Skiing & Snowboarding in Les Deux Alpes
With 222km of pistes served by 47 lifts, Les Deux Alpes has plenty of varied terrain to keep skiers and snowboarders interested during a week-long holiday. In fact, snowboarders are particularly well looked after here with minimal flat areas on-piste and one of the best freestyle / terrain parks in Europe.
The thing that most people remark upon when visiting Les Deux Alpes is that the ski area seems a bit upside down – and it is certainly easy to see why. Unlike the vast majority of European resorts Les Deux Alpes has its beginner slopes at the top of the glacier while more challenging black runs lead you back to the town at the end of the day.
There are two ways of looking at this as an inexperienced skier; The upside is that you can learn to ski in a tranquil mountainous setting, rather than being herded to the side of a nursery slope and never truly leaving the confines of the village. Unfortunately that also means that to get back to your accommodation you may need to tackle slopes well beyond your capabilities. Luckily it is possible to take the gondola down, and a new blue piste makes for an easier descent now too.
The distinct lack of trees at this high altitude can leave Les Deux Alpe’s slopes feeling a little wind-blown during bad weather. For those seeking off-piste powder it is recommended to head over to the local resort of La Grave. This area is serviced by just one old cable car and is completely un-pisted. Hire a guide to get the best out of the area when the conditions are right, and to avoid any long walks back to civilisation.
A major improvement for the ski area is the long-talked about link between Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez which has now been approved and scheduled for completion by 2023. A large gondola will link the two larger resorts, along with La Grave, and make a huge ski area comparable to those enjoyed by Val d’Isere & Tignes. While Les Deux Alpes is a fantastic resort on its own merit right now, this major work will no doubt make it even popular for international skiers and snowboarders in the coming years.
