Les Deux Alpes is made up of two Alps, two alpine pastures put together over 50 years ago to form a ski resort. Comprising of 2 communities, Mont-de-Lans and Venosc, Les Deux Alpes is one of France's oldest and most prestigious ski resorts. With 225kms of piste, a vertical descent of over 2000m and a highest skiable peak of 3568m, this resort is snow sure because of its large glacier, one of the largest in Europe. Les Deux Alpes is mostly treeless ski terrain, and over 75% south facing, meaning blue sky skiing all winter long.
Beginner Ski Areas in Les Deux Alpes
Cruising down the Cretes
Les Deux Alpes is perfect for beginners; the majority of green runs are all along the front face within walking distance of the main Avenue de la Muzelle running through the town.
Pistes such as Bosquet, Les Limaçons, Les Vikings and Les Gentianes are many of the easiest runs in the resort, all of which have Poma style lifts, running slowly in order for easier access for complete beginners and for those still looking to find their legs at the start of the week.
After feeling more confident on these smaller runs take Jandri 1 (little white egg lifts) to 2100m and you will find Les Crêtes area, or you can also take the Diable (little red egg lifts) up to 2400m to reach Les Crêtes area. Here beginners will find longer green runs, serviced by many chairlifts such as Télésiège des Petites Crêtes and Télésiège de la Sea. This area is a popular spot for ESF Ski School and also the meeting point for European Ski School, and therefore busy most mornings, but with the sun shining here all afternoon the snow softens nicely for the final runs of the day.
For those wishing to experience high altitude long sweeping green runs, why not make your way to the roof of Les Deux Alpes? Take the Jandri Express from resort, through the mid station at 2600m, up to 3200m. From here either take Puy-Salie 1 drag lift just across from the exit of the Jandri Express and admire the views all the way to 3400m or, if not confident on these drag lifts, you can drop down 20m to take Funiculaire Dôme Express to 3400m. Once at 3400m there are 2 green runs to enjoy, Le Roche Mantel and Le Soreiller, all leading back to 3200m.
Or to go to the roof of Les Deux Alpes at 3568m, from 3400m traverse across to Téléski du Dôme de la Lauze. Here you can very often enjoy La Lauze piste all to yourself, cruising all the way back down to 3200m or for those feeling hardy, join on to Le Signal blue piste down to 2800m. On a clear day, Mont Blanc can also be seen.
Intermediate Runs in Les Deux Alpes
The popular Signal piste
The majority of runs in Les Deux Alpes are blue pistes. A good warm up at the start of the week has to be the smaller mountain in the resort, the Pied Moutet. The Pied Moutet mountain lies on the right hand side as you come into resort. Either take Télésiège de Super Venosc or Télésiège de Pied Moutet; both will take you to the top at 2100m. From here you can access the whole of Pied Moutet mountain; some of the pistes, although graded blue, can be steep in parts especially at the top of Les Choucas but they are followed by a leisurely ski back to resort.
Pied Moutet is all south facing and is rarely busy. With a good fast lift system, this is the place to warm up the legs early in the week.
From Pied Moutet, it is possible to access the main mountain in Les Deux Alpes. Take either Vallée Blanche or Cimes piste and at the Kanata restaurant keep left, this piste will then bring you down to the Petite Aguille chairlift. From the top of this chair it is easiest to traverse across on Le Coolidge piste all the way to the Jandri Express. From the Jandri Express you can access the majority of the blue pistes.
The longest blue piste is Signal; take the Jandri Express or the large 8 person chairlift to 3200m, from here, only 25m opposite, is Signal piste. This is a very popular run and, if in ski school, could be one of the 1st runs you do as an intermediate skier in Les Deux Alpes. The Signal is long and very wide, perfect for long carves, and you`re sure to give your legs a good workout!
Also from 3200m, you can either take Le Jandri or Sumo Palais pistes; both pistes split off in many different directions, but ultimately continue down to the same altitude. Take Sumo Palais for a smoother, flatter terrain and from here you can also join on to more advanced pistes.
Take Le Jandri and keep left and you will end up at Télésiège de la Toura & du Lac Noir, a nice long blue piste. Make sure to gain plenty of speed on the steeper parts in order to clear the flat parts.
Taking either la Toura or Lac Noir lifts, both to altitude 2800m, here there is a choice of 3 pistes all leading back down to the lift again. La Toura and La Goulet du Lac Noir pistes are more challenging than many other blue pistes in resort, this is partly due to them being slightly steeper but mostly because they are quite narrow in parts.
Advanced Runs in Les Deux Alpes
View from Diable
La Dome piste is one of the steepest reds that Les Deux Alpes has to offer. From the glacier at 3200m take the furthest right of all the pistes; La Dome has a vertical drop of 250m, it is wide and very rarely in bad condition, though can be icy due to the altitude. The piste steepness eases off near the bottom, where you can turn right and join on to Signal piste.
Broche red piste also starts at 3200m. Follow Sumo Palais blue piste for 300m, from there turn right at the intersection; once on Broche there are 2 routes down to 2600m, both as steep as each other. Taking the left hand side route is a short steep narrow piste that links on to the Jandri blue piste near the bottom, or if you decide not to deviate from the main Broche piste continue straight ahead. There are a few rollers to encounter - be careful as some can be blind with people standing behind them. This piste can be quite busy, and moguls do develop in the later hours of the day.
La Fée valley is one of the best areas to enjoy red and black pistes all day long. To get to this valley from the Jandri Express mid station at 2600m make your way towards La Toura restaurant and follow Les Gours piste, it’s a long blue with some flat parts but is the only way into the valley. Here you can get on La Fée chairlift, a high speed 6 person chair. From the top either take La Selle or Les Aymes as your choice of black pistes; both are very steep and, as they are both north facing, are icy for most of the day. Or you can take the multiple routes back down to the chairlift of La Fée red piste; this is narrow in parts, almost always mogulled and again icy due to being north facing, one of the most difficult red runs in resort.
