Shredding the reds & blacks in Les 2 Alpes 2019

To begin with, head straight to the top of the mountain via the Jandri Express 1 and 2 followed by the Puy Salié T-bar. Warm up on the Signal 3 red which starts easy and gets steeper, then follow the Signal 1 blue to the Signal chair. The Glacier 5 red, to your right, is as steep as most blacks but its difficulties are short lived. You will join the Glacier 1 blue for a while to arrive at the start of the Glacier 8 red on the right. Half-way down this, you should be feeling ready to switch to the blacks, so look for the start of Pierre Grosse 1 on the right. This is a steep black which is usually well groomed with good snow. You could also take Pierre Grosse 2, a marked but un-pisted itinerary which leaves the red a hundred metres earlier. Both Pierre Grosse runs arrive on the Fée 1 blue run, where a good schuss will save you poling on the flat parts. Continue until you reach the Fée chairlift.

Now you are in the La Fée sector, you can enjoy some of the most scenic runs in the resort, as well as one of the nicest restaurants. From the top of the chairlift, you can tick off the Fée 4 and 5 reds and the Fée 6 black, stopping off for a hot chocolate at the Chalet de la Fée if you need to warm up. If you like un-pisted itineraries, Fée 7 and Thuit 5 are well worth doing too. Keep doing laps of the Fée chairlift as you tick off these routes.

When you have had your fill of the Fée area, follow the Thuit 1 blue into the Thuit bowl and take the three-man Thuit chairlift. At the top, head left for the Bellecombes chairlift and take a good look at your next challenge, the Bellecombes 6 black, as you ride up above it. Formerly known as the Grand Couloir, this is long, steep and usually bumpy. Do not ski this run if it is closed, as it is threatened by avalanches from the Rachas faces above. At the bottom, take the Bellecombes chair again and head right along the reds to the Super Diable black. Be sure to ski this well to impress the crowds on the terrace of the Diable au Coeur, where we recommend stopping for lunch.

After lunch, you could head up the Super Diable chair to ski a few more reds in the Bellecombes and Super Diable areas. It is easy to cross between the two and any run in either sector can be reached from either chairlift. With the reds done, it is time to tackle the lower blacks of the front face above the village. Take the Crêtes blue to reach the Valentín black first. At the bottom of this, bear right to reach the Village chairlift, followed by the Crêtes chairlift. This will bring you back to the Diable au Coeur, where you can take the Vallons du Diable red and come back up on the Diable chairlift. Now you are ready for the grand finale, the Diable 1 black. This is one of the longest blacks in the resort and the lower section is consistently steep and often bumpy. The run plunges 800 metres from the mountain into the valley. At the end of the day you can start in the late sunshine on the west-facing slopes and finish in the village where dusk has already fallen. If you want to go back up for more, the Diable 2 un-pisted itinerary is waiting for you.