Snow and bad weather – like it or loathe it, it’s an essential part of any winter trip and a snowy day will bring optimal conditions when the weather clears. That said, skiing and snowboarding. in blizzards and poor visibility can be a drain – particularly if you’re caught in higher areas where the sky and pistes seem to merge into one. Read on for a guide on where to ride when it snows in La Plagne.

Knowing the tricks for poor visibility days

Skiing and snowboarding are all about seeing where you’re going and being able to read the terrain beneath and in front of you. There are few worse feelings than bouncing down a run, colliding off bumps and moguls that you can’t even see then finding your knees in your face. While it’s a bit of a generalisation, the worst conditions in bad weather tend to be found up high – firstly because of the cold and wind but secondly because the visibility and definition will typically reduce the higher you go.

In bad weather, go low

We’re slightly stereotyping here as conditions can vary greatly in a resort the size of La Plagne but, as a general rule, the lower you go, the less harsh the conditions will be – for extra information read our article on how altitude affects temperature in the mountains. Not only will you find protection by being in the valleys, as soon as you drop below the tree line, you’ll also get much better definition and visibility.

Trees are your friends

If you make the right choices, even the harshest blizzard days can end up being your best. As the hordes call it a day, you can be lapping freshies on quiet lifts and deserted on- and off-piste lines. The key here is to head to the trees – indeed, the video above was filmed on a powder day in La Plagne, mostly in the Montchavin and the lower area of Bellecóte.

Trees don’t just offer protection from the worst of the wind and snow, they also serve to break up cloud and snow to give better definition to the runs you’re riding. If you’re up high, above the tree line, you’ll have very little to help define your route other than the piste markers at the side of the run. In a worst-case scenario, this means gingerly picking your way down the hill, knees bent, trying to absorb whatever’s about to bounce you about next.

Pistes cut into the trees have an automatic path to follow but, better yet, those same trees help break up the clouds. On foggy, snowy or even just dark, poor viz days, your first call should be to head for the trees.

La Plagne – high alpine terrain to tree-lined valley runs

La Plagne claims that 70% of its pistes are above the 2000m mark (ie pretty much above the treeline) – which, in all honesty, seems rather exaggerated with just even the most cursory glance at the piste map. But anyway . . . whatever the stats, La Plagne is graced with both high Alpine riding up to 3000m and, crucially, valley pistes cut into the trees – and these wooded areas are exactly where you should head when the weather closes in.

Where to go when it snows in La Plagne

In case you haven’t worked it out yet, when the weather turns to low cloud, fog or snow, you almost always want to head low. Of course, if you’re unlucky enough to find it’s raining at lower altitudes, you might want to call it a day but, in general, heading into the trees is the best call in bad weather. Not only will you be better protected from the elements, you’ll also find better visibility and, very often, some great pow tree riding. Below are some ideas:

Bellecôte sector bad weather pistes

As this area is 2000m and above, you won’t find many tree-lined runs here. There is some good, very accessible tree-lined off-piste around the base of Bellecôte (for example cutting off Breteille Trieuse under the Colosses chair) but the vast majority of this sector is very exposed.

Biolley sector bad weather pistes

Similar to the Bellecôte sector, most of this area is well above the tree line and rather open – however, there are a few stand-out runs here that offer protection. The majority of these runs are served by the high-speed Roche chairlift.

Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille) blue piste: Only the very top of this run is above the tree-line – although you will need to ride the exposed Golf blue piste to access the run. The Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille) goes all the way down to the La Roche base and is one of La Plagne’s longest runs.

Emile Allais red piste: Just like the Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille) above, you’ll need to ride the Golf blue to access. Actually, you’ll also need to go down a short section of the Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille) too – however, after that, it’s tree-lined all the way.

André Martzolf red piste: Same deal as above. You’ll need to ride the Golf and Edmond Blanchoz (formerly Cornegidouille) to access this wooded gem.

Champagny sector bad weather pistes

Contrary to what you might read on other La Plagne guide websites, Champagny is not a good area to go on bad viz days. The vast majority of this area is well above the tree line with little in the way of definition. However, there is one exception:

Les Bois red piste: This fun winding piste is accessible directly off the Champagny gondola and provides banks and tree protection for its entire length. The only thing is, it’ll start feeling a bit repetitive if you’re doing laps.

Glacier sector bad weather pistes

The very last place you want to be in bad weather is the La Plagne glacier. Sure, you might occasionally get lucky with a Mer du Nuages but, in most cases, this area is completely exposed to the elements – so much so, it’s usually the first area to close when the weather pulls in.

Grande Rochette sector bad weather pistes

The vast majority of pistes in this sector are totally exposed and wide open with very little definition. Again, another area to avoid on snowy, bad viz days. The exception is the very short Les Mines red piste down to Plagne 1800 served by the slow Mélèzes chair – but seriously, who wants to spend a day riding this rather bland piste?

Montalbert sector bad weather pistes

Ok, so if you’ve picked up anything in this article so far, it should already be evident that the Montalbert sector has everything you’re looking for on bad weather, blizzard days. There is a wealth of tree cover on all of Montalbert’s pistes and you can ride the whole area by taking the fast Montalbert gondola to the summit which will whisk you back up in comfort and warmth. Better yet, this area is traditionally one of the quietest areas in La Plagne meaning you can be bagging freshies on and off-piste all day with very few other riders to disturb you.

Montchavin sector bad weather pistes

Of all of La Plagne’s areas, Montchavin probably has the greatest percentage of tree-lined runs – and certainly some of La Plagne’s best off-piste riding – very, very accessible routes through the trees (always hire a La Plagne guide when venturing off the main runs). Note – if you’re accessing from the main La Plagne side, you’ll need to navigate the Replat blue piste, Replat rope tow and the top section of the Mont Blanc piste to reach the trees.

If you want to ensure you stay below the tree line, you’ll want to keep lapping the Montchavin chair, Lac Noir gondola, Plan Bois chair and Pierres Blanches chair. Going higher will put you into more exposed terrain.

There are way too many pistes here to list but the stand-outs include:

Mont Blanc blue piste: Get past the top section (ie after the Dos Rond chair) and the rest is all in the trees on this fun, long piste – the longest run in La Plagne.

Myrtilles blue piste: Even in normal times, this is one of the most fun pistes in La Plagne but, in fresh snow and bad weather, this run absolutely rules. Not only is it normally one of the quietest pistes in Montchavin, it’s also littered with side-hits and options to drop into steep off-piste through the trees (again, take a guide).

Pierres Blanches blue piste: Another great intermediate run cut across the hill through the trees that is normally much quieter than the alternative Mont Blanc run.

Alternate option – stick to the blue runs

Of course, the rule of going low only applies if conditions allow. For example, in low-snow conditions or at the start or tail-end of the season, you may have no choice but to ride the higher areas. If that applies, the best advice is to stick to the easier blue pistes which are far more forgiving, no matter what snow you encounter. Check the links below for the best of La Plagne’s blue pistes.

Plagne Bellecôte best blue pistes

Grande Rochette (Plagne Centre, Plagne Soleil, Plagne Villages) best blue pistes

Biolley Aime 2000 best blue pistes (including La Roche)

La Plagne video guides of season conditions

The video at the top of the page is featured on the iRide YouTube channel which has a massive range of La Plagne videos produced and edited by the team behind LaPlagne360. These edits will show you various sides of La Plagne at different times throughout the season.