One of France’s longest established and most southerly ski areas, Les Deux Alpes is one of the world’s big hitters, with 225km (140 miles) of piste served by over 40 lifts, and over 2,000m (6,500ft) of skiable vertical. All of this is topped off by granting keen skiers access to Europe’s largest skiable glacier.
Behind these headline facts, Les Deux Alpes is a big, lively village with old hotels juxtaposed with modern developments – most of which provide affordable accommodation. The skiing takes place on both sides of the valley, with lifts never more than a few steps from the main street.
The Pied Moutet base ski area is small, while the main slopes escalate high up to the glacier area, one of three in France that re-opens for summer skiing and boarding. The downside of the layout though is that the ski area is quite narrow and everyone funnels down the same way.
Les Deux Alpes is known for its off-piste opportunities, but there are enough challenging slopes for all abilities to explore. The resort’s accessibility to other nearby ski areas also means there are a whole host of options available to skiers.
Les Deux Alpes sits high in the Isére department, between France's northern and southern Alps.
On the slopes
Wonderful views are afforded from the blue runs on Glacier du Mont de Lans, the highest point of the ski area in Les Deux Alpes. The glacier, which also boats a number of blacks, off-piste opportunities and a connection the nearby resort of La Grave, is reached via the underground funicular and draglifts.
There are 225km (140 miles) of pistes here, so there’s plenty for downhill skiers but also an impressive amount of off-piste skiing – although it's sometimes hard to find – as well as a terrain park to enjoy.
A 250m-long (273 yards) conveyor lift with a glass cover over its entire length was installed in the mid-mountain Les Crêtes area at 2,100m (6,900ft) a few seasons ago. This has created a great beginners area (that is also accessed from resort by the new Le Diable chairlift) providing a snowsure place to learn with beautiful views of the mountains. But queues for the gondola then gridlock on the easy slopes above can be commonplace. The trick is to get past this by going up to the Toura area, where skiers and boarders can hit the runs (and off-piste terrain) down towards La Fee; or head further up to the bottom of the glacier for some decent cruising.
Away from the resort, La Grave, Alpe d'Huez, Serre Chevalier and the 400km (250 miles) of the Milky Way lift pass – which extends from Montgenèvre in France to the 2006 Winter Olympic resorts of Sestriere and Sauze d'Oulx over the border in Italy – are all included on the same lift pass, and provide plentiful opportunities for all levels of ability.
As one of France’s highest resorts, snow cover is generally reliable, particularly in the glacial area – some of the lower slopes are aided by snowmaking facilities. The season runs from early December to late April.
| Wind (mph) | Base Weather | Base Max Temp | Visibility Cloud-cover Rain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon |
2
WSW
|
Part Cloud Rain Thunder Day
| Thundery outbreaks possible |
4
°C
| Moderate 40-60% 0mm |
| Tue |
3
SSW
|
Part Cloud Sleet Snow Thunder Day
| Patchy light snow with thunder |
4
°C
| Good 40-60% 0mm |
| Wed |
6
NNW
|
Mod Snow
| Moderate snow |
2
°C
| Moderate 80-100% 0mm |
| Thu |
6
NNW
|
Occ Light Snow
| Light snow |
1
°C
| Good 60-80% 0mm |
| Fri |
13
NNW
|
Occ Light Snow
| Patchy light snow |
-
2
°C
| Good 20-40% 0mm |
| Sat |
10
N
|
Sunny
| Clear skies |
3
°C
| Good 0-20% 0mm |
| Sun |
6
NNW
|
Partly Cloudy Day
| Partly cloudy skies |
5
°C
| Good 40-60% 0mm |
Last updated at 16:05, Monday 23 March
View helpAverage snow depth in Les Deux Alpes
Historical snow depth in Les Deux Alpes
![Historical snow depth in Les Deux Alpes [1-7 November]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sgAZovSA0_j9Atb7aNDWI5wm8_E8bENjScU8lLjuaylZ7cp0TcWm06I4Pw6yjooHoVI-wKWzBApWHD0YDFhpIoTjVWDmAL25loDn6MIX8n5tfZ2N2v7eHfYR5DTWd7kdrqErBp2WERavYJ8WaRAN43AJ_q5w=s0-d "Historical snow depth in Les Deux Alpes [1-7 November]")
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