Champagny ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Champagny
Overview
The family friendly resort of Champagny sits at an altitude of 1250m in the Vanoise region of Savoie and is one of the hamlets that make up the larger ski area of La Plagne.
Champagny après-ski
Après-ski in Champagny is fairly relaxed and relatively tame when compared to Plagne Centre. Having said that, the apres-ski is on a par with many other major French ski resorts with a good choice of bars and restaurants serving local and international dishes.
Some favourites include...
- Bar " Barillon"
- Pub Le Code
- Bar "Refuge du Bois"
- Galaxy night club
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1200m |
| Top lift | 3250m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 435 |
| Longest run | 10 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 23 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 5 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✔ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Relaxed |
Champagny ski area guide
The ski area immediately around Champagny and La Plagne offers skiing and boarding from 1250m to 3250m (the higher runs are on the Chiaupe Glacier underneath the Bellecote summit), with 225km spread around 128 trails.
If thats not enough, you can buy the Paradiski lift pass which means you can ski around Paradiski. This is one of the largest lift linked ski areas in the world serving up 435kms of pistes where over 70% of them are over 2000m in altitude!
Beginners
Beginners and children are very well catered for with kids’ clubs at key points so parents don’t have to trek far to drop off or pick the kids up. There are also ski schools with bases in each resort too, so you can get everything arranged locally, saving you time and effort.
Intermediate
If you’re looking for wide, motorway pistes that aren’t too taxing you’ll love Champagny-La Plagne. One of our favourites is Arpette back down into Bellecote where experienced skiers and boarders will enjoy the accessible off piste as well.
Advanced
Expert skiers will have to do some work to find the best off piste, but seek and you shall find…we’re talking Col du Forcle and off the Colosses lift. There are black runs to have a go at as well, but our advice for good skiers and boarders is to buy a Paradiski lift pass so you can roam around the whole area.
Cross-Country
The Champagny le Haut Valley at 1450m is the place to head to for cross-country skiing and is rated as one of the finest places in the area. The valley is also the gateway to the Vanoise National Park where there are incredibly beautiful trails that wind through the pine forests.
Things to see & do
- Frozen waterfall climbing
- Ice skating
- Winter walking and snowshoeing trails
- Dog sleighs
- Tobogganing
- Parapenting
Children
Champagny has a very good children's club called Les Cabins that provides day care for children aged from 18 months to 6 years old. The club provides sledging, snow games and various indoor activities such as painting and dancing.
Located in the village, the ESF ski school runs the Piou-Piou Club for 3 to 5 years olds. It operates on Sundays through to Fridays and you can choose between half and full day lessons.
Our view on Champagny ski resort
As well as being a fantastic family friendly ski resort, Champagny will be whatever you want it to be. If you like quaint, relaxing alpine villages then Champagny ticks all the boxes. If you want to literally ski right to your front door there's plenty of that too. The resort by itself is small but when you add in all the villages around La Plagne plus the ski area of Les Arcs, you'll find yourself in one of the largest ski areas in the world!
