Les Arcs, Ski area in Bourg Saint Maurice, France.
Les Arcs consists of four altitude stations between 1600 and 2000 meters above sea level, linked by a system of lifts and runs. Each station has its own accommodation and service facilities, while the entire complex spreads across several mountain faces.
The first settlement Arc 1600 was built in the late 1960s as a planned winter sports destination with direct slope access. Over the following decades, the area expanded through the addition of further altitude stations and connections to neighboring regions.
The name comes from the Arc valley, a stream rising northeast of the Col de la Chal; the toponym Arc, from Latin arcus or arx, refers to a curved or high mountain. The villages were first named after their sites, as Arc-Pierre Blanche and Arc-Chantel, before altitude numbers replaced those names. Charlotte Perriand led the design team for Arc 1600, Arc 1800 and Arc 2000.
A funicular railway links Bourg Saint Maurice to the upper stations, making arrival possible without a car. The area is divided into several sectors, so beginners and advanced skiers can each find suitable zones.
Les Arcs is often called the birthplace of European snowboarding: local instructor Régis Rolland popularised the sport in France with the Apocalypse Snow films shot in the resort in the early 1980s. The speed skiing course used at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, 2,000 metres long plus 700 metres for stopping, lies in Arc 2000.
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