Paradiski - Montchavin (La Plagne)

This means that the ski lifts rise for an incredible 2000 vertical metres above the village to snowsure glacier snow fields, a figure matched by less than a dozen other resorts on the planet.

Montchavin has a small selection of bars and restaurants as well as a nightclub, supermarket, boulangerie, and laundrette.  There’s a further selection of bars and restaurants in nearby Les Coches, linked by ski lifts and a shuttle bus.

The village has a natural appeal for families, which has earned it the Famille Plus accreditation for the quality of its services awarded by the French government’s Ski France organisation. Montchavin is traffic free and offers children’s clubs and a nursery, so is a perfect location for families.

Child-minding facilities (with state accreditation) include the Baby Club Montchavin which provides indoor and outdoor activities including drawing, painting, games, sledging, walks, snowman building and time for a nap, if required, for one to three year olds.

Activities in the village include snowshoeing, an ice rink at the top of Montchavin gondola lift, with 800 sq m of artificial ice rink, a cinema and a well being centre with Turkish bath, sauna, massages and beauty treatments.

In other La Plagne villages nearby there are more activity options, 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 either take a ‘taxi’ bobsleigh at top speed behind a professional driver or jump in a ‘self steering’ craft with friends which goes a little slower but is still fast enough.

Montchavin/Les Coches Resort Opening Dates

Montchavin/Les Coches opens on 17/12/11 and closes on 21/04/12

Other:

Funicular from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arc 1600 open from 10/12/11 0 29/04/12.

Peisey-Vallandry/Villaroger/Les Arcs 1600 & 1800 open on 10/12/11 and closes on 21/04/12

Les Arcs 1950 & 2000 open on 10/12/11 – 28/04/12

Vanoise Express link to La Plagne open 17/12/11 – 21/04/12

Follow the links below

Why Montchavin?

·          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

Childcare in Montchavin

Montchavin 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

CHAT BLEU located in Montchavin welcomes children from 1 to 3 years. 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 0033 04 79 07 82 43

Open from Sunday to Friday from 09.00/9.30 to 12.00/12.30 and 14.00/14.30 to 17.00/17.30, booking on Saturday.

Guideline prices 11/12:

Option for 3-12 years nursery care too.

http://www.garderie-creche-montchavin-les-coches.com/

Change to English version at bottom of page.

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 Montchavin

Children can ski from 4 years old in Montchavin with ESF.

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

Activities in Montchavin

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 in Les Coches
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

€6 for adults, €5 for children

Open from 17/12/11 – 29/04/12
Evening: during the French holidays to 10pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (entry and hire : 4€)

Lessons available on request.

Cinema

At Montchavin there is the cinema seating 250 people. It shows one or two diferents films every day.

In addition, it features: special shows for children, sub-titled films etc.

Sessions at 5:30 pm or 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm normally.

Sledge area

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

Wellbeing centre

After the skiing, spend a pleasant moment in relaxation centre with Turkish bath, sauna, massages and beauty treatments.

Open for all people.

Call: 0033 (0)4 79 07 83 30

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)

Quad biking

Discover the mountain by piloting your quad bike 4x4 Polaris 300 Hawkeyes in excursion around Montchavin Les Coches.

From 17/12/11 to 29/04/12: open daily.

Adult - hour 49 € (2011/2012 prices)

Eating out, Amenities and Après Ski in Montchavin

Bars, restaurants, nightclub (‘Oxygene’), supermarket, boulangerie, laundrette…More bars and restaurants in nearby Les Coches.

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

Montchavin 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 Montchavin

By road: Driving distance from Calais to Montchavin 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 Montchavin.             

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

Airports:

Chambery Airport is 117km from Montchavin (1 ½ hours)

www.chambery-airport.com

Grenoble Airport is 185km from Montchavin (2 ¼  hours)

www.grenoble-airport.com

Lyon Airport is 194km from Montchavin (2 ¼ hours)

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

www.lyonairport.com

Geneva Airport is 196km from Montchavin (2 ¼ hours)

www.gva.ch/en

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, and Les Coches Tourism Office and Skating Rink

Click on map to enlarge

Access Map

Montchavin

Resort Map

Montchavin

SKI AREA

To get to La Plagne there are a few lift systems to take but the local slopes have a number of easy-intermediate runs. Montchavin is a little alpine village which is linked to the large Paradiski ski area so you get the best of both worlds.

