Alpe d'Huez High altitude resort |   |
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| Resort description |
Alpe d'Huez has been growing since the 1930s on a large sunny plateau, above the tree line. An impressive modern lift system now links the villages of Auris-en- Oisans, Huez-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Vaujany and Villard-Reculas making it the 5th largest ski area in France, known as Grandes Rousses Massif.
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Alpe d’Huez
Though not
a purpose-built resort, so great are the additions to
the original village that it has all the convenience
of one.
Avenue des
Jeux is the central focus
of the resort is, where you will find most of the
shops, bars and restaurants.
The
rest of the resort in fairly spread out into
satellite self-contained hamlets.
The
bus service around the resort is free to lift pass
holders.
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Skiing in Grandes
Rousses
Grandes
Rousses
Massif is a genuine all-rounder. What make it so
satisfying are its many sided slopes, so skiers can
always find the best snow conditions by simply
following the sun. It is divided into 4
sectors.
There
are the Pic Blanc slopes
that have a great selection of runs for experts with
the Sarenne run and some
good mogul fields reached by a 300m long
tunnel.
The
Signal de l’homme
slopes are separated from the Pic Blanc slopes by the Sarenne gorge. There are some
challenging red runs here for intermediates.
In
the small sector of Signal you can take runs down to
the village of Villard- Reculas. The blue run in the
Signal area is flood lit twice a week throughout the
winter for night skiing and
snowboarding.
The
final sector is Vaujany-Oz which has some great
cursing runs just above Vaujany for early
intermediates. There is also a great black run which
offers a 2200m decent that takes you down to Enversin which is just below
Vaujany.
Holders of
a 6 day lift pass can explore the neighbour domain of
Les Deux
Alpes where a bus runs to on
Wednesdays and Thursdays. Seat must be pre booked
(€6 return).
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Snowboarding in Grandes
Rousses
There is a
1.5km terrain park with half pipe, jumps and rollers
near the main lift base.
There is
also a boarder cross course and park for good
boarders near the Babars
drag lift.
There is
also lots of free riding to be had due to the
mountains extent and variety.
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Cross Country Skiing
There is
50km/ 31 miles of cross country trails in the whole
area.
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Ski Schools
The
ESF in Alpe d’Huez offers skiing and
snowboarding lessons for adults and children.
You
can either have group lessons or private
lessons.
For
young children the ESF has a Kindergarten.
For more
information about pre-booking Ski School in Alpe
d’Huez, please select
here
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Lift Passes
Lift
passes give you access to Alpe d’Huez and the
whole of the Grandes
Rousses ski area
For
more information about Alpe d’huez lift passes,
please click
here
Photos
provided by Alpe d'Huez tourist office taken by
JP.
Noisillier, F.Marie, V. Thiebaut
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| The Skiing |
| There are few places to rival Alpe d'Huez for extent and variety of terrain. The Grandes Rousses gondola takes experts and intermediates to Pic Blanc at 3320m where some great off piste can be accessed. This is also a great starting base for intermediates to explore the whole of the Grandes Rousses Massif. Beginners are well catered for with the vast array of slopes just above the resort. The main attraction for experts is the Sarenne run. This 16km run is the longest black run in the Alps. |
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| Après Ski |
| Eating out is an important business in Alpe d'Huez which boasts over 45 restaurants with something for all tastes and pocket. Au P'tit Creux , Passe Montagne, Les Caves restaurants offer good value food and wine. The resort is often reported as very lively and friendly, so try from cosy to noisy amongst the 20 bars and 4 discotheques. |
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| Amenities |
| Alpe d'Huez has a wide selection of shops and services including food shops, bakeries, pharmacies, doctors, post office and banks, hairdressers, beauty salons, fashion stores, jewellery and sport shops. |
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| Activities |
| There is a sport centre that offers a swimming pool, ice rink, sledging area, climbing wall, squash and tennis courts. The futuristic church hosts weekly classical music concerts. There are also 2 cinemas. You can also try ice driving or you can take a helicopter excursion to Les Deux Alpes. |
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| Getting there |
Driving distance: From Calais: 580 miles, approximately 8 hrs 35 mins.
Airport access: Grenoble: 65 miles, approximately 1 hr 30 mins. Lyon: 95 miles, approximately 1 hr 55 mins. Geneva: 130 miles, approximately 2 hrs 37 mins. |
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| Ski Facts |
| Village height: |
1860m (6,100ft) |
Slope range: |
1120m(3,670ft)-3320m (10,890ft) |
Ski area: |
Grandes Rousses Massif |
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| Piste coverage |
237 |
| Ski lifts |
84 |
| Ski runs |
118 |
| Green |
38 |
| Blue |
31 |
| Red |
33 |
| Black |
16 |
| Snow cannons |
860 |
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| Beginners |
*** |
| Intermediates |
**** |
| Experts |
**** |
| Boarders |
**** |
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| Tourist Office |
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Click to Alpe d'Huez website
