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Two bases. Two blue-run days.

La Plagne or Les Arcs? Start with one good blue.

For a repeatable blue from Plagne Bellecôte, look at Arpette. For a forest run and a train-to-funicular arrival, look at Mont Blanc above Arc 1600. Choose the outing and its village before choosing the hotel.

La Plagne · Plagne Bellecôte

Arpette and back.

Chair up, blue Arpette towards Belle Plagne, then blue Belle Plagne back to the starting snow front.

See the La Plagne plan ↓Les Arcs · Arc 1600

A blue through the trees.

Mont Blanc, then blue Pierre blanche 2 and Arpette 1 back to Arc 1600. Arrive by funicular from Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

See the Les Arcs plan ↓

What changes between these two days?

Scroll sideways to compare both bases.

Your planLa Plagne: ArpetteLes Arcs: Mont Blanc
Starting villagePlagne BellecôteArc 1600
First liftArpette chairMont-Blanc chair
Back to baseBlue Belle Plagne → BellecôteBlue Pierre blanche 2 → Arpette 1 → Arc 1600
Coming by trainAime-la-Plagne → village bus to Plagne BellecôteBourg-Saint-Maurice → funicular to Arc 1600 → walk to the chair
Worth rememberingBelle Plagne and Plagne Bellecôte are different villages.The funicular gets you to the village; the blue still needs to be skied to get back there.

Plagne Bellecôte / Arpette

La Plagne: make Arpette your local lap.

Start beside the lifts in Plagne Bellecôte, ride Arpette and ski towards Belle Plagne. The blue Belle Plagne connection brings you back to Bellecôte for another chairlift ride or a break at the village.

Skiers descending the tree-lined lower Arpette run towards the buildings at Plagne Bellecôte
Lower Arpette, coming into Plagne BellecôteApril 2017 · Run photoPhoto: DimiTalen / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · Full photo, resized only.

Who it suits. Skiers who already link turns on blues and want a clear place to start, repeat and finish in La Plagne’s large ski area.

Get to the run
At Plagne Bellecôte’s snow front, take the Arpette chair and follow the blue Arpette signs towards Belle Plagne.
Repeat or finish
Continue on the blue Belle Plagne run to Plagne Bellecôte. The Arpette chair is at this snow front for another lap; finish here for your car or village bus.

Keep an eye out. Belle Plagne and Plagne Bellecôte are two different villages. The Funslope is a separate playful route with features; follow Arpette for the ordinary blue run.

Full Arpette run guide →Official ski map ↗
Start here

Arpette chairlift

Plagne Bellecôte snow front, La Plagne, France

Car directions ↗Train & bus directions ↗Walk from my hotel ↗Open map ↗

Choosing a hotel or apartment? Enter its address as the starting point in walking directions, then check the route to this lift.

Sources for Arpette · route checked 2026-10-24

Arc 1600 / Mont-Blanc

Les Arcs: get to know the Arc 1600 forest.

Mont Blanc winds through the forest above Arc 1600, with Malgovert’s giant wooden sculptures beside the route. Follow the blue links back to the same village, keeping nearby red Cachette and black Malgovert out of this lap.

Run video
Les Arcs Mont Blanc Blue Slope — elskerski Original on YouTube ↗

Who it suits. Skiers who can already make parallel turns. The tourist office gives this level for the Mont-Blanc run; this is a step beyond the nursery slopes.

Get to the run
Start at the Mont-Blanc chair in Arc 1600. At the top, follow the blue Mont Blanc signs into the forest.
Repeat or finish
Continue via blue Pierre blanche 2 and Arpette 1, following Arc 1600 signs back to the village lifts. Use Mont-Blanc for another lap, or finish in Arc 1600 for the funicular down.

Keep an eye out. Nearby Cachette is red and Malgovert is black. Stay with the signed blue route and its Arc 1600 return.

Full Mont Blanc run guide →Official ski map ↗
Start here

Mont-Blanc chairlift

Arc 1600, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France

Car directions ↗Train & bus directions ↗Walk from my hotel ↗Open map ↗

Choosing a hotel or apartment? Enter its address as the starting point in walking directions, then check the route to this lift.

Sources for Mont Blanc · route checked 2026-10-24

Choose the base that fits your holiday.

Which is better for a nervous intermediate?

Start by watching Mont Blanc and looking at the Arpette photo, then read both approaches and returns. Both plans include blue skiing back to their villages. If you are still learning to stop and turn, book a learning area and lesson first; these outings assume you can already link turns on blues.

First-turn options →
Which is simpler by train?

Arc 1600 has a direct funicular connection from Bourg-Saint-Maurice; the tourist office gives the ride as about seven minutes. Plagne Bellecôte is reached by a village bus from Aime-la-Plagne. Check the train, onward connection and accommodation location together before booking.

Official Arc 1600 funicular information ↗
Can I ski both in one day?

They belong to the linked Paradiski area, but the two laps here are separate plans from separate villages. A cross-area day adds connecting lifts, runs and a timed journey home. For an unfamiliar first day, choose one base and get to know its lap before planning the wider trip.

Where should I look for accommodation?

Use Plagne Bellecôte for the Arpette starting point or Arc 1600 for the Mont-Blanc chair. A search for “La Plagne” or “Les Arcs” covers several villages, so check the property’s actual location and your walk or shuttle to the first lift.

La Plagne accommodation → · Les Arcs accommodation →

How we chose these outings.

Compare two specific outings checked on the official winter maps: Arpette from Plagne Bellecôte and Mont Blanc from Arc 1600. Official village and transport information supports the starting points; this is a choice of bases, not a difficulty ranking of the whole resorts.

Open the sources with each run for the map edition and route review date. The reasons to choose an outing are BlueRuns editorial advice. Check the day’s open runs and last return connection before heading up.

How our run advice works →

Choose one village. Keep the plan simple.

You can have a good day of blues without trying to cross all of Paradiski. Chosen a side? Compare more local cruising options before booking your base.

Explore all of Paradiski →Six La Plagne cruising picks →Five Les Arcs cruising picks →