The slopes of the La Plagne side are mostly north-facing and between 2000m and 2700m making most of La Plagnes slopes snow sure.

In winter, the Vanoise Express 200 person cable car (2km wide and 4 minutes in duration) 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.

BEGINNERS

La Plagne is a good place to learn with 17 free ski lifts in the whole area. Each village has at least one. There are beginners areas in Montchavin/Les Coches (as well as Plagne Centre, Plagne 1800, Aime la Plagne and Plagne Bellecote).

INTERMEDIATES

Intermediates will find heaps of interlinked blue and red ski runs across the entire region; infact 80% of La Plagnes 225km are blue or red.  It’s an intermediates paradise!

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. The blue runs on either side of Arpette, on the Montchavin side of the main bowl, are great cruises, but blue further down towards Montchavin are quite challenging. Paradiski has extensive intermediate slopes with big lift networks.

EXPERTS

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 guide.

OFF-PISTE

Hire a guide and explore the vast off-piste potential in La Plagne. The glacier and Biolley sectors have some excellent off-piste terrain. For the more experienced, the north face of Bellecote presents a splendid challenge.

Montchavin Lift passes

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

PRE-BOOK your PARADISKI LIFT PASS with PR

Montchavin/Les Coches/La Plagne: 225km of pistes

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

Paradiski Decouverte: Peisey/Les Arcs + 1 day access to Paradiski

FREE PASSES!

Children under 6 and seniors over 72 receive a FREE lift pass.

Note: Proof of age will be required for reduced price passes.

No photo necessary EXCEPT for FREE passes.

* Family pass: offer applies to people with same name living at same address.

SPECIAL OFFERS:

 - Get a 6 or 7 day PARADISKI pass for the price of a La Plagne lift pass (only week starting 4/2 and 24/3)

2 adults passes bought (Paradiski/Paradiski Decouverte) = 1 free child pass                                                         (weeks starting 31/3, 7/4 & 14/4)

Other lift pass on offer (to buy locally in resort in Euros):

For beginners:

Montchavin/Les Coches local only

½ day - €20 children, €27 adults

Day - €23 children, €31 adults

Paradiski ski pass – ½ day and daily rates:

½ day - €30 children, €40 adults

Day - €38 children, €50 adults

La Plagne ski pass – ½ day and daily rates:

½ day - €29 children, €39 adults

Day - €34 children, €45 adults

Montchavin Ski school

PRE-BOOK* your Montchavin Group Ski/Board Lessons

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

Group Ski Lessons

Times and Schedules (ALL TIMES TO BE CONFIRMED, SUBJECT TO CHANGES).

All lessons are SUNDAY-FRIDAY.

SKI : Adults and children (4-13):

* children only + adult beginners (afternoons)

SNOWBOARD 6 half days : Adults and children (9-13):

SNOWBOARD 5 half days: Adults and children (9-13):

From Monday

Please note that lesson times are subject to change right until the last minute. Outside French school holidays the ski school reserves the right to cancel group lessons should numbers be insufficient. For peak periods (18/12-2/1, 13/2-13/3 & 9/4-24/4) we strongly recommend that you book as early as possible and in any case at least 6 weeks prior to the required dates. Morning lessons tend to get booked up first and therefore we may only be able to offer afternoon classes within 6 weeks of departure. In some resorts English speaking instructors may not always be available, particularly at peak times.

Montchavin Ski Hire

Ski hire Les Montchavin prices start from £37 for children (skis and boots) & £64 for adults (skis and boots) for 7 days. View here for Montchavin ski hire prices.

Montchavin Individual Tuition (11/12 prices, NOT pre-bookable)

Individual tuitions can only be purchased directly from the ski school. Peak Retreats cannot pre-book these.

Please note that prices are only an indication and are subject to change

Ski school contact numbers:

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

Snowparks in Paradiski

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!

Cross-country in Paradiski

Pedestrian and X-Country skiers

Access to the x-country tracks is free. Ask for the plan at either Office du Tourisme.

There are 150kms of cross country skiing in this vast ski area (Paradiski) and access to the local tracks is free. There are 16 km of marked tracks that may be reached from the villages and from the top of the lifts at Montchavin and Les Coches, as well as from the Les Coches and Lac Noir Gondola lifts. Also try Champagny (Le-Haut) – 14 miles of stunning winding tracks in a sunny valley.

Snowshoeing

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 STERLING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. PRICES ARE IN £.

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

WILL BE PAYABLE LOCALLY.