Nightlife Previews and reviews in Les Arcs — 7 of Our Favourites

With these relevant points in mind I have created a quick guide to the slope-side bars where you can rest awhile after, during, or even before a hard day’s skiing. To increase the fun, the guide has taken the form of a trump-style card game.

There are a huge number of bars throughout the resorts so, to be included in this guide, a trip on a lift should be necessary (unless you are a crazy ski-tourer or extreme pedestrian). The lowest of these bars is at 1900 metres and, in general, they afford spectacular views over the ski area and surrounding valleys. There are seven bars included (which is one a day, every week) so you should be able to develop your suntan regardless of where you are staying.

From the outside, the Igloo Village is quite an unassuming dome made of snow. There is a rudimentary gateway, some deckchairs, tables, chairs made of pallets and a low doorway labelled “Bar.” It's only upon crossing the threshold that you begin to comprehend the intricacy and scale of this natural, but simultaneously man-made, structure. Not only does it contain a bar, but it also has two large dining areas, a rabbit-warren of connected spaces containing elaborate sculptures and even two bedrooms. It has an exceptional spot on the pistes where you can pause for refreshment, discover some incredible artwork and even stay the night.

However, sometimes they get it just about right, whether this is for the best or the worst reasons. Below is a selection of ski scenes from movies that I have enjoyed over the years. Some are enjoyable if only for their over the top absurdity and others are pure class. Either way, I defy you not to crack a smile (or a grimace) during the following clips...

[Click on the links to see the film clips]

Inception

Leo and the girl from Juno [Ellen Page] attempt to destroy a snow covered dream fortress while sleeping in the back of a van. At least I think that’s what is going on here. All I know is it has made me want to go skiing with a weighted ball on the end of a rope.

Grand Budapest Hotel

This is a wonderful film and it contains quite possibly my favourite ski chase scene of all time. Not least because of Willem Dafoe’s delightfully deranged portrayal of Jopling. Snippets of the chase can be seen in this interview with Wes Anderson where a producer of the film succinctly describes the technical process of creating the scene, “Camera on skateboard wheels, upside down, pushing it with a stick.”

Frozen [not the Disney film]

This makes it in because I like the idea of families settling down for a lovely evening of Disney Princesses and jolly talking snowmen set to the sound of heart-warming classics such as ‘Let It Go’, only to be greeted by a woman struggling to do just that when she falls asleep and wakes to find her hand frozen onto the safety bar. Let it go, indeed. Viewer discretion advised.

The World Is Not Enough

There are numerous classic Bond ski scenes to choose from and all of them have their moments. Brosnan takes it for me here, though, largely because of the tekkers that he and his fur-clad lady friend exhibit in the opening minute. Absolute textbook. It’s worth watching all the way through though, Brosnan’s straight-faced one liners are a lovely reminder of the tongue-in-cheek cheese fest that a Bond film can be… “See you back at the lodge.”

Dumb & Dumber

As tempted as I was to include the “Oh look. Frost.” scene (you know the one) I actually prefer the scene where Harry gets over exciting during a snowball fight with Mary. Having spent several winters in the mountains I have seen more than a fair few snowball fights get out of hand and there is nothing quite like the guilty realisation on a guy's face when he realises he has gone one step too far. It’s gonna take more than a vin chaud and a crepe to fix this one, pal.

BONUS SCENE BELOW:
I’m afraid I couldn’t leave out this opening scene from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ in which Roger Moore, dressed as a chicken, uses a ski pole gun and goes base jumping – all backed by a 70's funk version of the Bond theme. Spectacular stuff.

Merry Christmas! 

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Sunday 14th

• Man u V Liverpool - 14:30 Bar Mont Blanc, Peisey Vallandry – For those of you that can’t afford to miss a game then Bar Mont Blanc often shows live sports events and footie matches. Stay tuned for a full review of this cool spot!
• Welcome Drinks and Food – Arc 2000 – 18:00 Come and have a complimentary hot drink and some nibbles courtesy of Les Arcs and meet some fellow holidaymakers.
• Welcome Drinks – Peisey Vallandry – 17:00 at the bottom of the main slope.

