Right. Have been back from Les Arcs for 3 days now and my wind/sun-blasted top lip has split attractively. Yuk.
Les Arcs - fantastic. - almost totally crap.
Positives: The weather, off piste conditions, slope management, lifts, range of runs, Evolution2 Spirit instructor (thanks Viva!), crashingly low-season week so every piste half empty. Great value ski area for the lift pass price (Les Arcs 1800/Peisey/Villandry side and 2000/Villaroger side, plus one day in La Plagne = "Paradiski Discovery" for £210 ish). Those who booked with Crystal in August, not the moment the brochures come out but a couple of weeks later, got two passes for the price of one. We only booked in Dec so paid for both but I still think it's a good price. Some of the people in our chalet bought theirs online from the Les Arcs resort site and they arrived in the post two days later.
Unlike the old days the electronic proximity-sensorpasses don't have your picture on them, so they are effectively transferable. i.e. if you are going in a group where there will definitely be one of your party staying off the slopes every day (e.g. sharing childcare duty) you could buy one less pass.
Negatives: The chalet (part of the Chalet Des Neiges complex in LA 2000, built for the 1990 winter Olympics and never since updated) was crap. Heating was far too high for the rooms (unbearably stuffy overnight) and not high enough to dry out boots etc in the lockers. I went with my dad and the other occupants were groups of 2 or 4 - so everyone was sharing with people never met before. You couldn't lock your bedroom door while you were out, or even when you were inside asleep. You had to trust that the last out in the morning would remember to lock the front door or your valuables were open access to the street.
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