Getting back to resort there are only 2 routes down, both black pistes, La Valentine and Le Diable.
La Valentine will take you back to the Mont de Lans part of Les Deux Alpes. It is snow sure, due to snow cannons on both sides the whole way down and a massive snow making machine at the top of the Valentine pumps out a vast amount of snow making it even steeper. With a vertical drop of 300m, La Valentine is one of the fastest pistes Les Deux Alpes has to offer; very steep, very wide and best time to ski it is early in the morning when the piste is deserted.
Le Diable will take you back to the Venosc part of Les Deux Alpes. It is also snow sure, due to more snow cannons. Le Diable is the steepest and longest black run in Les Deux Alpes, running from 2400m down to resort altitude of 1600m. The top half is the trickiest, with an extremely short steep stretch of piste; although wide, fall here and you will skid for over 100m before stopping. Le Diable sees the sun all day and can mogul quickly near the bottom, as it is the busier of the 2 black runs back to resort.
Off Piste in Les Deux Alpes
The off piste in Les Deux Alpes is extremely good when the weather and snow conditions are just right. Here are a few of our favourite runs:
Grand Couloir Chutes Take Bellecombes 6 person chairlift up from 2200m to the top. From here you can cut across the top of the Grand Couloir black piste, you will find a ridge that you need to cross, though usually covered in snow. From here there is an open bowl to take you down to 3 short steep chutes, the furthest right being the hardest, as it is extremely hard to get into and usually requires you to straight line the whole chute. From here you come out directly under the lift again.
Clot de Chalance At the top of the Signal lift follow to the right of the piste, as the valley starts to fall away to the right stay to the left to gain safe access through a wide gulley - go to the right and you will end up on the edge of a 60m cliff! Once into the Chalance valley a bowl will open to the right and from here you can take any route down to Les Gours piste in La Fée valley. Be aware that the Chalance is very prone to avalanche and rocks linger just under the surface of the snow; it is wise to hire a guide here.
La Dome Glacier Take the Funiculaire to 3400m, from here turn right and join the blue traverse that runs along the side of the mountain. Where it turns left after 200m cut right and a huge face opens itself up, keeping left of this face is the only route down. This long off piste run with a 400m vertical drop will take you down to Signal chairlift, but be sure to get there early after a snowfall as it gets tracked out very quickly.
Pic du Diable Take the Bellecombes 6 person chairlift up from 2200m, directly opposite the exit is a 50 minute hike straight up the face to the top. Be careful along the ridge on the right as it drops away to the right, keep left and from here you will be able to see the snowpark below. A steep top followed by a mellow bowl awaits you. This has been prone to slide often, caution advised.
Snowparks in Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes has been renowned for over 10 years for having an impressive park, but also for being a resort that has an openness to improve and embrace the freestyle scene. The resort has invested heavily in its snow park with 3 Park Bullies, a Pipe Magician, Zaugg Pipe Shaper and regularly purchasing new rails and boxes.
The Snowpark is located between 2600m & 2900m in the La Toura area on the mountain. Take either La Toura or Lac Noir chairlift, and you are able to see the whole park. There are various areas that make up Les Deux Alpes Snowpark; L’Envers is the most developed area of the snow park. It comprises of a beginner area with small tables, boxes, rails and a small quarter pipe designed for the youngest riders. A handrail area with a line of 3 intermediate boxes, a line of 3 intermediate rails and a line of 3 pro rails caters for the more adventurous type. There is also an intermediate big kicker setup, with 2 kickers of 8 and 12m, all accessible by a short drag lift. L'Envers has a great atmosphere with a BBQ, music, open DJ turntable and even a few deckchairs for when you've had enough and want to sit back and watch the action...
The Half Pipe conforms to federation standards and is 120m long and 5m high. The pipe is shaped at the end of everyday by an experienced team of drivers, to ensure a clean transition and vertical and ultimately to ensure the safety of all riders.
The Slopestyle set up in Les Deux Alpes is for advanced riders only. With smaller kickers starting around 10m with up to 20m transitions, this is the place for pros and ams to hone their skills in one of the hardest disciplines in the park. There is a set up of 3 kickers followed by a large hip, running into a quarter pipe with an s rail and c rail to finish.
Les Deux Alpes Big Air kicker, also known locally as the “showtime kicker”, is massive; almost 4m high and having a transition of almost 28m, this kicker is for the best of the best. It regularly attracts the best in Europe, who come to film on this kicker all winter long.
Les Deux Alpes has a number of Slide Areas situated all over the mountain and are fun for all levels to jib and play around on to improve their skills. At 3100m you’ll find the Gully, 150m long with steeped walls, twists and turns all the way. The Canyons at 3000m feature banked curves that wind down the hill, there are also 8 small roller style jumps to get a little bit of air time!
Directly under Lac Noir chairlift at 2600m you 'll find the Boardercross; there are official boardercross competitions held here throughout the winter. The length of the boardercross is 1200m long, with a vertical drop of 250m.
The combined areas of the snowpark and boardercross play host to a number of competitions and demos throughout the season, check out our What's On calendar to find out more.
Lift & Piste Maps for Les Deux Alpes
Fairly self-explanatory really - here is the info you need to find your way around the Les Deux Alpes ski domain! Handy for planning your day and, of course, where to stop for lunch. You can either print off this copy and take it with you or pick up paper copies in resort from the Tourist Office, lift stations, hotel reception, etc...
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