Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes is situated where the northern and southern Alps meet. The town centre is focused on the main street which is more than a kilometre long. This haphazard collection of older buildings and 1960's apartments blocks are situated on a high remote col. There's a strong community atmosphere and the town has a large number of permanent residents.
The pistes are superb for all abilities and one of the main reasons for the resorts popularity is the excellent snow reliability especially on the higher slopes. There are 105 snow canons and a fantastic park. However, the network of lifts are susceptible to closure due to bad weather and extremely low temperatures high up.
The varied mountain terrain has everything from cruising wide runs to steep blacks and off-piste slopes. Not the best resort to take a non-skier to, Les Deux Alpes is very quiet during the day.
The apres ski is a different story and there are 30 bars open until 2am and three clubs open until 5am making it one of the liveliest in the French Alps.
Pros
- High snow guaranteed slopes including a glacier area.
- Some great off piste.
- Good resort for snowboarders with a world class terrain park.
- Good nursery slopes.
- Vibrant night life.
- Good value for money.
Cons
- A lot of the easier skiing is higher up both on and around the glacier.
- Limited number of good mountain restaurants. Not very picturesque.
- Limited cruising runs in what is a spread out resort with little ski in ski out accommodation.
- Home runs can become icy resulting in tail backs at the lift queues towards the end of the day.
- The young, predominantly Brit party element won't appeal to everyone.
The Skiing
Les Deux Alpes has a disappointingly small piste area, but there's more than 700 hectares of off piste. The resort is suited to all levels, but sixty per cent of on piste runs are designed for beginners and intermediate skiers and boarders.
The Jandri Express cable car takes up to 3,200m and the funicular up to 3,425m. Once at the top you are greeted with a 360 degree panoramic view of the French and Italian Alps. The top of Glacier du Mont de Lans has easy runs with great views, but beginners should note that the easier skiing is higher up and inexperienced skiers can find the steep final decent to the resort beyond their capabilities.
Advanced skiers can explore the glacial terrain of La Meije reached by snow cat from the top of the ski area to the Dome de la Lauze. From here you can ski all the way down to the ancient village of La Grave.
The real highlight is the park which has a range if different sized kickers, half pipes (including a super pipe), hips, rails and boxes for all levels.
Facts And Figures
- Resort altitude 1650m
- Highest lift 3568m
- Ski in/ ski out accommodation is sparse
- Nursery areas 3
- Night time skiing
- Summer skiing
The Town And Apres Ski
There are nine mountain restaurants, Le Panoramic is a popular meeting place at the heart of the ski area. There are more than 60 restaurants in the town catering for all budgets, most of which serve traditional French cuisine including fondu, raclette and tartiflette. Sit in front of a roaring fire at Cellier or eat in the stunning cosy Alpine interior at Crepes a GoGo.
If you are looking for more reasonably priced food then the Petite Marmite has a good atmosphere. If you are looking for cheap and cheerful then The Red Frog, La Spaghetteria or the popular British run Smokey Joe's.
Off the slopes and a gondola ride away is the pretty village of Venosc. There are lots of walks and the Acqua Center has a pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub. For those willing to splash out you can take a scenic helicopter flight to Alpe d'Huez.
Useful resources
www.2alpesnet.com
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Deux_Alpes
www.les2alpes.com/
