Paradiski - Les Coches (La Plagne)

Along with this superb location is the added bonus of snowsure skiing, thanks to lifts rising 2000 vertical metres to eternal glacier snow, a figure matched by less than a dozen other resorts worldwide.

Les Coches is an intimate, modern wood and stone village, which, unlike infamous earlier developments, has been sympathetically designed, to give the atmosphere of a traditional alpine ski village. There’s a selection of shops and restaurants with more at neighbouring Montchavin.  

The resort is traffic free, and offers children’s clubs and a nursery, so is a perfect location for families

For après ski activities there is a natural ice skating rink, games room, snow shoeing, paragliding and marked walking trails.

In other La Plagne villages nearby there are other activities, including the rare chance for the brave to descend a bobsleigh run, in this case built for the 1992 Winter Olympics staged in the area.  You can descend in a ‘taxi’ bobsleigh at top speed behind a professional driver or jump in a ‘self steering’ craft which goes a little slower but still fast enough!

Montchavin/Les Coches Resort Opening Dates

Montchavin/Les Coches opens on 18/12/10 and closes on 25/04/11

Follow the links below

Why Les Coches?

·          Direct ski access to the north-facing slopes of La Plagne

·          Located by the La Plagne-Les Arcs Paradiski area

·          A quiet alternative to La Plagne

Children

Les Coches has acquired the Famille Plus label for its childcare facilities. Please view here for more information on the Famille Plus label.

Montchavin Les Coches has a natural appeal for families, which has earned it the famous Famille Plus label awarded by Ski France: it's at medium altitude (1,250 m and 1,450 m), has a built environment on a human scale and there's no car traffic in the villages.

In addition, there are high-quality child-minding facilities (with state accreditation) designed to provide a real service for parents wanting to make the most of their day's skiing and to introduce children of all ages to the world of snow in the best possible conditions.

Nurseries

Les Coches (6 - 36 months) and

Baby Club Montchavin (12 - 36 months).

Indoor and outdoor activities: drawing, painting, games, sledging, walks, snowmen and of course, time for a nap, if required.

Registration and reservations baby club and Club ski : OGMC Clubs Enfants - Maison de Montchavin - 73210 Bellentre - E-mail
Contact from 12 December 2009 to 24 April 2010 : 04 79 07 82 43
Others periods : 04 79 07 82 82 fax: 04 79 07 80 18

Open from Sunday to Friday from 8.45 to 17.30, booking on Saturday.

Guideline prices 09/10:

Club Neige: 3 - 9 yrs

Option without ski lessons

Outdoor and indoor learning activities, mountain and snow sports: sledging, games in the snow, treasure hunts, as well as videos and indoor games.

Open from Sunday to Friday from 8.45 to 17.30.

Registration and reservations (at least the day before): Saturday and every day at Club reception times.

Guideline prices 09/10:

Registration and reservations baby club and Club ski : OGMC Clubs Enfants - Maison de Montchavin - 73210 Bellentre - E-mail
Contact from 12 December 2009 to 24 April 2010 : 04 79 07 82 43
Others periods : 04 79 07 82 82 fax: 04 79 07 80 18

Games room
Near the ice rink in Les Coches, an indoor area is open every evening under a youth leader's supervision, once the skiing's over: there's a collection of toys and games, a library, a Playstation, pool table, pinball, etc.

Childrens Ski Lessons in Les Coches

Children can ski from 4 years old in Les Coches with ESF.

Peak Retreats can pre-book this. See here for details.

Activities in Les Coches

Snowshoes
It's a must in winter: get your snowshoes on and head out with a guide to discover a different facet of the mountains: their flora and fauna, and how to read the landscape... for adults and children.

Ice rink
Only five minutes from the centre of Les Coches, at the top of Montchavin gondola lift, 800 sq m of artificial covered ice.

Prices :

Entrance under 4 years : free

Adults €2.80, children €2.10

Hire of skates

Hire under 4 years : free

Adults €2.80, children €2.10

Skate hire costs the same again.

