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La Plagne () is a French ski area in the
alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...
valley of the Tarentaise (
Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population of ...
). Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form
Paradiski Paradiski is a ski-area in the Tarentaise Valley of France that offers uninterrupted skiing in between the areas of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne. The area is linked, since December 2003, by the Vanoise Express lift. In total over the ...
's ski area. It is currently owned by
Compagnie des Alpes Compagnie des Alpes () is a French company created in 1989 to operate many ski resorts in Europe. Compagnie des Alpes is a part of Caisse des dépôts et consignations. History Compagnie des Alpes was first established in 1989 as a ski resort ...
. In 2014, La Plagne was named the most popular ski resort in the world with more than 2.5 million visitors a season on average.


Ski area

La Plagne lies at altitudes between (on the Glacier de la Chiaupe near the top of Bellecôte) and (in the village of Montchavin). La Plagne has of ski area spread across four communes (
Aime Aime (; frp, Éma) is a former commune in the Savoie ''département'' in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Aime-la-Plagne.Bellentre,
Champagny-en-Vanoise Champagny-en-Vanoise is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is also known for the skiing and snow-boarding slopes. See also * Friburge *Communes of the Savoie department The follo ...
and
Mâcot-la-Plagne Mâcot-la-Plagne (; frp, Makôte) is a former commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of La Plagne Tarentaise.Vanoise Express The Vanoise Express is a French double-decker cable car that links La Plagne with Les Arcs ski resorts in the Alps, acting as a vital link in the Paradiski area. Ordered by Compagnie des Alpes and built by Poma in time for the '03-'04 season, ...
(which links La Plagne to Les Arcs, was opened in 2003, and travels at over , making it one of the fastest of its kind in the world, 8
gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...
s, 36
chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
s (2 8-seater, 11 6-seaters, 19 4-seaters, and 5 2-seaters) and 38
drag lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...
s. A bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track was built in La Plagne for the
1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...
held in nearby
Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...
.


History

La Plagne was created in 1961, as with many resorts in the Alps, to save the valleys from becoming deserted. The agriculture and mining industries were in crisis, which led to young people leaving the valley in search of work. In 1960, four towns (Aime, Bellentre, Longefoy and Macôt) created an association to defend their interests, with an initiative of Dr. Borrionne, mayor of Aime. On 24 December 1961, La Plagne opened, with its two
drag lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...
s and its four slopes.
Emile Allais Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *'' Emil and the Detecti ...
, great ski-champion, has helped La Plagne to grow. Immediately, La Plagne generated a great deal of success, and in 1966, Guy Lux, a French TV host, presented "Interneiges", a live competition between two French resorts.Complete history of La Plagne (in French)
''www.PERSo-LAPLAGNE.fr''


Eleven resorts


Plagne Centre (1,970 m)

The first of the resorts of La Plagne opened in December 1961. The name of "Plagne Centre" dates from 1982, before which the resort was simply called ''La Plagne''. Plagne Centre has an urban, but functional architecture, and was created by
Michel Bezançon Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...
. Plagne Centre is a model of the "station intégrée", where cars and skiers are separated.


Aime-La Plagne (2,100 m)

Located in the commune of
Aime Aime (; frp, Éma) is a former commune in the Savoie ''département'' in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Aime-la-Plagne.Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
an temples.


Champagny-en-Vanoise (1,250 m)

At the end of the '60s, this little village, located in the valley of Bozel, wanted to grow. The
Vanoise National Park Vanoise National Park (french: Parc national de la Vanoise) is a French national park between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the French Alps, containing the Vanoise massif. It was created in 1963 as the first national park in France. ...
gave Champagny possibility to develop its summer activities. In 1969, Champagny became attached to the La Plagne resort, rather than to nearby
Courchevel Courchevel () is a French Alps ski resort. It is a part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski areas in the world. Courchevel also refers to the towns of Courchevel 1300 (Le Praz), Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650 (Moriond), and Cou ...
. Champagny is on a south-facing slope, unlike the other parts of La Plagne, meaning it gets more sunshine, therefore less snow.


Montchavin (1,250 m)

Montchavin is found in the
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
of Bellentre which is historically an alpine farming community, that still has many of its original and pretty buildings. Now there are 3
chairlifts An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
serving the village of Montchavin, with one linking to Les Coches, a short distance away, and the Paradiski ski circuit beyond.


Plagne Villages (2,050 m)

Opened in 1972.


Plagne Bellecôte (1,930 m)

Created in 1974, this resort was in project since 1968. It was to be called "Les Ours", but it is the summit of Bellecôte which gave its name to the new resort. Michel Bezançon drew the resort like a hydroelectric dam to close the valley. In 1975, a gondola linked Bellecôte with Roche de Mio, and three years later with the summit of Bellecôte, in 40 minutes. In December 2005, the first 8-seater chairlift in La Plagne (Arpette Chairlift) was built in Bellecôte.


Les Coches (1,450 m)

Opened in 1980 as a modern satellite to Montchavin, Les Coches is primarily a family resort now located at the centre of the Paradiski circuit and next to the Vanoise Express cable car, also linking into the La Plagne area by a six person high speed chair (Plan Bois). This area offers many delightful runs down through extensive larch forests and the accommodation is mainly high quality, self-catering apartments.


Montalbert (1,350 m)

Opened in 1980.


Plagne 1800 (1,800 m)

Opened in 1982. La Plagne 1800 is known as the backwater of La Plagne with a special charm. An old mining village that still sports the traditional wooden chalets with locally quarried 'blue lauze' slate roofs.


Belle Plagne (2,050 m)

Opened in 1981. Belle Plagne is directly linked with Plagne Bellecote by telecabine. During season this lift remains open until midnight whereas the normal ski lifts already close around 5:00 pm. British tour operator Esprit Ski has its flagship hotel, L'Hotel des Deux Domaines (pictured far left) in the village, which is open in both the winter and the summer.


Plagne Soleil (2,050 m)

Opened in 1990.


References


External links


www.la-plagne.com - Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plagne Ski areas and resorts in France Tourist attractions in Savoie Sports venues in Savoie