About three years ago now I did a ski season in the french alps, I had the time of my life. I worked, I worked really hard as a chalet host, the pay was crap but the lifestyle second to non. On the whole the good bits can be summed up by snowboarding (or Skiing) everyday and drinking with new friends in the evening. All the new holiday makers coming in and out of resort means that the atmosphere and people change every week staying fresh and new through out the 5 months I was there. If your a people person its fantastic.
Explore while working a ski season
Les Arcs 2000 is the highest resort in the Les Arcs, 1950 is a short drive or gondola trip away and both 1800 and 1600 are about a 15minute drive around the mountain ridge. Alternatively when the lifts are running its 5 minutes on a lift and 5 minutes down the other side for those who are experienced on a board or ski’s. Paradiski is the larger ski area, around the size of the 3 valleys, it includes includes La Plagne and is massive, offering a huge variety of skiing for all levels. If your working out there for a season there is more than enough to keep you going!!
Big Ski Area
Les Arcs 200o is one of the smaller resorts which make up Les Arcs ski area (If your imagining small little chalets dotted around the mountains, this is not Les Arcs, Les Arcs was purpose built so there is allot of concrete). There are all the usual bits a bobs you find in small french ski resorts. A small supermarket which has everything but the one thing you want, ski school, mad little french ski guide called Phillipe who is unreal on a set of ski’s and takes you to places you really wish you weren’t at the time. Of course the night life suffers a bit but there are a couple of friendly bars which on occasion can get a bit wild in the evening and the obligatory discoteca which leaves allot to be desired but can be allot of fun. If you can handle all the above or in dead like the sound of the above Les Arcs or a resort of a similar size is the perfect place to work a ski season.
Off Piste & white Outs
Working in France for a ski season is a must if you are into the outdoors and like extreme sports. Les Arcs and the paridiski area has a huge variety of skiing and boarding. Le Aiguille Rouge is the highest point in Les Arcs, at 2835m it offers great high altitude skiing so there is always snow, get up there at the beginning and end of the season. Then you have the off piste, there is just so much there. I had a fabulous day out off the back of the Aiguille Rouge, from the Grand Col chair + 30 minute walk you can reach the top of Grand Col, from there you have a 2000m drop off piste to Villaroger. The snow was fantastic on the day I was up there and the run its self offers some real verity off piste, important to get up their early though as the sun does catch this side of the mountain all day. It was towards the end of the ski season when I got round to doing it so lower down some of the snow had melted and we got to see some avalanche debris from one of the largest avalanches Les Arcs had seen, tree’s 2 feet thick snapped and twisted like match sticks, scary.
Fare weather skiing when your working a ski season
Working all for a season in the alps allows you to pick and choose the days you want to go for a big off piste day. For the days the snow is no good or there is poor visibility Peisey-Vallandry is the place to head. Better for skiers as the nice wide slopes with trees are great for some big carving turns when you cant see further than the end of your arm. Boarders can have allot of fun here to us there are plenty of little bumps, jumps and tree’s to enjoy.
Of course when and if you get bored of the Les Arcs Ski area then you can just pop across the valley to La Plagne. I only went over their twice as you need a full day to make the most of it. I understand you can go off the north face at the back of la Plagne and end up at the bottom of Courchevel, anyone out there had a go?
Glad you have had a read, for those of you who are thinking about working a ski season, why aint you on a flight already? Just look at the view from my window. . . . .
Take a look at this short ski season blog for another viewpoint. More posts will follow about working a ski season
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