Here's handy info for the resort, particularly in relation to the Veggie Snow 2008 trip.

Firstly, here are some general links, and below are more specific ones for our trip, including advance bookings and discounts. Remember we are in La Plagne 1800, and that there are lots of other la Plagne resorts who's facilities will not be so relevant.

• Interactive piste map
• Equipment hire and SkiBeat packages.
• Ski schools
• French Freestyle Skiing Championships on the weekend we arrive

For the 2008 Veggie Snow trip

You can pre-book your equipment and lift pass if you want, though Ski Beat will still help you with these in resort if you don't do it before arrival. Some discounts are bigger the earlier you book, but otherwise there is no real reason to book well in advance rather than during the week before, except for ski lessons where classes and instructors may get booked up.

Veggie Snow chalets

We're in chalets Bartavelle and Becoin in La Plagne 1800, which you can find details of on the SkiBeat website.

Buying your lift pass in advance

SkiBeat now have a facility where you can buy your lift pass in advance and they give it to you on arrival. Alternatively you pay them for a pass on the night of arrival and they bring it to your chalet in the morning. You can book your pass through the SkiBeat website.

Booking lessons

It can be nice to book lessons with others on the Veggie Snow trip, especially so you have people to lunch and ski with afterwards. So respond to the emails about getting together if you are interested in this.

Lessons can book up, especially with the schools with smaller group sizes. Take a look at the SkiBeat info on prices and schools.

Be sure you know where the lessons meet and end before you book. If they are in La Plagne Centre rather than la Plagne 1800 you'll need to either ski to the start or catch a bus. This can be particularly confusing and awkward for beginners.

Equipment hire ideas

If you need to hire equipment, you can sort that out on the Saturday daytime or Sunday morning. You do need to get up early for that on Sunday, espec if you have lessons. Even if you book ahead you still have to collect & fit the equipment.

The default option is where SkiBeat get a special deal for us which you can book in advance.

The benefit of going to Ski Love as well as the SkiBeat discount is that a SkiBeat rep may be with you which is particularly handy for beginners and people who get lost easily.

Alternatively you can choose another hire company (there are a small number) - by whim, on-line discount, location or because they are not so horribly busy that morning. The La Plagne 1800 equipment hire shops (location de matériel) are listed on the La Plagne website.

Booking Equipment in Advance

Some hire shops offer large discounts (20-40%) if you book in advance over the Internet. These discounts can be considerably larger than the SkiBeat discount, but not always.

Booking ahead does require you to know a bit about what you want, such as ski/board length and boot size (though no doubt they would change them if you got it a bit wrong, and skis should be eye height for intermediates, a bit shorter for beginners). Look on their websites to see the offers.

But make sure they are in la Plagne 1800, as there are many La Plagne resorts, which would be at least a bus ride if not a significant ski away (before you have your equipment!!).

If in doubt, don't book equipment ahead. It's up to you to decide what works for you and to sort it out.