Les Deux Alpes (L2A) is the largest ski resort in the Dauphine region of France and the second oldest in France. The resort itself sits at an altitude of 1650m. It is less than 70 kilometres from Grenoble and is readily accessible from Chambery, Grenoble, Lyon and Geneva airports. It is adjacent to the resorts of Alpe d’Huez (to which it will be linked in 2021) and the spectacular off piste playground of La Grave. It is a snow sure resort, with guaranteed snow throughout the year – including summer when the glacier is opened for summer skiing!
The “Deux Alpes” or “two alps” does not actually refer to the mountains, but rather the two villages of Venosc and Mont de Lans that sit at either end of the plateau where the resort is located. The resort was actually created on the alpine grazing lands of these two villages. The picturesque medieval village of Venosc is where we are located, linked to the resort by direct cablecar.
The ski area is extensive with 223km of pistes serviced by 53 lifts between 1300m to 3600m giving a vertical drop of over 2000 metres. Boasting the largest skiable glacier in Europe, Les Deux Alpes is one of the few resorts in Europe that has guaranteed snow throughout the season. The glacier is also easily accessible to all levels of skiing thanks to several broad blue pistes right down to resort level.
Guests boarding to L2A resort in great powder conditions
There are 93 pistes in total:
– 11 black,
– 21 red,
– 42 blue, and
– 19 green
Beginners starting out couldn’t ask for a better place to make steady progress with numerous nursery slopes in the resort and additional dedicated beginners areas higher up the mountain. A real bonus is that the gentlest terrain is at the very top of the resort, where you will also find the best snow and spectacular panoramic views including Mont Blanc 100km away.
For Intermediates skiers , this is a dream resort, with nicely pisted runs like the Signal for a warm up plenty of challenging reds to try. It is also great for advanced skiers & freestylers, particularly after a fresh dump of snow, as you can ride almost everywhere you can see – the off-piste is huge and challenging. For experienced skiers and boarders, there is some lesser-known hardcore off-piste around the Clot de Chalance but you need to have a guide to show you the routes and why not book a day over in La Grave for the ultimate off piste experience
Mountain restaurant at the snow-sure resort of Les 2 Alpes
La Toura snowpark at 2600m is considered one of the best in Europe, thanks to its experienced designers who have been creating and developing the park for over ten years. It includes:
- Border cross course
- Quarter pipes (re-cut each day to ensure clean transitions and crisp walls)
- Olympic standard half pipe
- Separate expert and beginner zones
- Beginners area with rollers, small kickers and a line of boxes
- Slopestyle course for the experts with three kickers followed by three rails, a hip into two quarter pipes and finally an S-rail to finish
- “Big Air” – a huge airbag to practice your freestyle landings on – supervised by qualified instructors and generally located adjacent to the Jandri Express in resort
Even if you don’t want to have a try yourself, it is a great place to kick back and watch others strut their stuff.
For summer skiing and snowboarding, the glacier region is open from June to the end of August and features 11 runs and a summer snowpark.
View live webcams here.
Other winter activities and resort facilities include:
- Ice skating
- An outdoor heated swimming pool
- Tobogganing
- Bowling
- An ice grotto up on the glacier
- A variety of different cafes, cake shops (patisseries), chocolatiers, bars and restaurants
- A great range of shops selling everything from regional produce to skiwear fashions and ski and snowboard equipment
