9 reasons why Les 2 Alpes is great for good skiers this winter 2018/19

If you want to lap a steep run, you can usually find a fast chairlift with no queue to do just that, even in the busiest weeks. There is rarely a wait at the Belle Etoile, Village, Bellecombes, Super Diable or Fée chairlifts. These give quick access to the Valentin, Bellecombes, Super Diable and Fée black pistes respectively. If you plan your route well, you can ski hard runs all day without ever seeing a lift line. Just avoid the Valentin in the late afternoon if you are trying to dodge the crowds.

This description is often used to promote the resort to beginner and intermediate skiers. It advertises the fact that the top of the ski area abounds with cruisy blue runs. Intermediate skiers can appreciate superb views across the Alps from easy, open pistes at over three-and-a-half thousand metres. The other side of this coin is that the lower and mid-mountain slopes are often steep and challenging. Three of the front face’s six runs back to resort are blacks, for example. Consequently, you never have to travel far to find challenging terrain, wherever you are on the mountain.

French for ‘The Fairy’, this sector is situated around the old Refuge de la Fée mountain hut. Now a mountain restaurant, it is a great place to stop for lunch. This is one of the best parts of the ski area for accomplished skiers, with superb reds and blacks descending from the Belle Etoile peak. While the marked runs are very good, those of you who head off the pistes will find the best that La Fée has to offer. There is off-piste skiing on all aspects, so you are likely to find good conditions whatever the snow is doing. In the spring, the east, west and south faces give the best skiing at different times of the day. There are also marked but un-pisted itineraries giving off-piste conditions without the risk. Some of Les Deux Alpes’ classic off-piste routes start near the glacier and finish in La Fée, including Chalance, Les Gours, the Electric Couloir and Combe Interdit. The Deversoir, tucked under the snowmaking lakes, makes a nice introduction to couloir skiing.

The blacks and harder reds in Les 2 Alpes tend to be respected rather than busy. With the exception of the Valentin, you will rarely see a crowd on a black piste here. The same goes for the off-piste. While certain slopes get tracked quickly after a snowfall, the less obvious ones tend to keep the fresh snow for a while. You can find powder even a few days after it has snowed without having to walk.

Les Deux Alpes has long been known in the freestyle community for its parks. Both the winter snowpark on La Toura and the summer park on the glacier are world class. There are seriously big modules for those with the skills but there are also ‘Easy Park’ and ‘Progress Park’ lines for the rest of us. Events and competitions are a regular feature throughout the year, so there will often be something to enter or to watch depending on your ability level.

If you prefer speed to airtime, Les Deux Alpes also attracts some of the world’s best ski racers to train on the glacier. This is where the French and Italian national teams come to train in June and July. Aspiring racers from all over the world make the journey up the Jandri Express each summer and autumn. Les 2 Alpes is a great place to learn to race at almost any time of the year. In summer, the glacier provides consistent conditions with enough easy angled slopes to suit newcomers to racing. In winter, there is a dedicated racing area around the Côte Brune drag lift. If you do want to race, make sure you book in advance with a ski school or coaching organisation.

We cannot talk about expert skiing in Les Deux Alpes without mentioning La Grave. For those not in the know, La Grave is a place every serious skier needs to visit at least once. The Vallons de la Meije and Chancel routes are right up there with Chamonix’s Vallée Blanche in terms of classic off-piste descents you absolutely need to do. There are plenty of harder options as well and the place is a magnet for top-class extreme skiers. Visiting from Les Deux Alpes gives you all the benefits of staying in a major ski resort, whilst still getting to ski the wild, untamed runs on the other side of the mountain. Although, for the moment, there is no link via the ski lifts, the centre of La Grave is only a 30-minute drive from Les Deux Alpes. The lift systems are even closer, with less than a kilometre separating the top lifts stations on the glaciers. If you book a trip to La Grave with a ski school in Les Deux Alpes then minibus transport will normally be included. From the top of the La Grave telepherique, there are no marked runs, no ski patrollers and no avalanche control. The descent from 3200m to 1450m is entirely at your own risk. Hiring a guide or going with a guided ski school group is highly recommended.

If you have ticked La Grave and want to get even further away from it all, the unspoilt village of St. Christophe en Oisans lies high in the Veneon Valley beyond Venosc. The good news is that you can ski to it from Les Deux Alpes. There are several routes including the Vallon de la Selle and the Aiguilles Rouges de la Toura. Be warned: these are challenging and remote, with steep slopes, avalanche zones, significant route finding and no mobile phone reception. For very good skiers accompanied by a guide, skiing to St. Christophe is a wonderful day out in the Alps. When you arrive in the village you can enjoy a long late lunch in one of the two restaurants before taking a pre-booked taxi back to the Venosc gondola.

If La Grave and St. Christophe have not convinced you that Les 2 Alpes has plenty for expert skiers, the road runs between Deux Alpes and La Grave should do the job. There are numerous routes starting from the Girose and Lauze glaciers and ending at the main road to the north, two thousand metres below. All are for expert skiers only. All have difficult route finding. Some require abseils. Booking a mountain guide is a must if you are contemplating any of these itineraries.