Les Deux Alpes for cautious intermediates?

A snowHead

Hi I am considering either Alpes D'Huez (been before and liked the low key atmosphere) or Les Deux Alpes for a family trip next year - a couple of us are cautious intermediates and I wondered if anyone had suggestions as to whether Les Deux Alpes would be suitable. We like the sound of skiing on the glacier but just don't want the skiing to be too limited for the cautious ones amongst us. Any advice greatly appreicated.

A snowHead

you will love it or hate it
prepared to the risk? I personally would never go back.

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At the end of the day you might want to download on the gondola, other than that lot's of mellow terrain higher up.

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I haven't been to Les Deux Alpes so can't comment on that. I'd recommend Montgenevre or La Rosiere for cautious intermediates. les Saisies would also be very good but is a bit lower so it depends how early or late in the season you are planning to go.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@JuliaLinsT, plenty of green and blue pistes. There's a long blue returning all the way to the valley from the top (Jandri I think), enjoyable but crowded from 15:00 so a cautious intermediate will enjoy it earlier in the day

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There are better resorts IMHO. I think in a survey of SH's as to which resort they wouldn't go back to, it was at number one..

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@JuliaLinsT, the glacier area is rather boring but good for the cautious skiers you mentioned. There are challenging pistes in the Diable sector and of course Valentin, also some unbashed blacks in the mid section.
@Perty, there are many ski resorts a power skier wouldn't return to, but for cautious skiers who wish to save money, L2A is definitely a place to try.
The views are nice, the food is good and Pano bar is a fun place for a quick drink at 14:00.

After all it is free

Avoid the big resorts for cautious & intermediates. Lots of better smaller resorts in France & not full of package holiday tourists.

So bored in L2D that I spent more time in Diablo bar than I did on the pistes after the 2nd day.

I have never, ever been bored whilst skiing. If I had I would find another hobby.

The mind boggles.

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@Whitegoldsbrother, have you been to L2D Toofy Grin

To much effort for so little enjoyment.
Smaller effort for more enjoyment by sitting in the bar during happy hours

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Nervous intermediate - Alta Badia in the wonderful Italian Dolomites.
There's nowhere better

I spent my first ever ski holiday in L2A. I was a nervous beginner. It was [eek!] 1992. While I had nothing to compare it with, the things that I would still say detracted from it being good for beginners and the cautious types included the lack of a skiable piste down the mountain back to resort. (There were nursery slopes at the bottom). I think it was a red run then, so I know the piste has been improved, but generally a single route back to the resort can end up being hard work at the end of the day. The other thing (maybe just me) is that skiing on a glacier can literally take your breath away and be quite intimidating-I have certainly struggled early on with the combination of thinner air and anxiety. There's something psychologically reassuring about skiing in and below the tree line and having a nice ski back to base to finish the day. For comparison, my second ski trip was to Mongenevre which felt much more accessible, even though I was still scared most of the time!

You know it makes sense.

@Perty, can you not download at L2A? I've been skiing for over 30 years and rarely ski down

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@holidayloverxx, what you seem to be doing isn't skiing, it's just called 'riding the lifts' ? wink

A snowHead

I was there too in 92 @Perty, and didn't see you Very Happy

More seriously, I'd agree with the sentiment in your assessment. It's a place that's difficult to reconcile, especially for lower progressing skiers, and the ability to just go out and enjoy it I feel. Certainly a difficult one to give valid opinion to another when considering that group's skill set.

There was epic snow then, with just the little jockey wheels of the drag lift peaking above the snow on the glacier, and a excavtor digging out the lift mechanism at the lift start !

We had a very mixed skill group and remember the difficulties some had returning to village at day's end too, with narrow track and high volumes struggling. Believe there was download even then to facilitate.

We had a good week, but find it hard to recommend to the OP given stated skills.

Of the two, I'd return to Alpe d Huez first.

A snowHead

L2A always used to be a shitshow coming back to resort with the choices basically being a green cattrack and a steep red/black. Downloading was entirely sensible as the overcrowded cattrack was one of the most sketchy places in skiing ( I once bailed off the side to ski some truly awful off piste mank rather than stick around on it). I assume they've terraformed some more options since then.

