Les Arcs (French pronunciation: [le.z‿aʁk]) is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino, it is a part of the huge Paradiski system which is under ownership by Compagnie des Alpes, a French-listed company owning several other ski resorts as well as theme parks.

The highest peak in the resort is the Aiguille Rouge (Red Needle) from where is a 7 km long piste with 2026 metres in vertical drop down to the Village Villaroger.

Since the opening of the Vanoise Express cable car in December 2003, Les Arcs has become part of the Paradiski group of ski-connected resorts, which also includes the La Plagne area.

Local instructor Régis Rolland popularized the snowboard in France with the Apocalypse Snow series of films made in the resort in the early 1980s.

Three fundamental rules were followed in order to create a functional and aesthetic construction in keeping with the tourist development of that time: Les Arcs is completely integrated into the mountain setting and distinguished by an exterior architecture avoiding buildings overlooking one another and by an interior open-plan concept (open kitchen, large picture windows, and raised balconies) which paved the way for a new style of living.

In 1999, the Ministry for the Arts and Communications introduced new policies in favour of the architectural and urban heritage of the 20th century: protection, public awareness, and restoration.

She led the Les Arcs design team that included Roger Godino, Robert Blanc, Gaston Regairaz, Guy Rey-Millet, and Bernard Taillefer.

[2] At 1600 metres, this is the lowest of the resort areas and is linked directly to the Bourg Saint Maurice TGV train station by the "Arc en Ciel" funicular railway that was installed in 1986.

[3] The journey time is approximately 7 minutes and many trains also call at two intermediate stations, serving the villages of Montrigron and Les Granges.

The village is at a convenient position on the mountain, just above the resort of Arc 1600, and given its altitude comfortably above the snow line for the entire winter.

The "TransArc" gondola reaches the top of the Arc 2000 valley quickly (queues notwithstanding), and there is a good selection of ski lifts, such as the six-seater Vagere, to take skiers to the various parts of the mountain.

This area is linked to the La Plagne resort by the Vanoise Express cable car, departing from the village of Peisey.

It is situated at ~2000 m, offering almost guaranteed skiing during the winter, and is linked to Arc 2000 by a free pedestrian accessible gondola, Cabriolet.

Intrawest sold the lodging operation in October 2009 to Pierre & Vacances, which is creating a new "Premium" brand with Arc 1950 taking a lead.

Given the altitude this is the most snow-safe part (also in terms of quality of the snow) of Les Arcs and also presents numerous "powder" opportunities after a snowfall.

With a cable to 1950 and free shuttle buses to all of the other villages, Les Arcs' highest station has numerous transport links.

A weekly lift ticket in Les Arcs/Paradiski gives skiers a choice to ski one day in each of the other systems mentioned either for free or for a reduced rate of 15 euros.

The book Les clés de Paradiski by Didier Givois (in French but with summaries in English) includes very good descriptions of the possibilities.

Mountain biking is growing in popularity during the summer months, and certain parts of the lift network remain open to facilitate the sport during July and August.