Les Arcs Lift Pass Guide 2026/27: Classic, Essential or Premium?

With 200km of pistes in Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry, and the vast Paradiski area stretching across to La Plagne, there’s a lot of mountain to explore from our home in Arc 1950. Choosing the right lift pass can help you make even more of it.

For winter 2026/27, Les Arcs offers three main lift passes: Classic, Essential and Premium. While the Classic Pass covers everything you need to ski Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry, upgrading to Essential opens up the full Paradiski area and comes with a few useful extras too.

Classic Pass - simply ski Les Arcs
The Classic Pass gives you access to the entire Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry ski area, with around 200km of pistes to explore. A 6-day adult Classic Pass costs €368 for winter 2026/27. For skiers who are perfectly happy staying within Les Arcs for the week, there is more than enough terrain to keep you busy. But if you want to venture further afield, the Essential Pass may be worth the upgrade.

Essential Pass - make more of Paradiski
For €412 for six days, the Essential Pass gives you access to the full Paradiski area, linking Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry with La Plagne via the Vanoise Express. That opens up 425km of pistes, making Paradiski one of the largest linked ski areas in the world. And the extra €44 doesn't just buy you more terrain.

Buy an Essential Pass for six days or more and you can ski from 12.30pm on the afternoon before your pass officially starts. For VIP SKI guests arriving in Arc 1950 on Sunday, that could mean squeezing in those first few turns before you've even sat down for dinner. There's something particularly satisfying about arriving in the Alps, clicking into your skis and getting straight out onto the mountain.

The Essential Pass also includes access to 14 Express Lanes across the ski area. On busy days, being able to bypass some of the queues means more time doing what you actually came to the Alps to do: ski. It's a small benefit that can make a surprisingly big difference over the course of a week.

One of the biggest reasons to choose Essential is the freedom to explore the whole of Paradiski. From Arc 1950 you can ski across Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry before taking the spectacular Vanoise Express cable car across the valley to La Plagne. With 425km of pistes at your disposal, there's enormous variety, from tree-lined skiing lower down the mountain to high-altitude terrain and some wonderful long descents. Make a day of it, stop for lunch somewhere new and then ski your way home to Arc 1950.

Essential Pass holders can also take advantage of discounted prices on several Les Arcs activities, including the Aiguille Rouge zip line, First Tracks and the Luge, as well as entry to the swimming pool.

So if your legs need a break, or you simply fancy seeing the mountain from a slightly different perspective, your lift pass can take you beyond the pistes too.

For those looking for additional benefits and activities, Les Arcs also offers a Premium Pass, costing €491 for six days and including access to the Paradiski ski area alongside a range of additional extras.

The Premium Pass isn’t currently available to pre-book through VIP SKI, but can be purchased directly from the Les Arcs lift-pass office. For most of our guests, the choice will be between the Classic Pass for exploring Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry, or the Essential Pass for access to the full Paradiski area and its additional benefits.

Whichever pass you choose, staying with us at Bear Lodge in Arc 1950 means getting onto the mountain couldn't be much simpler. You're staying at 1950m, right beside the piste, so there's no morning bus journey or lengthy walk in ski boots before you can start skiing. Better still, you don't need to queue at the lift-pass office when you arrive. Pre-book your lift passes with VIP SKI and we'll have them waiting for you at breakfast on your first morning.

Add our complimentary ski guiding on your first two mornings, and we'll help you get your bearings, discover some of our favourite runs and start making the most of Les Arcs from day one. Because a week in the mountains never feels quite long enough. We'd rather you spent it skiing than organising.

Explore our Arc 1950 ski holidays and discover just how easy a week in the mountains can be.