Arêches-Beaufort

In fact there are two – Arêches and Le Planay – with easy access from their respective villages. The Grand Mont chairlift from Arêches heads up to the Le Cuvy plateau’s ‘Espace Première Trace’ (‘First Tracks’) novice area, from which a second chairlift followed by three draglifts will get you all the way up to the Col de la Forclaz (2320m). The terrain here includes two ski/boardercross runs – the 900m-long Olympic-style ‘Bovocross’ and the slightly lower, more family-friendly ‘Woodcross’. For off-piste initiation there’s also the Red-graded ‘Trace Rouge’ permanent ski touring itinerary.

A welcome new development to the Arêches domain is the Le Bois gondola link between the two ski areas of Planay and Grand Mont.

Le Planay’s two chairlifts offer quicker access to the terrain below the Col des Combettes (2130m), where the steep ‘Combettes’ draglift is avoidable for anyone not wanting to ski the red-graded ‘Belle Etoile’ and ‘Légette’ pistes. Should you decide to, then you’ll still have the ‘Pas des Vaches’ and ‘Piapolay’ Reds (plus three Blacks) to entertain you. Intermediates, on the other hand, can enjoy blue-graded cruises from top to bottom.

Linking the two areas are the Red-graded ‘Perches’ from Le Cuvy down to Le Planay, with a gentle Blue ‘Boulevard de Liaison’ between Le Planay and Arèches. There are two mountain restaurants, plus a high-altitude picnic area just below the Col des Combettes, and at the end of the day the return from Le Planay to the car park at Arèches is an easy valley cruise. Alternatively, take a short shuttle-bus ride.

Arêches is an authentic, traditional village with ample car parking just a short walk from the Grand Mont chair lift serving the novice area at Le Cuvy. Further along the valley road is Le Planay, a modest ski village whose friendly atmosphere and a secure dedicated children’s area, make it a good base for young families.

Despite Le Planay’s more purpose-built look, it enjoys the same unspoilt authenticity of the delightful sheltered Alpine valley setting and has its own ‘Espace Première Trace’ (‘First Tracks’) novice area.

As a year-round working village, Arêches has independent local businesses, including ski-hire shops and several restaurants in the main street – everything you’re likely to need during your stay, in fact.

If not, then the nearby town of Beaufort-sur-Odon has an interesting historic centre plus a larger choice of shops and restaurants. The local co-operative dairy producing the celebrated Beaufort cheese offers visitors tours of the production area, and sells regional cheeses at unbeatable prices. 

The varied groomed terrain includes some surprisingly steep but wide runs on which to build fitness and confidence, along enough gentler terrain lower down for intermediates and novices. Families will love the facilities for young learners in the Espace Première Trace (‘First Tracks’) areas. Snowboarders have freestyle and boardercross areas, if long drag-lifts don’t spoil the fun.

Intermediate skiers should find enough variety and challenges for several days, after which there’s likely to be a strong temptation to head over to explore the wealth of further terrain on offer in the nearby Espace Diamant.

Finally, there are around 38km of cross-country trails to explore. The exceptional snow and oustanding beauty of the Beaufortain region make Arêches a paradise for ski touring and freeride.

Non-skiers, on the other hand, can while away a few hours in the sunshine or set off on a wooded snowshoe walk from the sunny plateau at Le Cuvy (at the top of the Grand Mont chairlift). A variety of guided activities are available which will take you off the beaten track and discover the wild beauty of the mountains. There's also a luge or Yooner runs or ice-climbing for the more intrepid.

Snowboarding

Cross-Country Skiing