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| Paris In Sites Newsletter Direct From France Edited by Linda Thalman Travel & Leisure Articles |
Les Arcs France
Skiing in the French Alps
March 2007
By Linda Thalman
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What a wonderful week of skiing we had at Les Arcs in the heart of the French Alps.
I wish I still had the little wooden pink skies I had at age 4. They would be great for a ski museum. The 21st century skies are parabolic and so different but I still manage to get down the toughest black slopes and all the red, blue and green pistes.
Les Arcs is one of the largest ski resorts in France, connected to La Plagne for kilometers of great skiing. Both resorts are 'modern' and don't have the old village feel of Val d'Isere. We rented a studio that could accommodate 5 people for the week. That is: a main room with two single beds, kitchen nook, bathroom with tub, separate WC and a room with 3 bunk beds where we dumped all our ski equipment and stuff. Tip: book a studio for 4 or 5 people even if you are only two people. Studios for two are like broom closests.
At the end of the day we skiied right to the door of the apartment building. In the morning we did have to hike to the lifts... it was a tough 5 minutes UP HILL. Younger skiers practically ran up the slope, but with more than 50 years of skiing behind me, this was a minor displeasure of the day. We signed up for morning ski classes with the ESF (Ecoles du Ski Français), the French Ski School. I cannot stress strongly enough how much fun and enjoyable it is to take lessons with ESF instructors. Bernard, our 'moniteur' at Les Arcs, was so encouraging and his English was darn good... he did confuse falling off and falling down, but he sure knew how to teach us to ski! ESF has top notch teachers, all certified, all love skiing and teaching. And, you get to jump the queues/lines if you're in a ski class... just love going to the head of the line when there's a crowd.
"The Farm" is down, down, down in Villaroger. Unfortunately, it was below the snow line this year. But you just park your skies at the top and take the chair lift down to the village and walk through a bit of field to an authentic mountain chalet restaurant. Tip: Reserve by phone or just enjoy waiting while the staff bring on the tasty, honest food and drink with the most amazing smiles, friendliness and speediness that I've rarely, if never, seen when dealing with over a hundred customers. Bravo! Merci to Michel Emprin who runs the bar and coordinates everything to perfection.
http://www.lesarcs.com/ Web site in French, English and German
http://www.esf.net/
http://la.ferme.free.fr/ Phone: 04 79 06 90 85 Le Pré Derrière - 73640 Villaroger
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Much to my chagrin, I did
take a nice fall on a black slope which was photographed for all to remember!
We went twice to La Ferme for lunch. Not to be missed at any price... the best
restaurant at Les Arcs. Delicious, hearty food and drinks served at the speed of light
even when the entire place is packed with skiers.
General Information
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Email – Linda@wfi.fr
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Copyright since 1995 by Linda Thalman - all rights reserved.
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