26/03/2026
Back in 2019 we made an attempt to get to the La Plagne aire. But after making our way up to the aire, and having to put snow chains on for the last 200 meters, there were no spaces.
On that occasion we descended to the campsite in Montchavin where we had a lovely stay, but it was a bit of a pain schlepping our skis up the short but steep hill to the lift.
We thought we’d take another punt at the aire this year. A couple of days earlier we’d read a few comments on the Winterised facebook group (a very useful group for motorhome skiing) saying that there were a handful of spaces so fingers crossed there would still be a bit of room.
Driving to La Plagne
We descended the long departmental road from Les Saisies down to Albertville. On the way we had superb Beaufortain valley views and spotted eagles soaring over the valley. Across the valley we saw the unmistakable signs of ski runs in the trees – it was the ski resort of Arêches-Beaufort which we flagged up for a future visit. It’s not somewhere we’d even heard of before and we always like to mix up a few new resorts with the old favourites when we go skiing.
We stopped at a Super U for some supplies before the next part of our journey. A short distance later we were passing through Moûtiers and starting to ascend. Paul was very confused as we started to climb the switchbacks. He didn’t recognise where we were. It turned out that he’d been thinking of Montgenèvre when we’d made the decision to go back to La Plagne. Luckily he didn’t insist on turning around.
The road to La Plagne has to climb to a significant altitude, but it’s a good wide road that is frequented by many coaches so straight forward for a motorhome. As we were driving up on a Saturday (the usual package holiday changeover day) we encountered multiple coaches both climbing and descending. There was plenty of room for all of us, but it did make it a slow journey.
La Plagne Aire
After 21 switchbacks, helpfully counted for us, we were up in Plagne Villages and were relieved to find that the aire had 5 spaces. We didn’t manage to find a space with a view, but that was the least of our concerns. We hooked up to the electricity supply and made ourselves comfortable nestled among the multi national vans. We worked out that this was even higher than the sosta at Cervinia – just by a few meters – and may be the highest aire we have ever stayed at.
Settled into the aire
The aire at La Plagne is very popular, especially with Brits. We met the most British motorhomers of any place we’ve been on this trip so far. I think there are a few reasons for this: it’s bookable, so if you are lucky enough to make a successful booking (it hasn’t been easy this year due to some teething issues with a new booking system) then you are guaranteed a space. It’s a resort that’s well known by the British because of it’s package holiday popularity. And it’s a relatively cheap season pass for a large area, making it a keenly priced option per km of piste. Among the British skiers we even saw a twin Chausson Sportline S514. I may have seemed a bit creepy when I immediately recognised them from their facebook posts. Maybe I need to reduce my social media time!
Three Days in La Plagne
We didn’t get out skiing straight away because first of all it snowed. Overnight we gathered a nice layer of the white stuff and the following morning was a bit gloomy. We took ourselves out for a walk instead of skiing. We used the snowshoe tracks but as they had already been bashed we didn’t actually need snowshoes – the squeaky snow was grippy enough to just wander the trails in boots.
Snowy scenes in La Plagne
La Plagne felt like a completely new resort for us. Every now and again we thought we – sort of – recognised an area from our 2019 visit, but mostly we were seeing it with fresh eyes. We decided to divide the area up into 3 areas and ski each in turn over the next three days, skiing all the red runs plus bits of blacks (not too many moguls though) and blues as we fancied. So we spent day 1 at the Montalbert end, day 2 over the mountain in south facing Champagny and day 3 around Montchavin village and all the way up to the glacier. With all three days we picked out bits of the Belle Plagne and Centre Plagne areas.
The La Plagne aire from above
We enjoyed staying in La Plagne but what we did notice was how expensive it was. A trip down to the boulangerie and we paid €13 for two cakes. Very delicious but also expensive. A baguette in the small supermarket near the aire was over two euros – about a euro more expensive that we were used to paying. Day lift passes were pricey compared to other resorts. We were glad to have stocked up with food in advance, and we can see why people buy season passes, which are exceptionally good value compared to the amount of runs. Nevertheless we had a lovely three days and would come back. Its worth it for the location.
