Alpe d'Huez

Overview

Alpe d'Huez has a nickname, the Island in the Sun, and it is one of the few resort slogans that stands up to scrutiny. The village sits on a broad, south-facing plateau at 1,860 metres above the Romanche valley, with the whole ski area spread across the sunny side of the Grandes Rousses massif, and the resort claims around 300 days of sunshine a year. Above it, the Pic Blanc cable car tops out at 3,330 metres with a view that takes in the Écrins, the Meije and, on a clear day, Mont Blanc. Below, 250 kilometres of pistes drop through open snowfields, rock bands and larch forest to five separate villages. It is a huge, varied, sun-drenched mountain that happens to end each day in one of the liveliest resort towns in France.

Grenoble is a little over an hour down the valley, Lyon airport about two hours, and Geneva two and a half, so this is one of the more accessible big resorts in France for a short trip. The famous road up from Bourg d'Oisans, with its 21 numbered hairpins, is a Tour de France legend in summer and a slow, snowy crawl in winter; a bus, a transfer or a well-equipped hire car are all fine. The resort itself is a purpose-built town rather than a farming village, spread over a wide hillside with a scattering of the older Vieil Alpe quarter at its heart, and the consensus among visitors is that its character comes from its energy rather than its architecture.

Terrain & Signature Runs

The mountain arranges itself in tiers. The lowest, directly above the village, is a broad, gentle apron of green and blue runs served by a fleet of chairs and the Rif Nel Express, and it is one of the best beginner areas in the Alps: wide, sunny, easy to get back from and right at the door of the resort. The middle tier, around the DMC gondola's mid-station at 2,100 metres and the Signal, Marcel's and Lac Blanc sectors, is intermediate territory, a mix of long reds and blues with plenty of width and the sun on your back for most of the day.

The top tier is where Alpe d'Huez earns its reputation with experts. From the DMC's top station at 2,700 metres, the Pic Blanc cable car climbs onto the glacier at 3,330 metres, and from there the choices are all serious. Le Tunnel drops through a rock tunnel onto a steep, often moguled face that many regard as the resort's hardest marked run. The Sarenne, at 16 kilometres the longest black in the Alps, is not as fierce as its colour suggests; the steep upper section eases into a long, scenic cruise down the Sarenne gorge, and the whole thing takes most people well over an hour. Come back up via the Alpauris chair and the Chalvet sector, and you have covered a serious slice of the mountain in one loop.

The outlying villages add variety. Oz-en-Oisans and Vaujany, on the north side of the massif, hold cooler, north-facing snow and quieter, more tree-lined runs, plus Vaujany's enormous cable car that hauls skiers up to the Dôme des Petites Rousses in one go. Auris, to the south-east, is a small, sunny family sector reached via the Sarenne, and Villard-Reculas hangs off the western edge with short, sunny reds that are rarely busy. Off-piste is extensive and, thanks to the glacier and the high ridgelines, genuinely big: the Grand Sablat itinerary off the Pic Blanc and the couloirs off Signal are guide territory, and our avalanche safety gear guide covers the kit you will need.

The south-facing aspect is the resort's strength and its weakness. Snow on the lower slopes softens quickly on sunny afternoons and can turn to slush in March, and visitors report the lowest runs closing or thinning out in poor seasons. The remedy is to ski high and north-facing later in the day, following the sun's schedule rather than fighting it, and to head to Oz and Vaujany when the main face has gone soft.

Beginners and Families

Few large resorts treat beginners as well. The nursery zone at the foot of the village is huge, flat and separated from through traffic, the ski school infrastructure is extensive, and there is a free lift on the beginner slopes. From there, the blues around the DMC mid-station give a sense of altitude without difficulty, and the long, easy blue from the Signal sector back to the resort is the confidence-builder that gets most first-week skiers hooked. Families also get an ice rink, a large sports centre with pools, and a toboggan run through the resort. See our beginner ski resort guide for how Alpe d'Huez compares to its rivals.

