Bourg-Saint-Maurice Webcam – Check the Snow at Les Arcs

The Bourg-Saint-Maurice Webcam looks out over Les Arcs, the ski resort spread across the mountainside above the town in the Tarentaise valley of Savoie. Three cameras run on this page. The main one turns around Place Olympique in Arc 2000, moving between the village street, the lift area below the ridges and a high peak that catches the first snow of autumn. A second camera watches the Vagere chairlift at Arc 1800, and a third sits on the Varet panoramic terrace at 2,730 meters (8,957 feet), looking over the high ground around the Aiguille Rouge. In winter the lift area and the Vagere slope are ski runs. Out of season they turn to green grass and gravel tracks, with the Vagere chairs parked on the lawn.

About Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Les Arcs

Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a town of 7,270 people (2023 figure) on the Isere river, at about 810 meters (2,657 feet) near the head of the Tarentaise valley. Its station is the end of the railway up the valley and takes TGV high-speed trains. The commune reaches all the way to the Italian border, and Arc 2000, where the main camera stands, lies inside it about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) southeast of the town center as the crow flies and some 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) higher.

Les Arcs was created in the 1960s by developer Roger Godino and mountain guide Robert Blanc. Arc 1600 opened in 1968, Arc 1800 in 1974, Arc 2000 in 1979 and Arc 1950 in 2003, and the designer Charlotte Perriand led the architecture of the first three. The long, stepped residences of Arc 1800 stand right behind the Vagere chairlift on the second camera. On the main camera’s street view, Place Olympique keeps the flame from the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, a tall steel bowl on a single post. Les Arcs held the speed skiing event at those Games, on the KL speed run that the operator says is in sight from the Varet terrace.

The highest point of the ski area is the Aiguille Rouge at 3,226 meters (10,584 feet). Its cable car was built without a single intermediate pylon, and the run down from the top is about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) long with a vertical drop of 2,026 meters (6,647 feet). Since December 2003 the Vanoise Express cable car has linked Les Arcs with La Plagne, forming the Paradiski area with 425 kilometers (264 miles) of pistes.

Weather and Climate in Bourg-Saint-Maurice

Down in the town, Meteo-France’s 1991 to 2020 averages give a mean of 1.2 C (34 F) in January and 19.8 C (68 F) in July, with 976 millimeters (38.4 inches) of precipitation a year. Winter afternoons reach about 5 C (41 F) and nights fall to around -4 C (25 F). Spring warms to about 13 C (55 F) in April and 17 C (62 F) in May. July and August highs sit near 25 C (77 F), and October still manages around 17 C (62 F) before November drops back to about 10 C (50 F).

Les Arcs is far colder. At Arc 2000 the same months run about 8 to 9 C (14 to 16 F) below the town, with January highs around -3 C (27 F), nights near -12 C (10 F) and July highs of about 17 C (63 F). In October 2026 the main camera caught fresh snow on the peak above Arc 2000 while the village lawns were still green, and low cloud filled the valley below Arc 1800 while the Vagere lift sat above it. The Varet terrace, 730 meters (2,395 feet) higher than Arc 2000, tends to hold snow earliest in autumn and longest in spring.

Things to Do Near Bourg-Saint-Maurice

In winter the ski area is the main draw, and it starts at the railway station. Since February 1989 the Arc en Ciel funicular has climbed from beside the platforms to Arc 1600 in about seven minutes. From Arc 2000 the lifts climb toward the Aiguille Rouge, and the signpost on the main camera points the way to Arc 1950, Arc 1600 and 1800, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne. The Vanoise Express then carries skiers across the valley to La Plagne.

Outside the ski season, the road over the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard climbs from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to 2,188 meters (7,178 feet) and drops into Italy’s Aosta Valley at Pre-Saint-Didier. It closes for the winter. In the valley, the Ouvrage Chatelard fort belongs to the Alpine Line, the mountain extension of the Maginot Line.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more mountain views in the French and Austrian Alps, try these cameras.

• Col du Chaussy Webcam
• Saint-Veran Webcam
• Bad Kleinkirchheim Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bourg-Saint-Maurice located?

Bourg-Saint-Maurice is in the Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region in southeastern France, near the head of the Tarentaise valley. It lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Geneva as the crow flies.

What can you see on the Bourg-Saint-Maurice Webcam?

The main camera at Arc 2000 moves between several views: the village street with its residences, the Le Savoy building and the Olympic flame; a wide shot of the lift area with chairlift lines and a covered conveyor; and a high peak above the ski area fence. The Arc 1800 tab shows the Vagere chairlift, an ESF ski school chalet and the valley. The Varet tab looks over the terrain around the Aiguille Rouge.

Does the Bourg-Saint-Maurice Webcam show the town center or the railway station?

No. All three cameras are up in Les Arcs, the lowest of them at Arc 1800, nearly 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) above the town. The town square, the railway station and the bottom of the funicular are not in view.

Is there a webcam at Arc 1950 or Arc 1600 on this page?

No. Arc 1950 is signposted from the main camera’s view, but neither it nor Arc 1600 has a camera on this page.

How high is Bourg-Saint-Maurice?

The town sits at about 810 meters (2,657 feet). Above it, Arc 1800 is at 1,800 meters (5,906 feet), Arc 2000 at 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), the Varet terrace at 2,730 meters (8,957 feet) and the Aiguille Rouge at 3,226 meters (10,584 feet).

What is the weather like in Bourg-Saint-Maurice?

December and January afternoons reach about 5 to 7 C (41 to 45 F) with frost at night, while July and August highs are near 25 C (77 F). Les Arcs runs 8 to 9 C (14 to 16 F) colder, so snow can lie at Arc 2000 when the valley floor is clear.

How do you get from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Les Arcs?

The Arc en Ciel funicular runs from beside Bourg-Saint-Maurice station to Arc 1600 in about seven minutes. Arc 1800 and Arc 2000 lie higher up and are also reached by road.

Can you watch the Les Arcs webcams at night?

Yes, the streams keep running after dark, but the pictures change. The Arc 2000 and Vagere cameras switch to grainy black and white, and the Varet camera shows floodlights glaring in the distance.

Source: Les Arcs