Lessons available on request.

Sledge area

Two areas, one in Montchaivin at the bottom of the slopes and another in Les Coches at the bottom of the slopes. Free access under the parental observation.

Other activities
Watercolours: once a week, a 3-hour session with an artist-illustrator

Heritage

Old villages with traditional chalets, baroque churches with lavish reredos made of polychromatic or gilted sculpted wood, the historic town of Aime, the former capital of a Roman province that's home to many Gallo-Roman and mediaeval remains, arts and crafts practitioners, etc.

Coach excursions
For people without transport, a specific programme of half-day or full-day coach excursions is laid on every week to explore all these local treasures.

Bobsleigh runs

From December to March, the Olympic luge and Bobsleigh run at la Plagne is open to the public:

Taxi Bob: 1 500 meters run in a four man racing bobsleigh, 3 passengers, over 18 years, are taken for each trip.

Bob Raft: It looks like a conventional bobsleigh and carries for people without a pilot (minimum eight of 1.3m, parental approval mandatory for under 18 years olds, parental presence compulsory for under 15s).

Mono Bob: Just you and the ride of your life. At around 90km/hr, in a semi-horizontal position, all alone in a one-man bob.

Every Wednesday: the Office du Tourisme organises an outing to the bobsleigh run. Depart by coach, at 16:50 to Les Coches and 17:00 to Montchavin.
From 37€00 per person for a bob raft descent. (Without transport)

Eating out and Après Ski in Les Coches

The shops, restaurants and bars of Les Coches are reached by arched walkways; there is a small choice of good value dining. There is a natural ice skating rink, snow shoeing, paragliding and walking trails to experience in Les Coches. More bars and restaurants in nearby Montchavin.

All the above information is for information only. For the most up-to-date information please visit the resort tourist office website

Les Coches Office du Tourisme
73210
Bellentre
Tel: 00 33 (0) 4 79 07 82 82

Fax: 00 33 (0) 4 79 07 80 18
info@montchavin-lescoches.com

Access to Les Coches

By road: Driving distance from Calais to Les Coches 620 miles 8hrs 50.

From Calais take the A26 motorway via Reims, Dijon and Maçon to Lyon A43/A430 to Albertville and then N90 via Moutiers in the direction of Les Arcs, following signs for Landry and Les Coches.              

By Rail: Landry 10km - Shuttlebus +33 479 55 64 76 – Taxi +33 614 82 46 34.     

Links with Landry Railway station
Important: for return, reservation at the Tourism Offices.
During school holidays, additional services are available. Daily shuttles (except Saturday, Sunday) from Landry at 8:50 am and from Les Coches at 9:15 am.
Prices:

Adult: €6.20

From 4 to 12 years: €3.10
Stops : Les Coches in front of the Tourism Office and Montchavin near the Police Station

Airports:

Chambery Airport is 117km from Les Coches (1 ½ hours)

www.chambery-airport.com

Grenoble Airport is 185km from Les Coches (2 ¼  hours)

www.grenoble-airport.com

Lyon Airport is 194km from Les Coches (2 ¼ hours)

Shuttle bus +33 437 25 52 55 www.satobus-alps.com

www.lyonairport.com

Geneva Airport is 196km from Les Coches (2 ¼ hours)

www.gva.ch/en

Access around Les Coches and Montchavin

Shuttle service between Montchavin and Les Coches:
Free shuttle between Montchavin and Les Coches each day from 8:45 am to 11:00 pm (last shuttle at the end of the last cinema session).

Stops: Montchavin Police Station, Les Coches Tourism Office and Les Coches Skating Rink.

Click on map to enlarge

Resort Map

Les Coches

Access Map

Les Coches

The Plan Bois area above Les Coches has good gentle slopes for beginners served by a six-pack; there is also a new nursery area on the other side of Les Coches – soon to be accessed by a bucket lift.

