Set in the heart of the picturesque Oisans valley, Alpe d’Huez is a vast ski area: More than 250km of pistes link the main town to four surrounding villages – Auris, Villard Reculas, Oz-en-Oisans and Vaujany. As you might expect from such a huge zone, there’s a similarly wide variety of terrain on offer, meaning there’s something for everyone.
The resort’s altitude ranges from 1,100m all the way to 3,330m – the pinnacle of the majestic Pic Blanc. This means you can ride wide open, glacial powder fields in the morning before dropping down into the trees for the afternoon.
While it’s not got much of a reputation as a freestyle resort, Alpe d’Huez is something of a freeriders’ paradise. The terrain is truly epic, and because it tends to attract a lot of families who stick to the pistes, the powder can stay untracked for days after a dump.
Additionally, because its mostly south facing slopes catch a lot of sun (its French nickname translates as ‘island in the sun’ ) it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for a late season shred. This, combined with its lively bar scene, explains its popularity with student groups.
PISTES
Alpe d’Huez’s show piece has to be the descent from the Pic Blanc: the longest continuously pisted vertical descent in the world – 2,200m of leg burning fun. It’s referred to as the ‘champagne run’ because – according to locals – that’s exactly what you deserve if you can do it without stopping (which is nearly impossible). A wonderful way to spend 40 minutes of your life and a real achievement.
Alpe d’Huez is a great place to head, with wide open, gently-sloping nursery slopes right above the resort
Obviously long, leg-burning descents like that aren’t for beginners. The first bit of that descent, a black called “le Tunnel” can get pretty mogul-heavy, making it scary for intermediates or beginners.
Thankfully though there are plenty of other places learners can go. In fact, if you’re just starting to link your first turns, Alpe d’Huez is a great place to head, with wide open, gently-sloping nursery slopes right above the resort.
For those who want to do a bit of jibbing on their way down, the blue couloir piste which snakes down from the top of the Troncons lift has plenty of little drops you can hit on the right-hand side, although it can get crowded – so look before you launch blind into your backside 180.
WHITELINES SCORE = 4/5
PARKS
The powers that be in Alpe d’Huez have never really pursued the freestyle path with much conviction. But according to the locals, the parks have improved in recent years. Jamie Purkhardt says: “It may not rival Les Arcs or Mayrhofen, but every year Alpe d’Huez gets better and better. I’ve seen snowboarders nail double corks in there.”
There are two parks – a small one above Auris-en-Oisans and a bigger one that sits in the centre of the main bowl. This has a handful of blue jumps and rails and then a larger line with red and black take-offs.
While the kickers aren’t always the best shaped – it is still in France after all – there are novel features like the ability to scan your liftpass at the bottom, watch your run back on the big screen and upload it straight to Facebook. Better than a selfie anyway…
In the same main park there’s also a well-maintained boardercross track which regularly hosts fairly major events.
WHITELINES SCORE = 3/5
POWDER
The off-piste on offer in Alpe d’Huez is truly epic. If you get to it before the crowds do the valley off the right of the Pic Blanc cable car (marked on the map as the black ‘Sarenne’ run) offers some incredible lines a short traverse away from the main piste.
But the locals’ top tip is the Grandes Rousses domain. Peel off left at the top of the cable car at 2800m and the whole mountain range is your playground. With over 15 backcountry routes at your finger tips – notably the Perrin Sud, Perrin Nord, Couloir Fleure and Coulouir P10 – there are days of fun ahead for the beardy freeride type.
If you’re feeling truly adventurous, hire a guide and ask him to take you up ‘le Pyramide,’ a terrifying off piste run which takes around 40 minutes to scale up to the starting point from Pic Blanc.
There are days of fun ahead for the beardy freeride type
Elsewhere there’s a run in Montfrais called Roche Malon that’s festooned with drops, windlips and pillow lines, making it a playground when there’s fresh.
If you find yourself riding when the white stuff is actually coming down, your best bet is to head for the tree runs around Oz-en-Oisans or Montfrais, where there’s some decent lines to be had amongst the pines.
WHITELINES SCORE = 4/5
PARTIES
On the mountain the best places for a pitstop are Plage de Neige (located on the easy slopes down by the town) and La Combe Haute. The latter, boasts the tastiest and largest Tartiflette on the mountain. If you’ve just tackled the long, winding Sarenne, it’s perfect for a celebratory pint.
Tucked away off a cross country track (you have to approach from a path down the Chamois piste) is the excellent Chalet du Lac Besson. It’s off the beaten track but both the food and the atmosphere are worth the journey.
If you’re looking to eat in town, head to the alti-port where the incredible view is augmented by the occasional sight of a helicopter taking off or landing. For cheap eats, the awesomely-named Captain Sandwich takeaway is a good option, or if it’s late at night, Smithys. Jamie’s top tip? “Their fajitas are badass.”
Smithy’s is also a great place if you just want a pint. With live music every night it attracts a good crowd of seasonnaires. If you’re staying down in Vaujany, Stief’s is the place to go – run by snowboarders, it serves excellent Belgian beer and stays open til 2am.
Up in the main town Etalon and the Sphere Bar both do cheap shots (try “the pharmaceutical” at Sphere, it’s powerful!) but if 30EUR burgers and braying accountant types spilling champagne is your thing then you should head over to the Folie Douce on the slopes.
As the night wears on, head to Underground, where there’s a weekly reggae night and decent DJs most evenings. Or if you’re a ‘last man standing’ sort, then Igloo keeps pumping out the tunes ‘til 4am.
WHITELINES SCORE = 4/5
GETTING THERE
Alpe d’Huez is just 75 minutes drive from Grenoble Airport. British Airways flies to Grenoble twice a week from London Gatwick, with fares starting from just £45 pp each way, based on a return fare.
Thanks to our Alpe D’Huez local Jamie Purkkhardt of independent chalet operator Ski Peak Chalets for his help with this article.