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Les Deux Alpes is a mix of traditional and the modern with some fantastic high-altitude pistes.

From the top of the ski area, perched on the glacier at 3,600m you have some of the best views in France with some long routes all the way back home. Here you can test your legs for more than 10km without a break. You’re able to ski right from the glacier at 3,600m, through an ear-popping 2,300m of vertical drop and arriving down the village at Mont de Lans at 1,300m. There’s also the newly opened Jandri piste, a 10km blue graded run that winds it’s way all the way from the Glacier back to Les Deux Alpes. The Jandri piste was a major feat of construction, taking 2 years to complete at a cost of €10m, and is great because it gives even novice skiers and snowboards the chance to get all the way from the glacier down to the town. Les Deux Alpes has tended to be a bit tricky for some as the easier runs have tended to be up on the glacier with the runs closers to the resort itself being more challenging so Jandri is a welcome addition.

Les Deux Alpes has always been regarded as having a bit of a love-hate relationship for beginners. The runs at the top of the mountain are nice and gentle and because of the altitude, have great snow making it a great place to learn and take in the impressive scenery. Getting back to the resort though can often be a pain in the backside, quite literally, with steep, icy and crowded runs not making for the best experience. Many will opt for the gondola home but the newer pistes have given more options.

There are 47 lifts in total and 96 marked runs, although as mentioned some of the ones heading back to town can be tricky, particularly in busy periods. Les Deux Alpes has a great reputation for snowboarders, and when there’s been a decent snowfall there’s a huge area to play around in. For the piste-centric there is plenty to keep you interested and runs are great for getting up some speed, too. Freestylers will find an excellent park complete with half-pipe and kickers of all sizes, and during the freestyle camps are held up on the glacier.

For those with enough experience and a guide there’s plenty of off-piste freeriding to be had around Clot de Chalance or you can drop over the hill into the purely off-piste area of La Grave

An hour down the road is Serre Chevalier which gives plenty more options for tree-runs, something Les 2 Alpes doesn’t have as most of the runs are above the tree-line. Alpe d'Huez is also nearby.

There’s plenty of newer apartments but some chalets can be found. Operators such as Zenith and Bike Lodging have some good options, offering catered chalet accommodation in Les Deux Alpes in winter and summer, where the area becomes a mecca for both road and mountain bikers.

Total lifts:51
Total runs:96

Official website:http://www.les2alpes.com/

Adult one day lift pass:€49
Adult 6 day lift pass:€237

Concessions are available for children aged 1-12 and seniors aged 65-71. Lift passes at Les Deux Alpes are free for children under 5, and seniors over 72.

Access to the La Grave ski area can also be added to your lift pass for around €22. La Grave is usually open from mid-january depending on snow conditions but passes can’t be bought for the Saturdays in March.

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  By air
  Grenoble is the nearest airport to Les Deux Alpes (120km) and is 1.5 hours drive away. Lyon (160km) and Geneva (220km) have regular flights and plenty of car hire and transfer companies to get you to Les Deux Alpes quickly. 

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  By road
  Take the A480 motorway to Grenoble and leave at Exit 8 for Briançon & Vizille.
  Then take the D1091 towards Briançon via Le Bourg d'Oisans.
  Turn right at the Chambon dam on to the D213. Parking is free of charge on the roads in the main village. There are some paid car parks.

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  By train
  The nearest train station to Les Deux Alps is Grenoble. The bus station is next door and runs a shuttle service to Les Deux Alpes.



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