Les 2 Alpes () is a
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
in the
French ''
department'' of
Isère
Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. ,
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...
. The village sits at and lifts run to . It has the largest skiable
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...
. It has the longest, normally open full on-piste vertical available in the world. It is a drive southeast of
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
.
Resort
The "two Alps" in the name do not refer to the two facing mountain-sides that comprise the resort, but rather to two adjacent areas of the original mountain pasture on the north-south plateau on which the resort was built. These pasture areas (or 'alps') are part of the two villages of
Mont-de-Lans and
Vénosc that lie in the deep valleys, respectively, to the north and south.
Access to the resort is by road RD 1091, in
Livet-et-Gavet
Livet-et-Gavet () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France.
Population
Geography
Livet-et-Gavet is located in Oisans on the Romanche river, halfway between Grenoble and the win ...
- no road connects the resort to
Vénosc down the steep slope to the south, but a gondola connects the two, and there is a footpath passable in summer.
Winter
Les Deux Alpes offers approximately of posted runs and of vertical drop. In terms of
pistes the resort has been termed "upside-down", as the lower slopes down to the resort are steeper and more challenging than the higher ski areas, including the wide and forgiving glacier runs. Less advanced skiers either take a
gondola
The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...
down to the resort or follow a lengthy, gentle but narrow, track on the path of the access road. In winter 2015/2016 a new run made an intermediate route to the resort available, an effort involving the movement of over 550,000 cubic metres of earth. A wide area at the very bottom by the town is given over to nursery slopes. In total there are 100 marked runs spread across the resort however, in addition, it is said to have as much off piste as groomed piste.
Les Deux Alpes also boasts one of the most extensive and revered snowparks in Europe, with a
halfpipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, Inline skating, skating, and scooter riding.
Overview
The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially t ...
, multiple kickers, two
boardercross courses and many
grinding rails. The snowpark is re-modelled with new features added each season.
Lifts
The lift system has a combined up hill capacity of 66,000 people per hour. In total there are 59 lifts serving the resort. At peak times lift queues can be very long, and it can take over an hour to travel from the village to the top of the glacier, which is sometimes closed due to blizzards, high winds,
avalanche risks, or a combination of both.
The resort of
La Grave can be accessed from the very top lift at the Dome de la Lauze by either walking or at certain times by ski-tow behind a
Snowcat
A snowcat (a portmanteau of snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to travel over snow. Major manufacturers are PistenBully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy), and Tucker (United States).
Snow groomer ...
. It is only recommended for advanced skiers under supervision of a qualified guide.
The new Jandi 3S replaced the existing Jandri lift from the beginning of the 2024/5, cutting the journey time from base to glacier down from 40 to 17 minutes and with double the uplift capacity to 3000 skiers per hour.
As part of the planned 350M Euro investment in Alpe d'Huez over the next 5 years, a new lift connecting the two resorts was planned for 2021. This would have created one of the biggest linked ski areas in the world, but was cancelled.
Ticketing
A part of the Grande Galaxie area of un-linked ski resorts including Alpe d'Huez, La Grave, Puy Saint Vincent and Vaujany which offer limited sharing of ski-passes. A six-day ski pass includes two days in Alpe d'Huez and one in Serre Chevalier.
Ski passes in the resort can now be used hands free.
Glacier
The glacier enables year-round skiing (although the lifts are only open from mid-June to the end of August in Summer and December to end of April in Winter with some dates in October too). A
funicular railway
A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...
tunnelled under the ice transports skiers and, in summer, tourists to , from where panoramic views can be seen of the surroundings, including
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
, some distant,
L'Alpe d'Huez and the
Plateau de Vercors above
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
.
Summer
In summer, Les 2 Alpes becomes a popular venue for
downhill and
freeride mountain biking, with access to the glacier via the Jandri Express gondola lift, with a yearly event named "Mountain Of Hell". This opens up a vertical mile of trails down to the resort and an even bigger drop to the Barrage du Chambon. Les 2 Alpes has featured in several
Tour De France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
stages most notably a
Marco Pantani stage victory in 1998, from which he went on to win the tour that year. Some mountain bikers take the 15 km unpaved road, which leads from Les Deux Alpes all the way up to the ski resort, thereby being the highest mountain road in the Alps. The altitude difference of 1550 m, several very steep passages, as well as the coarse gravel on the road make this a very demanding trip.
Les 2 Alpes also has the largest skiable glacier in Europe. Summer skiing in Les 2 Alpes takes place between and on the Girose and Mont de Lans glaciers above the resort. The summer ski area is open between June and September.
References
External links
* - les2alpes.com - '
2alpes.com- '
Cycling up to Les deux Alpes: data, profile, map, photos and description
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deux Alpes
Ski stations in France
Tourist attractions in Isère