Monday 15th

• Snow Sculpture Display – Peisey Vallandry – 16:15
• Mario Kart Competition on Wii – Salle Polyvalente de Vallandry 14:00. Perhaps one more for the kids but if they are feeling a bit pooped what with all the fresh air and exercise then pop down here and let them challenge their new skischool buddies to some Mario Kart Action. Loser buys the hot-chocolates!

Tuesday 16th

• Carpetface and Audible – Bazoom, Bourg St Maurice – 22:00. This is one for the big kids! These guys always put on a great show with MC’ing, looping, beatboxing and all sorts of other musical mystery to mesmerise your melon!
• SNOWGA – Bourg St Maurice, Ecole St Bernadette – 19:15. What a great way to relax after a hard day, or limber up before one! 3 sessions held each week 10 euros for 1 class of 60 euros for a block of 10. Mats provided.

Wednesday 17th

• The Soul Thieves – Bar Mont Blanc, Peisey Vallandry – 22h Live music to make ya body rock

Thursday 18th

• Carpetface and Audible – Bar Kind Mad, Arc1800 – 22:30 If you didn’t get a chance to see them in Bourg then don’t fear, they are banging out some more belters at BKM tonight!
• Mikey Gray – Bar Mont Blanc, Peisey Vallandry – 22:30 Singing soulful covers and awesome anthems Mikey Gray will keep you bouncing around til ya board boots break.

Friday 19th

• SNOWGA – Bourg St Maurice, Ecole St Bernadette – 17:15 and 19:15. 2 sessions on tonight to make sure you go home feeling relaxed and refreshed no matter how hard you’ve ridden!
• Leaving drinks – Peisey Vallandry – 17:00

Take a look at the full events calendar here.

There are a huge amount of activities and ‘off snow’ experiences to try whilst on your holiday in Les Arcs. Check out our ‘Activity’ page to see what takes your fancy and please do let us have your feedback via our Twitter or Instagram feeds

@lesarcsnet

#lesarcsnet

Until next time, Peace Out Girl Scouts!

Our trip would involve a 20 minute flight from Les Arcs, over the Tarentaise valley, around the Mont Blanc massif before returning back to Arc 1950. Similar flights are available from most resorts in the area however the company we booked with, Helipass, operates from the Mont Blanc Helicopters base in Les Arcs.

The morning of our flight was similar to most mornings so far this season - cold, crisp and clear – not great from a snow perspective but perfect weather for flying. We arrived at Arc 1950 and joined a small group of fellow passengers already assembled, waiting at the base. A little disconcertingly there was, as yet, no sign of any helicopter.

After a few minutes shivering in the cold, I thought I heard a low droning noise slowly building somewhere behind us. Suddenly a helicopter burst into view, rising head-on impressively from a gorge to our right, before making a spectacular banked turn high above us. The aircraft slowed to a hover then gently touched down on a platform to our left. It was quite an entrance – something more suited to a Schwarzenegger film than a sightseeing trip. The pilot cut the engine, jumped out and strolled confidently toward us, hand extended.

It was at this point I realised – in my own head at least - this man would now forever be known simply as Airwolf. There followed a very short safety briefing in very quick French – the only part of which I understood was where to find the sick bags. Always handy. Briefing over, we boarded the heli, strapped in and donned noise-cancelling headsets. Slowly the blades began rotating above us, the noise and intensity increasing until, with a quick upwards judder, we lifted free from the ground. The aircraft inched gingerly across the helipad when the engine suddenly roared and we unexpectedly pitched down and forward, plunging into the ravine below.

Now, I’ve seen the Art of Flight movies, That’s It / That’s All etc and yes, on reviewing our footage, I would concede we didn’t exactly dive headlong from the sky but - at that moment, in that heli – I could have sworn we were near vertical.

