Off piste: GPS confuses La Plagne with Plagne 440 miles away

Off piste at La Plagne, France. Image by Jason Rogers / CC BY 2.0

La Plagne may be a bustling ski resort in the Alps, but a badly programmed GPS will not be able to distinguish it from Plagne, population 91 and some 440 miles away.

When a Belgian radio station took several busloads of youngsters skiing, passengers on one of the vehicles were surprised to find themselves among southern French vineyards close to Spain and nowhere near the famous snow-capped mountain range.

Studio Brussels radio station said a bus official had complained that there are too many Plagnes. “We put the wrong one in,” he added. “We didn’t have the postal code.” The misplaced skiers were quickly returned from Plagne near Spain to the famous La Plagne.

(Press Association)