Les Arcs – Europe’s first B Corp mountain area

Surveying the vast alpine slopes of the Haute Tarentaise from the top of the Varet gondola, everything seemed to be in miniature; skiers on the Aiguille Rouge black run looked like match-stick animations, piste-side cafes looked like toy boxes, and the end of my forthcoming zip ride seemed an awful long way off. Without much time to dwell on my predicament, the safety catch was released followed by a jolt, a yelp, and what felt like super-sonic acceleration, I hurtled down the 1.8km vertiginous wire at 122km/h, surprised at just how much I was enjoying it.

The Aiguille Rouge Zip Line is 1.8km long. Photo: Alban Guerry-Suire/Office du Tourisme Les Arcs

The Aiguille Rouge Zip Line is the latest installation at Les Arcs 2000 in the vast Les Arcs – Peisey-Vallandry territory in the heart of the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie facing Mont Blanc and at the gateway to the Hauts de Villaroger Nature Reserve and the Vanoise National Park. I’d come here by train from London sampling one of a collection of ski resorts by train packages offered by the tour operator Inghams, designed to “offer customers a low hassle, sustainable option to three countries and 18 resorts across Europe in France, Austria and Switzerland”.

Eurostar departs from London St Pancras International Railway Station and connects in Lille with the Eurostar 'Snow Train' direct to Bourg St Maurice. Photos: Richard Hammond

Eurostar Photos: Richard Hammond; Les Arcs Funicular: Maxime Bouclier

The overland journey was a joy: we feasted on piping hot croque-monsieur, we drank roast coffee, we watched the sun flare up over track-side lakes, and we played cards. The route itself was pretty straight forward: Eurostar to Lille then a short same-platform change to take the snow train direct to Bourg-Saint-Maurice from where it was a few minutes’ walk to an electric-powered funicular that travelled up to Les Arcs 1600 in just 7 minutes. Exiting the funicular, it was just a short walk to my hotel, the four-star La Cachette. I later learned that the ease with which it is possible to reach Les Arcs without a car has meant that 25% of holidaymakers now travel to it by train, compared to a national average of just 10%.

Ski touring at Les Arcs. Photo: Amy Marwick/Greentraveller

Les Arcs – a mountain resort

While some other ski resorts in the Alps seem to be relentlessly building more lifts, hotels and gondolas higher up the mountains, the emphasis at Les Arcs is on widening the appeal of current infrastructure, providing a host of alternative activities, such as the zip wire, snow parks and piste-side attractions, as well as opening up the mountains all year round. My ski instructor Ivan told me Les Arcs now calls itself a ‘mountain resort’ rather than a ski resort, packing its summer months with a multitude of outdoor options, from hiking and cycling to paragliding and white-water rafting.

A 2030 vision for sustainability

Les Arcs had attained certification with B Corp – the international assessment scheme that assesses companies on their social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, balancing profit with purpose. It scored 90 points (out of a possible 200) and is the first mountain area in Europe to gain this certification. I met up with Laura Brisebourg, Communications Officer for ADS (Les Arcs Domaine Skiable – the company that manages the ski area) and Léo Tixier, Mountain Resort Development Manager for ADS, who explained to me that their success with the certification was downto a range of initiatives that have been earmarked throughout the mountain resort, notably across five key areas: governance, reducing their carbon footprint, sustainable management of water, preserving biodiversity, and raising awareness particularly among staff.

Watch the video of our trip to Les Arcs:

https://vimeo.com/1182035748

Filmed and produced by Richard Hammond. A Green Traveller Media production.

The resort has set out aims for 2030 to produce 25% of all its electricity needs using a combination of hydroelectricity and solar panels, reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide to zero by using HVO fuel and electric car fleets, restoring wetlands and protecting the habitats of the endangered black grouse, and training staff in a range of climate, environmental and social actions. It has already reduced its carbon footprint from 10,000 tonnes to 3,000 tonnes over the past five years by addressing its scope 1 and 2 emissions.

 “We know with climate change that we have the responsibility to change the game”, Léo Tixier told me.

One of the educational elements that took place earlier this year was the 3-day Agir pour les Glaciers festival to raise awareness of the plight of glaciers, not least the nearby retreating Varet glacier. At more than 3,226 m above sea level, the peak of the Aiguille Rouge is currently the highest point of the Les Arcs / Peisey-Vallandry mountain area and attracts over 400,000 visitors per year, yet if it continues to lose 2 to 3 metres in thickness per year, the glacier will probably disappear over the next decade. A second festival is slated for 15–18 October 2026.

Educating climate action isn’t just confined to resort staff, Laura said ADS is keen for those that use its lifts to better understand the mountain environment, including its geology and wildlife. I was taken to two exhibitions on the slopes – a minerals gallery on the ascent to Col de la Chal and a mountain animals museum at top of the Vallandry cable car, as well as to a light show showing the mountains through the seasons at the top of the Valet gondola adjacent to the zip wire.

Les Arcs 1600 was designed by renowned French architect Charlotte Perriand. Photo: Richard Hammond

After my morning’s exertion on the zip wire, I had a relaxed lunch enjoying the marvellous piste-side views of the Haute Tarentaise from the large terrace at Chalet Grillette between the Transarc gondola and the Villards cable car in Arc 1800 before spending the afternoon skiing in blissful sunshine and blue skies, followed by a long soak in the hot tubs at La Cachette.

The following morning, local historian Jean-Marie Chevronnt took me on a tour of the architecture of Arc 1600. Built in 1968, the owners brought in renowned architect Charlotte Perriand, a pioneer of urban and architectural design, to create a functional yet harmonious look to the resorts. What she created may be a huge block of apartments, but her modernist design aimed to blend them into the mountains while opening up the high-altitude slopes to the masses.

Chez Léontine at Les Arcs 1950. Photo: Richard Hammond

On my final day, I went up to Arc 1950 to have lunch at Chez Léontine, a chic, old-fashioned characterful restaurant renowned for a wide selection of fondues cooked in front of customers. That evening, I was taken on a torchlit snowshoe hike up into the woods behind the resort stopping for a picnic of cheese and local wine among the pine trees and freshly fallen snow. It was a nod to how things have always been here in the mountains, yet the feeling here is that it's all part of progressing to a new kind of winter mountain resort that's trying to adapt to the nature and climate emergencies.

Torchlit snowshoe hike in the woods behind Les Arcs 1600. Photo: Richard Hammond

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More information

For information about Les Arcs, visit lesarcs.com

Inghams offers 7 nights half board at La Cachette, Les Arcs departing 4th April 2026 from London St Pancras from £1,689 per person. Based on 2 adults sharing. All trains and transfers included. www.inghams.co.uk. Tel: 01483 938047

Lift pass prices at Les Arcs:

6-day ski pass: 348 euros (Classic pass)

1-day ski pass:  68 euros (Classic pass)

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Disclosure: Richard Hammond was a guest of Inghams and Les Arcs Peisey-Vallandry. He had full editorial control of this feature, which has been written in his own words based on his experience of visiting Les Arcs in the winter of 2025. All opinions are the author's own.