RESORTS
- Alpe d'Huez
- Les Deux Alpes
- La Grave/La Meije
- Le Col d'Ornon
- Serre Chevalier
Alpe d'Huez (1860m – 3330m)
Often called 'the island in the sun', Alpe d'Huez has a sunny aspect (with over 300 days of sunshine a year) and kilometres of incredible pistes including the 'Piste de Sarenne', the longest black run in the world (16km).
Alpe d'Huez |
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|---|---|
| Opening winter 2009/10: | 5th December 2009 to 25th April 2010 |
| Km of pistes: | 240km (38 Green, 32 Blue, 34 Red, 16 Black runs) |
| Cost of a 6 day pass: | Adult: €210 Child: (age 5-12): €158 |
| Ski schools: | 2. ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) and ESI (Ecole de Ski Internationale) |
| Night ski-ing?: | Yes (30km of pistes) |
| Snowpark? | Yes |
| Cross country ski-ing: | Yes (50km of pistes) |
This resort also boasts lots of activities for non-skiers, such as:
Pleasure flights from the Altiport, Snowmobile trips, Snow shoe trail walking and Paragliding
AS WELL as an outdoor Ice skating rink, Indoor and outdoor swimming pools AND an Ice driving School.
NB: Alpe d'Huez is the central resort in a vast linked ski area known as the “Grandes Rousses”, which includes Vaujany, Oz, Villard Reculas and Auris en Oisans. All these individual resorts have their own facilities and charm and Vaujany in particular is a good portal for the whole area from our chalet, allowing quick access to the ski area with minimal driving.
Les Deux Alpes (1600m – 3600m)
Boasting the largest skiable glacier in Europe, Les Deux Alpes has a huge amount of ski-ing above 2400m, making it very snow-sure. It is home to a huge snowboard park and attracts top-class skiers and riders all year round as a result. Accessed either by driving up to the main resort itself at 1650m or via the Venosc cablecar from the valley floor, this resort is very easy to get to from the chalet.
Les Deux Alpes |
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|---|---|
| Opening winter 2009/10: | 28th November 2009 to 24th April 2010 |
| Km of pistes: | 225km (27 Green, 45 Blue, 18 Red, 14 Black runs) |
| Cost of a 6 day pass: | Adult: €189 Child: (age 5-12): €150.20 |
| Ski schools: | 2. ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) and ESI (Ecole de Ski Internationale) |
| Night ski-ing?: | No |
| Snowpark? | Yes (inc. Half-pipe & Boardercross) |
| Cross country ski-ing: | Yes (20km of pistes) |
Again, lots here for non-skiers, such as:
Snow shoe trail walking, Paragliding, a Sledge Park, Bowling
AS WELL as an outdoor Ice skating rink, outdoor swimming pool
La Grave / La Meije (1400m - 2400m - 3600m -3987m)
A unique resort offering legendary off piste ski-ing. One of the most amazing runs in Europe with an uninterrupted vertical drop of 2150m. Not, however, a resort for the faint-hearted . Almost no restaurants, one long lift and lots of serious-looking ski-ers and riders.
La Grave / La Meije |
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|---|---|
| Opening winter 2009/10: | 19th December 2009 to 02nd May 2010 |
| Km of pistes: | 40km (3 Green, 2 Blue, 2 Red, 0 Black runs) |
| Cost of a 6 day pass: | Adult: €168 Child: €168 |
| Ski schools: | ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) |
| Night ski-ing?: | No |
| Snowpark? | No |
| Cross country ski-ing: | Yes (21km of pistes) |
| Also offers a sledging area, snow shoe trails and ice climbing | |
Col d'Ornon (1300m - 2000m)
The most local ski area to the chalet, but not the largest! The area does have a great nursery slope for absolute beginners, as well as the steepest black run in the Oisans range for the more daring! Loads of cross country ski-ing and showshoe trails too.
Col d'Ornon |
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|---|---|
| Opening winter 2009/10: | depends on snow conditions, but should be open for Christmas! |
| Km of pistes: | 8km (1 Green, 1 Blue, 1 Red, 1 Black run) |
| Cost of a 6 day pass: | Adult: €44 Child: €44 |
| Ski schools: | ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) NB: French only spoken! |
| Night ski-ing?: | No |
| Snowpark? | No (apart from when the local kids get their shovels out!) |
| Cross country ski-ing: | Yes (26km of pistes) |
| Also offers a sledging area and snow shoe trails. | |
Serre Chevalier (1200m - 2830m)
A pretty unique resort, with a great feel. Accessed from Briancon town, as well as several other village resorts, providing lots of beautiful wooded runs and magnificent views. It is a little further afield from our chalet, but well worth the trip!
Serre Chevalier |
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|---|---|
| Opening winter 2009/10: | 12th December 2009 to 24th April 2010 |
| Km of pistes: | 250km (23 Green, 31 Blue, 39 Red, 14 Black runs) |
| Cost of a 6 day pass: | Adult: €194.50 Child: (age 5-12): €155.60 |
| Ski schools: | ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) and a handful of others too! |
| Night ski-ing?: | No |
| Snowpark? | Yes |
| Cross country ski-ing: | Yes (35km of pistes) |
All manner of activities for the non-skier here, from hot springs & naturally heated swimming pools to ice driving and horse-drawn sleigh rides.
Resorts in the Vercors
The Vercors is a range of mountains to the west and south of Grenoble, containing a host of ski resorts. The most well-known resorts there offering Alpine ski-ing are Villard de Lans and Lans en Vercors. However, the real jewel in the crown in the Vercors is the elevated plateau in the north of the Vercors, which is home to some of the best cross-country ski-ing in France, if not Europe. The geography is unique up there because it is both relatively flat and also, given it's altitude and aspect, it holds snow very well too.
The two focal towns in this part of the Vercors are:
Autrans - http://www.autrans.com
and Meaudre - http://www.meaudre.com
Ski-lift passes
For the larger resorts, ski passes can be purchased on-line before travel:
Alpe d'Huez: http://www.alpedhuez.com
Les Deux Alpes: http://www.les2alpes.com
Serre Chevalier: http://www.skipass-serrechevalier.com
Normally, if a pass is for a duration of less than 9 days, no photograph is needed. Most of our closest surrounding resorts have deployed automated lift pass checking, whereby you leave your ski-pass safely in a jacket pocket and the barriers let you through without showing your pass to resort staff.
Resort link-ups and special deals:
The 'Visalp' pass is valid within the 'Grandes Rousses' (Alpe d'Huez and it's fringing resorts) ski area. This is a pass of 2 days duration or more which gives you access to the ski area as well as allowing you additional free access to the following other activities, including:
Cross country ski-ing
Night ski-ing
Ice skating (not including skate hire)
2 heated swimming pools (indoor and outdoor)
Certain activities at the Sports and Convention Centre (any equipment hire is at additional cost)
Access to several museums in the resorts
Also, and this is the interesting bit, if you buy a 'Visalp' pass for a duration of 6 days or more, you are entitled to use it for 1 days' free ski-ing at one of the following resorts: Puy Saint Vincent, Serre Chevallier or The Milky Way series of resorts (in Italy, a 400km ski area, including Sestriere) as well as 2 days in Les Deux Alpes. The resort link-up between Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes is known as “Les Grandes Alpes”.
A free bus runs between Les 2 Alpes and Alpe d'Huez on Wednesdays and Thursdays (seats must be booked 48 hours in advance) throughout the ski season. There is also a helicopter and aeroplane link between resorts (cost not included in the price of the ski pass).