Ski Arc 1950: the perfect ski resort for families

One of the four main mountain centers that make up the French alpine resort of Les Arcs, Arc 1950 ‘Le Village’ is the newest and most ‘traditional’ of the quartet. With its colorful 5* ski-in ski-out residences, its top-of-the-range services, its pedestrian streets, its pretty shops and varied restaurants and its exceptional entertainment program, Arc 1950 is a delight for families looking for complete skiing. vacation package.

When Les Arcs was inaugurated in 1968, its original development – Arc 1600 – was one of France’s first “designer” ski resorts, created by avant-garde architect Charlotte Perriand. And Les Arcs has remained at the forefront of winter sports tourism and boardsports innovation ever since.

It can also lay claim to being the spiritual home of European snowboarding, as local instructor Régis Rolland was featured on an early model snowboard in the seminal Apocalypse Snow ski films filmed in Les Arcs in the early 1980s. And today, Régis organizes “Ride with a Legend” sessions for a lucky few, in association with Privilege Ski School.

Where is Arc 1950?

Located in the northern French Alps, Les Arcs is one of the most accessible French ski resorts. Ski train services arrive at Bourg St Maurice at the bottom of the valley and from there you can take a funicular to the first center of Arc, Arc 1600, where shuttle buses will transport you further up the mountain to Arc 1950, the third highest of Les Arcs resorts (Arc 2000 and Arc 1800 are the other two centres).

About Arc 1950

When it opened in 2003, Arc 1950 “Le Village” stood out for its unique concept in the Alps and its location at an altitude of 1950 m with spectacular views and guaranteed snow cover. A pioneer in luxury accommodation, it now houses 5* brands such as Club Med, the Taj-i-Mah hotel and the Chalets des Neiges residences.

Arc 1950 le Village is an attractive, practical and comfortable resort for all ages and all generations. Properly pedestrianized, there are no vehicles to disturb your eyes or ears; this cocoon of comfort is built on a huge underground car park, designed for easy parking if you arrive by car and with direct access to the apartments.

Each of the residences has its own swimming pool, jacuzzi and fitness rooms where you can relax after skiing. If that doesn’t cool you down enough, the Spa Deep Nature Arc 1950 will recharge the batteries of visitors, from the most athletic to the most contemplative. With its themed caves, counter-current swimming pool, hammam, jacuzzi, nail bar and massage rooms with a view of Mont Blanc, well-being here is a refined art of living.

A stay at Arc 1950 also means the freedom to choose your arrival and departure dates (flexibility offered by the Pierre & Vacances management company depending on availability).

Ski-in ski-out and snowsure

The Arc 1950 ski has an excellent snow record. Snow guaranteed from the beginning to the end of the season, Arc 1950 is ski-in ski-out as you always imagine. The ski-to-door return to the village is via snow-covered streets to the gates of each residence and even to the gates of most shops: ski and shop!

When you ski in Le Village, your gaze is caught by the view of Mont Blanc, the Aiguille Rouge and the mountains of the Tarentaise Valley. The slopes are wonderfully groomed and you can ski at all altitudes, from the summit of the Aiguille Rouge at 3,226m to Villaroger at 1,200m.

Part of the magnificent Paradiski ski area

As well as being part of Les Arcs, with its 200 km of slopes – and its two snowparks – Arc 1950 is also part of Paradiski, one of the largest and most beautiful ski areas in the world, offering a range of 425 km of tracks and unlimited off-road possibilities. – treasure hunt. Bringing together Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne, this huge winter playground offers breathtaking panoramas.

While novice skiers have their own beginner slopes at Arc 1950, the vast majority of the Les Arcs ski area is ideal for intermediates and the huge high altitude bowl above Arc 2000 and Arc 1950, is filled with superb intermediate runs and, for advanced skiers, the highest concentration of some of the best black runs in the area.

The highest peak served by the ski lifts is the Aiguille Rouge (3,225 m), which dominates Arc 2000; Reached by the Aiguille Rouge cable car, this provides access to steep off-piste powder slopes, as well as an epic 7km long black-on-red piste with a vertical drop of over 2,000 meters down to the connected village of Villaroger, one of the best downhill runs in the Alps.

On the western opposite side of the estate, beyond Arc 1800, is the Peisey-Vallandry sector, where pretty wooded slopes shelter an excellent range of long, tree-lined runs down to the satellite resorts of Vallandry and Plan Peisey, where high mileage enthusiasts can connect with the gondola link to La Plagne.

Perfect for families

At the Village Arc 1950, everything is close to your residence, whether on foot or on skis. Here you will find pretty shops, lively bars, elegant restaurants and a nursery for children to fully meet everyone’s needs, from the simplest to the most extravagant. Ski hire and ski lessons are also on your doorstep, and with the village being car-free, families can walk around the village and explore in safety.

The après-ski here is lively; the resort organizes entertainment, games, shows and concerts, to enjoy with family or friends. Resort activities include a snow sculpture workshop, an introduction to biathlon, mini-golf on snow, ski joering and a snow scooter race. And the highlight of this winter will certainly be the new zipline where you can fly over the slopes at speeds of up to 130 km/h.

The events are programmed according to a specific weekly theme and the richness of the entertainment is part of the 1950 Experience. The children are happy, their parents too…

The unmissable events at Arc 1950 this season

The Arc 1950 winter season is rich in events, including:

January 23-29: Freeride Week – The Freeride World Qualifier brings together around fifty of the world’s best freeriders for this prestigious event.

February 19-25: Arc1950 Air Show

February 26 – March 4: Mardi Gras

March 19-25: pride week

April 16-22: Easter

April will also see the creation of a pop-up eco-village with eco-responsible brands and experiences to highlight the resort’s commitment to making outdoor activities more sustainable.

How to get to Arc 1950

By car

Follow the direction of Albertville, Moutiers, then Bourg Saint-Maurice / Les Arcs. Take the A43/E70 to Albertville then the dual carriageway to Moûtiers and the N90 to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

By train

TGV from Paris, Lille and Nantes, Eurostar from London. The nearest station to Arc 1950 Le Village is Bourg Saint Maurice, about 35 minutes from the village. The funicular connects Bourg Saint Maurice station to Arc 1600 in just 7 minutes. You can therefore travel directly from Saint Pancras to London at Les Arcs via the Eurostar and the funicular!

By plane

Choose from four international airports: Lyon Saint Exupéry, Chambéry, Geneva and Grenoble.

In a helicopter

If that’s how you ride… there’s a helicopter drop-off area 200 meters from the Village.

For more information on all that this fantastic resort had to offer, head to their website, arc1950.com