Intermediates will find many interlinked blue and red ski runs across the entire region.  It can be fun to try to see how far across this giant ski area you can venture in a day, the lifts and runs seem to go on and on. There are some excellent red runs including the winding, treelined ‘Les Coches’ above Les Coches.

Experts will be happy if they sign up with one of the ski schools to tackle the under-rated off-piste or attempt the near 2000m vertical down from the north face of the Bellecôte glacier, one of the world's longest and toughest runs. 

High-altitude skiing with helicopter drop-off, ski safaris, ski touring and even ascents of Mont-Blanc are possible, always with a professional supervisor.

La Plagne is equipped with three outstanding snowparks and three boardercross courses. Of these, the one in Bellecôte is naturally made, snaking between pine and larch trees with numerous handrails and jumps.

In winter, the Vanoise Express cable car is accessible to skiers and pedestrians. 
On Montchavin side though, the cable car arrives on a ski slope.  You can't reach Montchavin by foot.

Les Coches Lift passes

Save Time in resort and budget ahead by pre-booking lift passes. See below for prices.

PRE-BOOK* your Les Coches/Paradiski Lift-Pass with PR

**FAMILY PASS: 2 adults & 2 children aged 6 - 17 years. Extra children = £147 for 6 days and £168 for 7 days for Les Coches/La Plagne or £176 for 6 days and £199 for 7 days for Paradiski

Les Coches/La Plagne: 225km of pistes

Paradiski: 425km of piste (Peisey/Les Arcs/La Plagne/Les Coches)

Paradiski Decouverte: Les Coches/La Plagne + 1 day access to Paradiski

Les Coches Ski Schools

PRE-BOOK* your Group Ski/Board Lessons

Please note that a booking fee of £9 per party will be charged.

Times are subject to change

La Plagne is equipped with three outstanding snowparks (Bellecôte, Montchavin and Champagny en Vanoise), and 3 boardercross circuits. Of these, the one in Bellecôte is naturally made, snaking between pine and larch trees with numerous handrails and jumps. Also provided are a sound system and barbecue sites… all for the new freestyle generation!

High-altitude skiing with helicopter drop-off, ski safaris, ski touring, ice cascade climbing, ascents of Mont-Blanc... always with a professional supervisor.

Les Coches Individual Tuition (09/10 prices, NOT pre-bookable)

Contact ski school direct to book. Phone : 33 (0)4 79 07 80 33
Fax : 04 79 07 82 37

Mountain restaurants

3

Cross-country in Paradiski

Pedestrian and X-Country skiers

Access to the x-country tracks is free. There are 16 km of marked tracks that may be reached from the vimmages and from the top of the lifts at Montchavin and Les Coches, as well as from the Les Coches and Lac Noir Gondola lifts.

Ask for the plan at either Office du Tourisme.

There is 150kms of cross country skiing in this vast ski area (Paradiski). In La Plagne area there is 80km/50 miles. Try Champagny (Le-Haut) – 14 miles of stunning winding tracks in a sunny valley.

Snowshoeing (Montchavin)

Bureau des Accompagnateurs en Moyenne Montagne

Monsieur Christian Benard
Montchavin
73210 BELLENTRE

Phone : 33 (0)4 79 07 83 54
Mobile : 33 (0)6 63 21 77 90

Serge and Cristian, snow-shoe experts and based in the resort of Montchavin-Les Coches for many years are eager to share with you their passion and experiencesof the great outdoors.

The walks are set in picturesque countryside with lots to see: typical mountain hamlets, fairy tale forests, animal tracks…

Transport with a bus is included according to places.

Prices: a half day from 18€00 for adults and from 12€00 for children.

*ALL PRE-BOOKABLE EXTRAS ARE PAYABLE TO PEAK RETREATS IN STIRLING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. PRICES ARE IN £.

ANYTHING IN EUROS (€) WE ARE UNABLE TO PRE-BOOK AND

WILL BE PAYABLE LOCALLY.