you.
- Is this route suitable for intermediates?
- Does Champagny get busy?
- Can I join the route from Plagne Centre?
- What about riding Les Arcs – do you have a route to make the trip?
- Is there a route to see more of La Plagne – not just Champagny?
Yes. This route is designed for confident beginners and intermediates who want a full day on blue pistes without accidentally ending up on steeper terrain.
Usually not. Compared to the central sectors, Champagny is noticeably quieter, even during busier weeks.
Yes. The route maps show how to link in from Plagne Centre using blue pistes and main lifts.
La Plagne and Les Arcs are linked by the Vanoise Express, so you can ski across if lifts and weather are on your side. We’ve mapped the simplest route including video guide and downloadable piste map so you waste less time navigating and more time riding. Check the La Plagne to Les Arcs route guide.
Absolutely. If you want to see more of La Plagne rather than just confining yourself to Champagny, try our See the Best of La Plagne in a Day route which takes in all the major sectors and is do-able by intermediates in just one day. Taking this route, you’ll see the best of the resort and visit all the major sectors.
La Plagne month-by-month snow and conditions
Want to see how January in La Plagne compares with other months through the season? Click the links below to see the resort through other winter months.
La Plagne suitability by skill level
While La Plagne is a great ski area, it is undoubtedly better suited to some levels of rider than others. Take a look below for our guide to which levels get the most out of a La Plagne ski trip.
Want more practical La Plagne info?
If you want more useful info in your feed, follow our Facebook updates:
- Snow and visibility updates when conditions change
- Travel warnings on busy weekends
- New guide drops as we build out the site
Plan your trip
Planning your trip? These partners help with booking, transfers and kit hire. We may earn a commission if you use them – at no extra cost to you.
La Plagne ski hire
La Plagne Geneva flights
More La Plagne flights
