 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
Alpe d'Huez (EDIT - now booked in the Les Bergers part) is our ski destination for mid-January, due to a combination of good prices. I've a million questions:
What are people's opinions / for Les Bergers & Alpe d'Huez? Is there a convenient / reasonably priced supermarkets?
Views or tips about the wider Alpe d'Huez ski area would be welcome as well. Do you think there's a good likelihood of the lower runs (e.g. to Vaujany, and the Sarenne) being open at that time of year?
I'm happy on any piste, but my partner's only had about 10 days on snow. He skied the blacks in the SkiWelt with little difficulty, but they were mostly straightforward compared to those I've skied on in France. Can anyone give a rundown of the blacks in Alpe d'Huez? Or any particular runs to try first or avoid altogether?
Thanks!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 18-09-14 13:11; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oz is a rather lovely resort.
On the plus side: small, compact and traffic free. Access to the slopes above ADH is very good, the village being served by two gondolas. Generally speaking no queues except at ski school time.
There are a couple of runs back down to the village. These can get quite icy and/or chopped up and crowded, although mid-January should be quieter than the peak weeks. You probably need to be a red run standard skier to negotiate these.
One of the advantages of Oz is that you can access the Vaujany side of the resort (via the Alpette left); or the slopes above ADH (using the Poutran gondola). In relation to the Vaujany side, there are some lovely blues heading down towards Vaujany but it's not possible to ski all the way down to the village (the runs do not extend that far).
In January there should be plenty of snow. Height/altitude is not a problem.
On the minus side, no nightclubs (personally I regard this as a huge positive, but then I'm grumpy and middle-aged). Village restaurants are pretty decent but not out of this world. There are also a couple of good but restrained bars. Also, Oz is in a valley and so it can get slightly grey in January.
ADH is a good resort. The skiing is varied and fairly extensive. Big wide gentle greens above ADH (accessed via the Poutran lift); lots of good red runs and a selection of black runs, some of which are tricky (the Tunnel). It's possible to get some huge vertical in (2000 m), very impressive, especially when compared to the Austrian resorts (although Austrian après knocks French après into a cocked hat).
I'm told that there is a lot of off piste but I'm a rotten skier so sadly, haven't experienced it.
Quite a few good restaurants on the mountain and prices are not quite as steep as some of the mega French results.
Book your ski pass at least 10 days in advance and you receive a substantial discount. Family ski passes are available and again can save you money.
I'm sure you'll have a great time. We liked it so much we bought a place there.
If you pm me, I can send you an information sheet that we send to our guests.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Alpe d'Huez is a large resort with lots going on. Went there for the last open week at Easter and still there was loads of snow. And it snowed. Some of the lower slopes were a bit slushy but higher up there was no problem. The runs down to Oz are good. The strange thing is that the runs over at Auris en Oisans stick in my mind. Maybe it was because I was looking for Marmottes from the chair lifts. The chair lift over to that side is a great ride. If able do the Sarenne from Pic Blanc. Its 13km long, obviously not all down hill, well it is down hill but not black all the way!, but is something to tell people about. The Tunnel is also another tickable bucket list entry but make sure its the last item on the list, it wasn't the last on my list so I didn't do it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've skied at AdH at Easter. Skiing down to Oz is a lovely run and had plenty of coverage when we were there (April 2012).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks all! We've booked in Alpe d'Huez itself now (slightly easier transfers, more going in the town, and ability to get to Les Deux Alpes for a day or two by bus), but I'm sure we'll get across to all areas during the week.
jonty, Coops*, I'm looking forward to Le Tunnel, but haven't decided whether to drag my other half down it!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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denfinella, do not drag your partner down Le Tunnel. Partly because they won't need dragging, after the first turn it is fairly easy to bounce, slide and fall the rest of the way. It is a long walk, having peered over the edge, for anyone who decides to go back through the tunnel while having a bit of a cry on the way. I'm not a particularly bad skier, and I will attempt almost any run in most resorts, and Le Tunnel was not in any way fun when I did it a few years ago. I am probably a bit better now than I was then, and I would only do it if feeling particularly enthusiastic on fresh legs, and would quite likely fall at some stage on the way down it - almost certainly as a result of either avoiding one of the casualties somewhere on the slope, or someone careering down it at speed.
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There is a shopping centre pretty much at the bottom of the Marmottes chair. There is a reasonable supermarket, a handful of ski shops (including hire) and the usual whistling marmottes.
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From a TR a few years ago:
| Cacciatore wrote: |
Some of my favourites:
La Fare – a black run from the blue Chalets beneath L’Alpette 2050 that winds down through the trees to L’Enversin d’OZ. A very pretty run that isn’t always skiable right down to the lift to Vaujany. It is now! And well worth it, more than once 
Vaujaniate – a blue with some steep sections that winds down the valley from Montfrais to Vaujany. Another pretty and fun run.
Violettes – although a green above the ADH main resort, hardly ever used with some fun rollers – a great run for honing carving technique and getting some air out of harms way.