Sunset at La Plagne
But three days was all we had time for. More snow was in the forecast, and cold temperatures were due. We didn’t want to get stuck up the mountain with our ferry booked and paid for. On our final day we were up and waiting at the lift before 9am, we made the best we could from our 4 hour passes, skiing non-stop (something Paul’s knee was to pay for) until it was time to return to the van. Then we drove down into the valley. Skiing was over for the year.
Queuing before lift opening time
Motorhome Ski La Plagne:
An updated guide to skiing La Plagne
Parking
There are a several places you can stay to ski La Plagne. These are two we’ve experienced and one we had earmarked as our fall back option if La Plagne aire was full.
Use the La Plagne aire. This is a bookable aire. Half the pitches can be booked and half are left available for people to turn up. The booking opens in September/October and is usually fully booked within a few days, although you may find some off peak spaces remain bookable for a little longer. The aire has an entry barrier where you enter your booking reference.
If you turn up on spec then there is a sign which tells you how many pitches are available. Take a ticket at the barrier and then pay in advance of leaving. You wont be able to get in if it shows ‘Complet’ even if you can see plenty of spaces.
There are sufficient 16Amp EHU connections for each pitch although you may need a long lead. The aire is tiered and services are at the front/lowest level of the aire.
If you cannot get into the aire there is a designated ‘waiting area’ outside where you can stay overnight but you need to pay (it is a reduced price as there is no EHU). You can obviously choose to stay in this area if you don’t need EHU. You can still walk into the aire and make use of the toilet disposal facility or collect fresh water in a container.
Camping Montchavin We stayed at this campsite when we visited in 2019. It was a very pleasant spot with good views and a nice common room. For a few years there were reduced numbers of spaces due to building work nearby but there are now 23 touring pitches which can be pre booked. The campsite has a very nice common room which makes a change from sitting in the van. When we stayed we watched the six nations on the TV in the common room which was a nice social experience.
Montalbert Aire We haven’t stayed here but we have known of many people who have. It has a service point and the paid services (fresh water and EHU) are reportedly a bit temperamental. Parking is free.
Getting to the Slopes
From La Plagne aire you can access the piste directly from the aire and ski down to the lifts. The easiest lift to access is Bergerie, which passes right next to the aire. To return you can ski down from the top of Bergerie lift on the Ecartee run and the aire will be on your left. The aire is well located in the centre of the resort so it’s really easy to go in any direction.
From the campsite at Montchavin it is a short but steep walk up to the Montchavin chairlift. When we stayed at the campsite we knew several people were using one of the ski rental shops for ski storage but cant remember which shop it was. The Montchavin area is at one end of La Plagne, so is less central for La Plagne, but it is well placed if you want to ski all of the Paradiski area as it’s close to the Vanoise Express gondola which will take you over to Les Arcs.
From the Montalbert aire it is a short walk to the Montalbert telecabins. This is a quick way to get up to quite a high point at the other end of La Plagne resort. It’s easier for accessing the rest of La Plagne than Montchavin but you are a long way from the connection to Les Arcs.
Ski passes
Ski passes can be ordered online or there are self service and manned kiosks at the lift stations. Once you have a physical card you can top it up online.
Passes can be bought for La Plagne only or for the wider Paradiski area which includes Les Arcs. If you don’t have a season pass then you can buy 4 hour, day or multi day passes. Saturday and Sunday usually have discounts with the Saturday discount being the most significant. The villages (ie Montchavin, Montalbert) also have their own area ski passes. Standard day passes for La Plagne are expensive (currently €70, the most expensive we have found so far) so it is worth seeking out discounts and being canny about how you organise your skiing.
From the aire at La Plagne the closest ski pass office is down the road in the small shopping area opposite the tourist information.
Skiing La Plagne
La Plagne is a high altitude resort with plenty of skiing above the treeline. The village areas are lower, with forest runs, and are generally a little steeper.
It’s a very good all purpose resort, catering for beginners to experts. There are a large number of blue runs of various different difficulty levels. There are proportionally fewer red and black runs but enough to keep every skier busy. Many of the black runs are mogulled and as a result almost empty.
Outside of peak season the resort can still feel busy in the central areas, but you can always find less busy runs if you head a bit further out. Lifts are large capacity and modern and lift queues are short except in pinch points.