We lurched down through the shade of the gorge before breaking out into the sunshine, the Tarentaise valley rolling out like a carpet below us. Having never been in a heli before, I found the speed of straight-line travel surprising. The journey by road from Arc 1950 to La Rosière would typically take an hour or so - yet we covered the distance in mere minutes. La Rosière is the last French outpost on the famous Col du Petit St Bernard – a mountain pass that links Bourg St Maurice and the Savoie in France with La Thuile and the Aosta valley on the Italian side. Typically the road opens May to October and would normally be under several metres of snow by now - yet today it looked to be almost passable with care. The effects of 5 weeks without significant snow in this region are really starting to show and the mountains this side starkly contrasted with the whiter Italian peaks further South and East.

Passing La Rosière, we flew in an arc, hugging the French side of Mt Blanc. We didn’t go as close as I’d imagined but no matter – the views were breathtaking nonetheless. Plunging down peaks and skimming over crevasse fields, we flew over some truly impressive, truly awe-inspiring scenery.

I’ve been coming to this part of the Alps for more years than I’d care to mention and I previously thought I knew this area quite well. A helicopter flight made me revise that view. The world appears a very different place from above - perspectives change, the mountain topography becomes clearer and distances shrink. It was quite humbling to see so many world-renowned resorts from the air – to appreciate just how close they are to one another. We flew onwards as the interconnected, sprawling hugeness of these Alpine resorts stretched out beneath us.

We were really very lucky with the weather and the sky was so clear we could see the mountains of Flaine, Sestriere, the Ecrins National Park (Les Deux Alpes, Alpe d’Huez etc), La Clusaz, Avoriaz and even Cervinia’s Matterhorn. At one point we could actually see as far as Geneva and Grenoble. 

Closer to home we had an unrivalled panorama over more familiar peaks – Mt du Vallon and the Aiguille de Péclet (Trois Vallees), Aiguille Rouge (Les Arcs), Bellecôte (La Plagne), Grande Casse and the Grande Motte (Tignes). And of course in the centre of things, dominating proceedings, was Europe’s highest peak - the mighty Mont Blanc itself. Obviously there’s debate as to whether Mt Blanc (4808m) or Russia’s Mt Elbrus (5642m) is Europe’s highest mountain. I guess it depends what you consider the borders of ‘Europe’ to be. For me anyway, Russia is a different landmass and Mt Blanc remains King of Kings.

We flew on, skirting foothills and glacial tides, passing impossibly close to a massive rocky outcrop before heading back over the valley to Les Arcs. We drifted teasingly low over the summit of Col des Frettes and the Carrelley chair before pitching steeply down the other side towards Arc 1950.

By now, our pilot had clearly worked out this particular group of passengers had an appetite for more aerobatic-type flying so he unleashed full Airwolf mode and set us into a series of spiraling descents. The G forces were incredible, squeezing us into our seats as we corkscrewed down into the valley. The closest I could compare it to is a spiral dive in paragliding – controlled, fast and full of stomach churning sensations. 

And then, all too soon, it was over - the quickest 20 minutes I can remember. We floated slowly over the landing pad before touching down gently - whereupon everyone spontaneously broke into applause for Airwolf’s skills.

So, in conclusion, is a helitrip worth the money? Well, for me anyway, it was a huge tick off the bucket list and a lifelong ambition achieved but let’s be frank - this is not a cheap thing to do. In fact it would tip the budget of most holidaymakers never mind that of a lowly saisonnaire.

That said, if you’re looking for a one-off experience that will stick with you the rest of your days – then yes, go for it. I’d particularly recommend it if, like me, you’re already fairly familiar with the area as it will give you a completely different perspective on the mountains and resorts you think you know so well.

We flew with Helipass, paying €300 each for a twenty minute flight. Yes, that’s not cheap but, then again, you get what you pay for and I can genuinely think of no better way to see the Alps, the Tarentaise resorts and their peaks.

There are a multitude of sites offering similar flights but many appear to be re-sellers for the same core providers – so it’s likely you may find fluctuations in price depending on the commission each individual company charges. It’s also worth noting prices seem to vary depending on the time of year and, particularly, the company you book through, so shop around for the best deal on the flight that’s right for you. 

Stuart is Creative Director of iRide Ski and Snowboard App, available now for iOS and Android.