About Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine ski area

Alpe d'Huez is actually made up of five smaller resorts and two alpine villages: 

• Alpe d’Huez
• Auris-en-Oisans
• La Garde
• Le Freney d'Oisans
• Oz-en-Oisans
• Vaujany
• Villard-Reculas

You can buy ski passes for the villages only, but to get the most out of a trip here we'd recommend you buy an Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine pass which covers the whole area.

Alpe d'Huez ski area

There is lots of terrain close to the village, especially greens, blues and easy reds which are good for warming up, improving on your technique and family skiing. A good place to start before venturing throughout the Grand Domaine area.

Auris-en-Oisans ski area

Where Auris scores is that even at the height of the season, queues are a rarity. This is true of Alpe d'Huez as a whole, and long waits here are more often due to lift closures in bad weather than volume of skiers.

• south-facing resort at 1,600m
• ideal for families
• ski-in, ski-out accommodation available
• good beginners' area
• good intermediate skiing
• 15 lifts and 22km of runs
• expert slopes include La Fuma and Col de Cluy

Although access to Auris is possible via the Sarenne, most skiers go via the Alp Auris Express which sets off close to the Marmotte lift in Les Bergers.

This four-seat high-speed chair appears to go nowhere exciting but its flat start is misleading. Locally known as the 'scare chair', it drops suddenly into the Sarenne Gorge before mounting the other side to the Auris domain.

If you're looking for a superb black, turn left at the top of the chair and continue along the ridge to the Col de Cluy. Turn right and follow the available contours to skiers' left to return to Auris.

Steep blacks and a lumberjack

At the end of the access path a right turn will bring you to the Forêt de Maronne chair and a very attractive tree-lined blue/red piste. Before dropping into Auris proper, black run enthusiasts might like to try La Fuma. However, be warned, it's a typical Alpe d'Huez black (ie steep, steep and steep!).

When in Auris, don't forget to visit Jacques, the lumberjack. This is a magical place with lots of different sections including a logging sledge, a wood stère, an all-purpose saw that's been transformed into a swing, wooden sculptures and a log slalom. 

You don't need children for an excuse to visit Jacques, everyone has fun here.

Return to Alpe d'Huez via the Auris Express, or the Chalvet chair from the Sarenne Gorge.

La Garde and Le Freney ski area

A perfect place to locate yourself if you love peace and quiet and an element of an 'untouched' environment just a chairlift ride away.

If you choose to stay in Le Freney, expect a peaceful village atmosphere about 20 minutes away from La Grave and Alpe d'Huez.

Oz-en-Oisans ski area

A holiday village located at 1,350m in the heart of the domaine.

• charming, authentic family resort
• ski-in, ski-out accommodation
• small properties made of wood or stone in a picture-perfect winter setting

To get to Oz from Alpe d'Huez, take the first stage of the DMC (or any of the buttons that run alongside) and then the steep, north-facing Poutran red run.

You'll find large amounts of off-piste on either side of this run. Take care. The left, north-facing side is extremely avalanche prone.

Champclotury - a beautiful blue run

When Poutron splits, the first drop is a steep red, the second a blue run that circumnavigates the red. Continuing down Poutron you'll reach a narrow tree-lined red run, L'Olmet, and a beautiful blue run called Champclotury. At the end, a button lift takes you to the return bubble. 

If you continue under the bubble onto the Champclotury run, you'll arrive at the Oz bowl where you'll find the beginner area tows and two travellator lifts.

Keep a look out near the foot of the bowl for a sign to Vaujany and the Alpette lift.

From the top of this lift you can return to Oz via the Alpette run, a good red with spectacular ice falls at the side. In good conditions this run joins the Champclotury where there's a superb black, Roche Noir.

Vaujany (Montfrais) ski area

This mountain village sits at 1,250m on a sunny plateau facing the Grandes Rousses massif. There's a real alpine village feel here and it's perfect for families and beginners.

• great for families - with kids clubs, a nursery and secure areas
• lots of facilities to make this an ideal base for your ski holiday
• aquatic centre with pool, slide and spa
• indoor ice rink and bowling alley
• numerous shops
• easily accessible from Alpe d'Huez

To get here, take the Alpette chair from Oz.

Directions are simple: avoid the tendency to return to Oz and take the only other downhill path available. You'll find yourself skiing down the Rousses/Chalets blue run, a wide saucer-shaped piste that becomes Les Travers and continues on for about 3km to the Montfrais sector.

From here, the Vallonnet four-man chair takes you about as far from Alpe d'Huez as it is possible to get.

The run down (Edelweiss) is very much a blue affair and returns to the base of the four-man without deviation. Part way down, however, is a black off-piste run called Roche Melon (only open when conditions are good) that's never groomed and descends through the trees to eventually join a blue run called the Vaujaniate.

One of the best blue runs in Alpe d'Huez

Slightly out of sight, you can also pick up the Vaujaniate piste from Montfrais by taking the only downhill depart from the area. This is one of the best blue runs you are likely to ski - wide and magnificent.

