Now part of the new Paradiski ski area, La Plagne is now linked to Les Arcs by a cable car - the Vanoise Express.

This means that skiers from Les Arcs or La Plagne will have the opportunity to experience a unique adventure: the voyage from one ski resort to another in just 4 minutes, at more than 380 metres above the valley, through the most extraordinary landscapes. The Paradiski area is 420 kilometres, contains 232 pistes, 2 skiable glaciers and 144 ski lifts.

Popular with international middlemarket groups and families, owing to a preponderance of apartment accommodation and children's facilities. There is a wide range of skiing for all levels, although intermediates will benefit most.

Brits make up around 35% of all foreign visitors and flood the largely self-catering accommodation - predominantly in Plagne Centre (1970m) and Belle Plagne (2050m).

The accommodation is predominantly purpose-built concrete blocks, with large self-catering apartments far outnumbering hotels, concentrated in Plagne Centre. Some units being used by UK operators as chalet-style accommodation.

Off-snow, things aren't quite so good, with only an average selection of shops, restaurants and clubs. Other non-ski activities are pretty limited. Kids are very well cared for with ski-school nurseries and kindergartens; for those still with the daring of youth, there is the chance to zoom down the 1992 Olympic bobsleigh run.

Overall, a great resort for skiers still learning, but one that, as with many French purpose-built resorts, doesn't really capture the Alpine spirit. - Top Tip: stay in gorgeous Champagny-en-Vanoise for the traditional Alpine thing and a rapid gondola link into the full La Plagne lift system - plus the chance to ski for a day in nearby Courchevel.

Locality:

La Plagne is in south east France, in the Savoie region, close to the Italian border (it is 36 mls SE of Albertville, 20 mls SW of Bourg St Maurice, 94 mls SE of Geneva and its airport, 122 mls E of Lyon and its airport, 75 mls E of Chambery and its airport). There is a scattered cluster of little resorts high above the double-headed Tarentaise Valley, spread over a wide mountainous area at various high altitudes. The original and principal village is known as Plagne Centre.

Ski Information:

Highest lift: 3250m (10662ft), Lowest lift: 1250m (4101ft), Vertical drop: 2000m (6561ft), Number of lifts: 109, Uplift capacity: 129000 p/hr, Number of slopes: 128, Beginner: 65%, Intermediate: 26%, Expert: 9%, Total piste length: 225km, Snowboard parks: 2, Cross country: 90km