Non-Skiers and Rest Days

The plateau setting gives Alpe d'Huez more to offer off the slopes than most French resorts. The Palais des Sports has pools, climbing walls and an ice rink, there is a long luge run, winter walking paths loop the plateau with big views south, and the Pic Blanc cable car sells pedestrian tickets for the summit panorama. Ice driving on a frozen circuit, paragliding and a small altiport with sightseeing flights round out the list, and the bars and restaurants along the Avenue des Jeux keep non-skiers company from lunchtime onward.

Events & Après-Ski

Alpe d'Huez's après starts on the hill and moves into town without much of a break. La Folie Douce, at the top of the Marmottes gondola, serves its usual mix of DJs, dancers and champagne to a big afternoon crowd, and the bars around the Avenue des Jeux and the Quartier des Bergers keep going late. The village is broadly livelier and younger than the likes of Méribel, with a strong Dutch, Belgian and British presence alongside the French, and it is one of the few French resorts where nightlife in the strict sense, with clubs and late licences, is on offer.

Signature Events

• Tomorrowland Winter (late March): the Belgian electronic music festival takes over the entire resort for a week, with stages on the mountain at Signal 2108, La Folie Douce and Chantebise as well as in town. Tens of thousands of visitors arrive; if you are not going for the music, avoid the dates entirely.
• Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival (January): a week of French comedy premieres that fills the resort with actors and press and gives the bars an extra buzz.
• Sarenne night skiing and the Sarenne Ski Marathon: occasional events on the resort's most famous run, plus regular floodlit skiing on the front-of-village slopes.

Lift Tickets & Pricing

The Grand Domaine pass is dynamically priced. An adult day ranges from around €45 in quiet early-season periods to roughly €69 at peak, with a good chance of something in the low sixties if you book online a couple of weeks ahead of a February week. Six-day passes work out cheaper per day, and the pass includes a day in Les 2 Alpes and the smaller Oisans areas on multi-day tickets, which is worth using once. Beginners can ski the village nursery slopes on a cheaper local pass or the free lifts, and non-skiers can buy a pedestrian ticket for the Pic Blanc cable car. Check current pricing at the official Alpe d'Huez lift pass site.

Where to Stay

Alpe d'Huez spreads across the hillside, so location matters more than in a compact village. The area around the Avenue des Jeux and the Rond-Point des Pistes puts the lifts, the ice rink and the nightlife on your doorstep. The Quartier des Bergers, at the eastern edge, is quieter and closer to the beginner slopes and the Marmottes gondola. The outlying villages of Oz, Vaujany and Auris are a good deal cheaper, quieter and, in Vaujany's case, surprisingly charming, at the cost of a lift ride to reach the main area.

Budget (~€90-180/night)

Mid-Range (~€180-350/night)

Luxury (€350+/night)

Dining

The Oisans is Dauphiné country, so the local dishes are gratin dauphinois, tartiflette and raclette rather than anything delicate, and mountain restaurants here range from big party terraces to small, family-run huts hidden off the pistes. The village has a broad spread from pizza and crêpes to serious dining, and prices are moderate by Trois Vallées standards.

On-Mountain

In the Village

Plan Your Alpe d'Huez Trip

Alpe d'Huez suits mixed groups better than almost any large French resort: beginners get a superb nursery area at the door, intermediates get sunny mileage, experts get the Pic Blanc, Le Tunnel and the Sarenne, and everyone gets a lively evening. Come in January or early February for the best snow on the south-facing slopes, or in March for sun on the terraces if you are prepared to ski the high, north-facing sectors in the afternoon. Skip the Tomorrowland week unless you are going for the festival. Ride the Pic Blanc on a clear morning, ski the Sarenne top to bottom, spend a day in Oz and Vaujany, and eat at La Cabane du Poutat at least once.