Test report Alpe d'Huez

If you want to reach the village of Alpe d´Huez you have to take a winding mountain road. First you reach the village of Huez, which is connected with a group gondola with Alpe d´Huez and is located at about 1500m abouve sea level. From the tourist office in the lower part of Alpe d´Huez you can take cableway Telecentre via a mid station and 3 curves up to the upper part of the village. From here a quad and some t-bars lead up to the Signal (2115m) where the lifts from Villard Reculas (1480m) at the other side of the mountain also end. Countless t-bars open up the easy slopes next to the village of Alpe d´Huez and there is enough space for the beginners. With the DMC 1er und 2ème Troncon with gondolas for 25 people you can reach the foot of the Pic Blanc at 2700m. The following 630 vertical meters you have to take the aerial tramway Pic Blanc up to the glacier. Below the top station you can ski or ride through the small tunnel with a lenght of neary 200m to get to the front side of Pic Blanc. If you come out of the tunnel you will see the steep runs leading back down to the valley. There are a lot of opportunities to ski or ride through the steep rock chutes down to Lac Blanc from where a short quad takes you back to 2700. On the glacier are mostly intermediate to advanced runs which are opend up with the Glacier quad. The other quad Herpie open up runns of all levels of difficulty and ends at 3060m where also the funitel Marmottes III ends. Very recommondabe is the advanced run Saranne with a lenght of 16km and a difference in height of 1800m from Pic Blanc down to Connexion Auris. At the mid station you can load the high speed quad Alpauris to reach Alpe d´Huez again. The last part of the run is a flat way and before you reach the lift to Alpe d´Huez you can take the quad Lombaros to Auris en Oisans where about 10 more chair- and skilifts open up wide slopes below the Signal de l´Homme (2176m). The runs are going down to La Garde at an elevation of 1500m. At the end of the Sarenne run you can have a break at the nice hut La Combe Haute before you continue your ski day.

On the right side of Alpe d´Huez the high speed six person chair Romains, the quad Fontbelle and some t-barts open up easy terrain. With the six person gondolas Marmottes I and II you can reach the Clocher de Macle from where you have connection with the funitel Marmottes III up to the glacier, or you have the choice between some advanced runs below the powerful rock face.

Runs of all levels of difficulty guide back to the village of Alpe d´Huez. More long runs are in the valley next to Alpe d´Huez, like for example down to Oz en Oisans, L´Enversin d´Oz und La Villette. Via Vaujany, L´Alpette and the Dome des Petites Rousses you come back to Alpe d´Huez. The runs are nearly all abouve the tree line on wide slopes with only a few exceptions down to the villages of L´Enversin d´Oz, Oz en Oisans and La Garde.

We recommend to have your lunch at the village of Alpe d´Huez, e.g. at the small restaurant Au Ble Noir at the base station of the cableway Telecentre near the tourist office as there are no good restaurants on the slopes. There is no real après ski at Alpe d´Huez you can have a glass of wine or you can visit the large outdoor pool in the center of the village - attention no swim shorts are allowed, only with bathing suits.