Activity Reviews in Alpe d'Huez

Living in the mountains, it’s easy to become complacent about the beauty that surrounds you on a day to day basis. The Southern Alps is a region filled with glaciers and the retreat of these ancient masses has carved some incredible and rugged features into our landscape. Such features are best seen from on high and we’re lucky enough to have some of France’s highest roads on our doorstep. So today, The Boyfriend and I hit the road, taking a tour of the ‘local’ Cols which took us between 700m and 2645m above sea level and over around 300km of roads. It’s been quite a day!

The winds have been whipping the southern alps mercilessly and erratically since last Thursday. Bad weather severely hampered last week’s mountain bike event in Les Deux Alpes, the Mountain of Hell, but this week we’ve certainly felt the worst of it.

If you’re after a shorter less committing bike ride than the infamous 21 bends up to Alpe D’Huez, the Col D’Ornon is a great option from the same starting point. The ride is easily done in less than two hours and there are certainly no compromises on the scenery!

As August progresses the hot, sultry weather in the southern alps persists. We’re now finding that the mornings and evenings are cooler than earlier in the summer, but by midday temperatures are soaring into the low-30s and the afternoons are long and warm. To keep active, I’m finding it’s better to get up and out early, aiming to be home by 11am, when the sun really starts to intensify.

After a long, hot summer season it’s tempting to take September as holiday, relaxing at home or heading off to the coast or the UK. But the early autumn is simply stunning here. Of course the days shorten, the temperatures cool and most of the amenities in Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez close, but it’s a small price to pay for the increasingly intense sunsets, the perfect weather and watching the leaves slowly change.

I guess it had to happen eventually… a break in the recent heatwave. Friday dawned chilly and I think the whole town sighed in relief, grateful for a respite from the 34°C heat of the past week. That being said, once the day fully kicked-in it was hardly cold, just a little overcast and cooler at around 25°C. I took the opportunity to race around Alpe d’Huez and do some of the town-based activities that have eluded me so far this summer.

Sometimes after a tough few days on the slopes you may fancy a bit of relaxation and pampering to ease those aches and pains, if so you don't have to look very far here in resort as there are plenty of options available to you.

Amongst the many summer activities available in the Southern Alps, there’s one I’ve been desperate to try for the past year… the via ferrata. Translated from Italian, via ferrata simply means ‘iron road’. It’s a mountain route marked by a fixed line and iron handles.