Fans who follow the Tour de France know Alpe d'Huez (tel. +33 (0) 476 11 44 44; www.alpedhuez.com) as the finish of an every-other-year stage that culminates in a steep mountain road with 21 fabled hairpin turns. For the riders, it's the end of a grueling day. In the winter, the village at the top of those 21 hairpins is the start of a fabulous skiing and snowboarding adventure.
The world's first Poma lift was strung on the lower slopes of Alpe d'Huez back in 1936, and the area burst onto winter-sports scene as the bobsledding venue for the 1968 Grenoble Olympics. Enduring fame comes from its wide-ranging ski terrain and mammoth vertical, and its reputation for family skiing on wide, sunny, south-facing slopes masks the reality of an enormous terrain that dwarfs anything in North America. A reassurance for anyone crossing the ocean to ski is Alpe d'Huez's commitment to snowmaking: As much as any resort can, Alpe d'Huez assures skiability from early season to the end.
From the resort, strong skiers and snowboarders ride a daisy chain of cable cars to the top of Pic Blanc at nearly 11,000 feet. It is said that on a clear day, a fifth of France is visible from the summit. The resort's signature run is La Sarenne, starting on a glacier just below the summit and continuing 10 miles to the village. Some people stay up high, doing loops on upper runs where the snow is crisp. Others go for bragging rights of having skied one of the world's longest continuous ski routes.
In all, Alpe d'Huez boasts 150 miles of runs -- both marked pistes on the wide-open slopes above the treeline and trails cut through the trees. Additionally, the resort provides thousands of acres of ungroomed, off-piste skiing. This powder paradise is often best explored with a guide who knows ability appropriate routes to the freshest snow. Alpe d'Huez ski passes are also good at nearby Les 2 Alpes, La Grave and several smaller villages.
With lifts rising all over Alpe d'Huez's Grand Rousse ski domain, it is possible to ski for a week and rarely repeat a route. The connection to Oz en Oisans makes for an especially delightful excursion of a couple of hours.
Alpe d'Huez won't win any architectural prizes. It is often, and accurately, described as a hodgepodge of hotels, apartment complexes and commercial buildings of no particular harmony, but it has its own funky charm. Because the multi-level village developed on the mountainside, two transport lifts ferry visitors up and down.
The resort offers abundant lodging and myriad options for dining (both French and international cuisine), nightlife and off-slope opportunities: cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, swimming, fitness and more in the huge Sports Palace, ice skating and even flightseeing from the Altiport, the resort's own little on-mountain airfield.
The four-star Au Chamois d'Or (tel. +33 (0) 4 76 80 31 3; www.chamoisdor-alpedhuez.com) at the high point of the village is the most luxurious hotel. The Royal Ours Blanc (tel. +33 (0) 4 79 65 07 6; e-mail clients@eurogroup-vacances.com) is located at a lower level. It has an indoor pool and is also very convenient to the Sports Palace. Additionally, it manages an adjacent apartment complex.
Alpe d'Huez is very close to the airports of Lyon and Grenoble; both cities are also connected to Paris via high-speed TGV train.
Alpe d'Huez Stats
Lifts: 6 cable cars, 10 gondolas, 25 chairlifts, 41 surface lifts, 2 transport lifts. Terrain: 10,000 hectares (approximately 25,000 acres). Marked pistes: 123 (38 beginner/novice, 32 intermediate, 36 advanced, 17 expert). Unless included in a ski package, a six-day Visalp regional pass costs 198.50 € for adults and 142 € for 13 and under, 60 and older (tel. +33 (0) 4 76 80 90 09, www.sataski.com).
Terrain parks: 2 parks, and one boardercross course.
Elevations: Alpe d'Huez (resort), 6,100 feet; Pic Blanc, 10,922 feet.