It descends alongside icicle-clad walls through the trees to a route that follows the valley floor. Eventually you'll get to a point where you can re-access the Vaujany bowl by the Villette-Montfrais télécabine (or return to Vaujany on the Vaujany-Villette télécabine).

Returning to the base of the Vaujany bowl at Montfrais, you will find the second chairlift (Montfrais) whisks you up to a surprising variety of runs that descend back to the base of the bowl. This chairlift also heads back towards Alpe d'Huez.

Turn right at the top and follow the blue Cascade piste to the Clos Giraud chair, signposted 'Oz/Alpe d'Huez'. 

Check your watch! If you're returning to Alpe d'Huez by this chair, make sure you don't miss the last lift. If you do, the only way home is a pricey taxi ride from Vaujany.

Returning to Alpe d'Huez

To get back to Alpe d'Huez you can either:

• follow the Alpette run from the top of the Clos Giraud chair
• take the Alpette-Rousses cable car up to the Dome

From the Dome there's a superb red called Belvedere that takes you past Lac Blanc and the base of the Pic Blanc cable car.

Villard-Reculas ski area

This is a typical mountain village with a small ski area. It's a great south-facing spot with some of the most accessible off-piste ski in Alpe d'Huez.

• south-facing resort at 1,500m
• easy blues and accessible off-piste
• peaceful spot with small chalets and quaint alleyways
• good beginners area
• easily connects with the rest of the Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine ski area via the Villarais chairlift

To get here from Alpe d'Huez you'll approach from above and head down the fabulous Petit Prince blue run to a double button lift. This takes you to the summit of the Signal and back towards Alpe d'Huez.

If you continue beyond this button, you'll find the deceptively easy blue 'road' ends at a slightly steeper section which is classed red and blue. 

When you reach the bottom, you can hop on the high speed four-man chair - Le Villarais - which will also take you back to the top of Signal.

It's possible to continue a little further down beyond the chair over a green run, and if you're staying in Villard this is essential. Late season holiday makers may suffer a lack of snow here, but much work and the provision of snow cannons has greatly reduced this problem.

One of the best un-pisted black runs in Alpe d'Huez

One outstanding feature of the Villards' face is the never-pisted black run Forêt.

There's also a red from the bottom of the Petit Prince drag that defies belief. Not only is it never pisted, but it's one of the steepest reds in Alpe d'Huez.

The face also has a huge amount of easily accessible off-piste which is predominantly north-west facing.

Only at the very bottom of this area will you find the one thing that Alpe d'Huez lacks ... trees. Return to Alpe d'Huez via the Villarais four-man chair and ski down the Signal pistes.

Alpe d'Huez is a south-facing purpose-built resort in France that has been welcoming skiers since the 1930s. It's part of the department of Isère in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and one of the world's largest ski resorts. 

The highest point is the Pic Blanc glacier at 3,300m. From here, you can enjoy breathtaking panoramas over the Ecrins National Park, La Grave, La Meije, Les Deux Alpes and Mont Blanc before heading down on Europe's longest run - the Sarenne piste.

Snow conditions permitting, the ski season in Alpe d'Huez usually runs from early December until the end of April. 

That strong southern sun means the snow can turn from ice to slush pretty quickly if you're here late in the season. But whenever you choose to come, the local pisteurs will make the best of the conditions and groom the pistes to perfection.

If you're coming early or late in the season

It's a good idea to check which lifts are open at Alpe d'Huez. You might want to check the Alpe d'Huez webcams too, for an up-to-the minute view of conditions on the ground.

Alpe d'Huez has plenty of challenging blacks, so those in search of long, thigh-burning pistes and bumpy mogul fields will not be disappointed. There is the famous Le Tunnel run and The Sarenne - both challenging black runs, not for those with weak knees. There's more information in our guide with where to head and what to explore elsewhere.

With more nursery slopes than anywhere else in the Alps, Alpe d'Huez is a great place for beginners, and those looking to improve their skills before stepping up to something a bit steeper. There are large and small nursery slope areas where skiers and snowboarders can practise in relative safety.

There are two snowparks in Alpe d'Huez:

• a larger one beside the beginner runs above 1800, most easily accessed from the DMC first station
• a smaller one in Montfrais - better for beginners

You can also find Marcel's Farm which is a purpose built fun zone with banked corners, boardercross style features, gates, a small half pipe, tunnel and a cow slalom course - plus you'll find some rails for budding freestylers to tackle.

Alpe d'Huez has some epic off-piste skiing. There is a large selection to choose from, and there's also the world famous La Grave, which is a bucket list place from freeride skiers and off-piste thrill seekers. Wherever you're heading, always make sure you're prepared before strap or click in.

When the weather closes in at Alpe d'Huez, head to the tree-lined pistes of Vaujany and Auris-en-Oisans, where the trees give you much-needed definition. Favourites include the Village blue into Huez and the red run from the tourist office, both linking to the return lift. Remember, fog in the valley can mean sunshine up high, and rain below often means fresh snow above, with powder stashes waiting for you.