Get used to this mountain - you'll be seeing him a lot...
When We Went
We opted for the week before Christmas; although the snow at that time was aging, the coverage appeared to be good and we knew, being that week, that the slopes would be generally quiet and the village uncrowded.
Yep, it was quiet...
Travel
For this trip we flew Gatwick to Geneva with easyJet, and hired a car. Being a "low season" week, both were good value with 4 flights and two hold bags totalling around £350. The car was from Budget via rentalcars.com and a "special offer" saw us in a Peugeot SUV for less than £200 for ten days. Job done.
We made the mistake of opting for the scenic route from Geneva to the Tarentaise, and found very heavy traffic all the way from Annecy to Albertville on the Friday night. Although we had plenty of time (!) to enjoy a spectacular sunset casting evening light across the lake; we'll take the Autoroute next time. We overnighted in Bourg Saint Maurice and were in resort early enough to pick up skis and passes and get a full days skiing in.
Arc 1950 - The Village
Although purpose built, Arc 1950 has been architected in a manner much more sympathetic to the eye (and to tradition) than most other high mountain resorts. It's a little more "high-rise" than your average French village, with the main accommodation generally 3-4 storeys, but there's a good feel to the place and it's been logically laid out.
A key feature, of course, is the ski-in/ski-out nature of the whole development and this works well; pretty much everywhere can be reached on skis and the "high street" piste winds gently from the mountain pistes through the village and out again.
Arc 1950 village has a good feel, even when as quiet as it was for our stay!
There is a good bakery with a range of fresh bread and cakes, and a small but well-stocked supermarket. Prices are, as you'd expect, higher than in the valley but they didn't seem to be excessive.
The Skiing
The upper sector of the Arc 1950/2000 bowl; plenty to ski!
Les Arcs, as a whole, is one of a handful of resorts that genuinely has a lot of skiing for all levels of ability. It includes free lifts and runs for beginners, long Blues linking all the separate villages, a wide variety of Reds, properly challenging Blacks and vast expanses of freeride terrain ranging from mellow to scary.
Directly below 1950 are the bases of the Bois de l'Ours chair (for access to Arc 1600, 1800, Peisey, etc.) and the Marmottes chair (access to 2000 bowl), and you can also ski down to Pre St.Esprit for the Comborciere chair (for the Black back to 2000, or across to 1600).
Thin snow cover meant much of the terrain was out of bounds during our trip, however, and most of the Black runs were closed for the duration (although most were being skied regardless).
That still left plenty of skiing to be had, however, and Les Arcs pisteurs were working hard at keeping it in good condition - and an excellent job they were doing too.
NOTE - Since our visit, there has been substantial snowfall and the conditions have obviously changed completely. You can, however, find the snow reports we made during our trip here :-
Les Arcs Snow - 12th December 2015
Les Arcs Snow - 13th December 2015
Les Arcs Snow - 15th December 2015
Les Arcs Snow - 16th December 2015
Les Arcs Snow - 18th December 2015
Where to eat - on the Mountain
[The Creche restaurant - great views and decent food]
We tend to take early and late snack stops rather than a long lunch, so our experience of the cafes and restaurants reflects that. Of the many options, we enjoyed good quality patisserie, coffees and snacks at Le Creche (large self-service restaurant, with bar, at the top of the Arc 2000 bowl) and good value drinks at the Boulle cafe (in the 2000 bowl).
Where to eat - in the Village
Handily, the Wood Bear Cafe and George's Wine Bar are next door to each other...
We took most of our evening meals in our apartment, but we had excellent meals at the Mazot (interesting variations on the traditional Savoire favourites, including fondues and raclette) and Nonna Lisa (superb pizza). Restaurant prices are not cheap but the quality of the food and service we encountered was very good and we'd happily return to any of them.
Melli's snack bar, with a fast food menu and outside seating, is great for a "lunch on the run" if you want to maximise ski time (we always do) and prices seemed reasonable.
For immediate apres, we enjoyed the home-made cakes and friendly folk in the Wood Bear Cafe and a couple of beers with the patron himself, next door in George's Wine Bar.
The Belle Pintes, in the centre, is a lively pub/bar with a pool table and a wide range of decent beers. Of the eateries we experienced, we enjoyed our drinks here but it was expensive; we were never going to get too far down the beer list at 9 Euros a bottle.
Where we stayed
We had a 2-bedroom apartment in Le Manoir de Savoie; one of the Radisson-Blu properties in the village. The apartment was spacious with a combined kitchen/dining/living area between the two bedrooms; each of which was en suite - one with a shower and one with a bathroom. The "kitchenette" was well-equipped with everything you need - including a dishwasher - and everything in the apartment was good quality and the beds comfortable.
The 1950 Brasserie is on the ground floor of the Manoir and, although we didn't eat there ourselves, we've heard it highly recommended for both breakfast and evening meals.
The Radisson-Blu buildings share a "wellness" complex which houses a small but well-equipped gym, sauna, steam rooms, a large jacuzzi pool and a heated outdoor pool (tiptoeing through the snow to swim with a view of Mont Blanc across the valley just has to be done - so take your swimmies).
The "high-street" gets swept most mornings...
Summary and Tips for Arc 1950
We had a great time and can't wait to go back. I've skied in Les Arcs many times but hadn't been for a good few years; since my last trip the lift system has been significantly upgraded but the extensive pistes and vast terrain are as good as ever.
If banging night-life is your thing then 1950 probably won't be high on your list, but if you go to the mountains to ski... it should be near the top!
- Take the Autoroute if travelling at any time likely to be busy. Geneva-Annecy-Albertville is very scenic but can be slow!
- Bourg Saint Maurice is a bottleneck on transfer days, so try to time your travel early or late in the day.
- Stock up on groceries in Bourg before heading up the mountain; there are two large supermarkets on the edge of town - easy to spot on your way to Les Arcs.
- If using the underground car park at 1950; note where you leave your car - the parking is vast!
- Make the most of it; the ski area is vast and varied - but it's very well-linked and (for a ski resort) well sign-posted!