Les Rousses – a red from 2700m (top of DMC, 2eme Troncon). A main link to Montfrais and fast and technical.
Petite Prince – a blue down to Villard Reculas. Not overly demanding but with some wide, cruisy sections, some narrow and a very pleasant, South-facing piste side bar/restaurant to end with 
Souveraine and onto Villard – a very fast, wide red from Signal 2115 down to Villard Reculas. A thrilling rollercoaster that left me with a wide grin......at least until I skied into a thick bank of cloud where vis went to zero in about 2m!! Then it was more grin and bare
Sarenne – well it had to be in there . The 17 km/11 mile run from Pic Blanc. This black run has it all, bumps, steeps, chopped up, fast, narrow, technical and then a lovely track winding through the trees and rocks. It was a bit rubbly in parts and to be honest I hadn’t quite got my ski legs back, so was a bit knackered afterwards. But it is fun, especially in the excellent conditions that currently exist.
To be honest, there are so many terrific runs and so many that I didn’t manage to get to – Campanules, Combe Charbonniere, Edelwiess, Col de Cluy to mention but a few.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Cacciatore, thanks, that's a great list!
Mistress Panda, thanks for the warning. Perhaps that's one to go alone on then
LittleRob, good to hear about the supermarkets. We've booked ski hire already!
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I should ask, has anybody stayed in Odalys Residence Le Christiania? Any good? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The Tunnel is fine if conditions are right. Basically you need it to have softened up a bit. Which to be fair in mid-Jan might never happen! But if the suns out, early afternoon, while many are still lunching it can be quiet and pleasant to ski.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Le Tunnel looks horrific in all the YT vids I've seen!! But I'm a wuss.
I've been to ADH 3 times, but many years ago. I just remember there being a vast amount of piste, and you could schuss to the bottom of the white eggs (which I think were replaced some years ago).
I'd like to go back now I'm much more experienced, as I was still a learner back then.
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Thanks, will wait for a sunny day and aim for the lunch period. Anyway, shouldn't obsess about one run as there are 249km* other pistes to explore. We probably have more fun on blues and reds anyway.
If anyone has stayed at Odalys Residence Le Christiania, it'd be good to hear about their experience.
*nothwithstanding the Schrahe report
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You know it makes sense.
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Hello looking into a family trip a wee bit discounted by my ski company but still paying for ski passes etc and trying to keep price down - we are one good skier 2 average and 2 beginners who may or may not ski - can you advise best deal for ski passes to keep cost down . Thanks Peter
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Have just realised our visit to Alpe d'Huez this year coincides with the Alpe d'Huez film festival. Although it might be exciting (and we might be able to go to some of the events), apparently it attracts 15,000 visitors. Do you think this is likely to affect the skiing experience (queues, crowds)? Presumably it'll be more difficult to find a restaurant in the evening...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Some TO's offer 2 for 1 passes on occasion keano16, or buy one get one half price, worth seeing if any of them are advertising anything like this.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi guys,
Was wondering whether anybody can recommend the best way to get weekly ski passes (DIY) for Alpe d'Huez? They don't seem to be any cheaper if you order them in advance, but would it be easier to get them posted (and if so, can you get them sent to the UK) than to buy them in resort (probably on a Sunday morning)?
We're going mid-January.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've pre ordered all ours already because we don't get into resort until 5pm so didn't want to be messing around on the first morning. Took 4 days to arrive.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| denfinella wrote: |
| Have just realised our visit to Alpe d'Huez this year coincides with the Alpe d'Huez film festival. Although it might be exciting (and we might be able to go to some of the events), apparently it attracts 15,000 visitors. Do you think this is likely to affect the skiing experience (queues, crowds)? Presumably it'll be more difficult to find a restaurant in the evening... |
We were there last year in January. And no, it wont 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Craig G, thanks. Will probably do that too if you found it easy enough.
kiteman69, good to know. It's hard to tell from the advertising just how big an event it is!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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denfinella, you can go to L2A by helicopter. Maximum 5 people last year it was €99 each but book it before you go or on first day as its on the Thursday and they need to fill chopper coming the other way too. We couldn't do it as there were 6 of us and we waited to book while there but wasn't possible. So we just took bus it takes about 1 1/2 hr.
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| denfinella wrote: |
| Craig G, thanks. Will probably do that too if you found it easy enough |
Yeah it was a doddle
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denfinella - I've ordered the passes before and they came very quickly. I think the second time we went, I topped up our lift passes as we'd kept them from the previous season and that all worked smoothly too.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks all!
So once the ski passes are posted out you can literally just turn up in resort and slide onto the lifts?
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@denfinella, Yes, provided that you bought them from the SATA website and your first lift is in Alpe d'Huez, if you are staying in Vaujany or Oz it is best to buy them from their website otherwise they will not work until they have been validated by your first passage on an Alpe d'Huez lift. That is how it worked last year anyway and it is because operation of the lifts is now split between SATA (basically Alpe d'Huez lift company) and the Oz Vaujany consortium. Only needs to be done the once the first time you use the pass.
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FAQ