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Nowt wrong with downloading.
We skied a bit in Val d' Isere last season and I skied to the valley floor twice all holiday and only one of them was at the end of the day.
Tired, chopped snow, etc etc...oh and old.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Whereas ADH is flat around the resort and gets steeper the further up you go, LDA is the opposite. I’d say the former is better for nervous intermediates but YMMV

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ADH for sure. More spread out and easy runs back to base and you're already familiar with it. LDA has seriously steep runs into the valley or the dreaded rat run(s?) and above that feels much more limited.

After all it is free

Folks, you are too harsh. For cautious intermediates, Les 2 Alpes seem to me a safe haven. And it's cheaper than many other French resorts with same pistes length and altitude.
Have a look on the ski map https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/les-2-alpes/trail-map/
Our accommodation was at the entrance to the village (the higher altitude area), this was the only part which needed the Valentin black or the crowded narrow green pist to return. (And this is how I progressed to blacks, sheer desperation of those greens)
The majority of hotels etc. are in the center of the resort so you have the blue Jandri piste or the red one (Diable sector) which were awesome in January a few years ago. Or downloading, of course.
The Mont de Lans red piste is usually empty and a perfect place to progress, less steeper than the Diable. And the views from the other side, top of Vallee Blanche are awesome. This is where I took the photo above.
I haven't returned there because it was too boring and unchallenging, but the OP might see that as an advantage

Interesting that a lot of people wouldn't go back. I'd hit L2A every year, no questions. As a snowboarder even the slightly flat sections on the top aren't that bad, and I think the choice of descents back from the glacier offer some very intermediate friendly terrain. The mention of the shitty green/black descent wasn't an issue when I was there, the zig zag blue run down is pretty easy albeit slushy at the end of the day.

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+1 for the no thanks/no return. Fine, but better options out there.

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IMV the main problem for anyone looking for the easier slopes at L2A is that they are all up on the glacier and the weather is so often awful up there. It’s two long cable cars to reach the glacier and one or other is often closed by high winds.

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Ah ok, maybe I lucked out then cos I had an awesome time.

If one is scared of skiing, then it may be best find an unscary sport.

Like chess.

Otherwise, just do it.

L2A has 56 green and blue trails.

More than enuf to keep everyone happy.

L2A hosts 1 million skiers every season.

It's very popular. Visitors love it. They do just fine.

Don't be afraid.

You know it makes sense.

Just download in the gondola.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I am witnessing some of the usual snobby attitudes on here. Some have to sound so clever.
SKI RESORTS ARE MARMITE.
Ive skied ADH a lot. I love the place.
It is one of the best, most functional resorts around.
It is a fab resort and perfect for anyone progressing at any level.
L2A on the other hand, i havent skied for years, but i have chosen to go this year with my eldest daughter, who is instructor standard and only isnt one as ruptured her ACL 3 weeks before her winter playing netball.
Anyway, L2A was fun, it still looks fun with good apres, lots of food choice etc etc. So its a bit upside down and not that big. Its got a fab vertical, good snow record and isnt pretentious. For this 58yo it looks like it might do ok. I will be happy to ski it bandy in 3 days and then do it all again. I read some nonsense.

A snowHead

@phatcon, it seems equally nonsensical to me to opine on a resort which you haven't visited for years. Almost everything written above is, in fact, practical information from people with experience, for which I expect the OP is grateful.

A snowHead

As someone who did their first full skiing holiday in Les 2 Alpes in January, personally I loved it. Resort has everything you need, the skiable area is huge and loads of open blues, and the fact you can ski from top of glacier to bottom all blue was breathtaking. Theres a few fun runs, everything is signposted and its very difficult to get lost on the mountain (I'm looking at you 3V haha). I was never bored and even went back for a day trip a few months later but granted, I was only there for 3 nights. The accommodation is cheap and if you want a hotel recommendation, we stayed at Hotel les Lutins which was amazing, close to the Jandri and the rest of the bars / shops etc. It is true that the runs closest to the resort get horrible in the late afternoon, but honestly it was part of the fun Laughing

10/10 would recommend Smile

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@JuliaLinsT, I’ve been twice 98 and 2004, and tbh I wouldn’t return out of choice, you need to choose your week, they have a lot of student weeks and not just from the UK, dodging vomit in the streets isnt my cup of tea.
Primarily though the reason I would return is the number of accidents I saw with people being stretchered off, and a lot taken off by helicopter, it left an impression that far too many uncontrolled skiers.
La Thuile would be a good option to consider.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The thing in LDA is not to insist on skiing down at the end of the day. Use the gondola. That actually applies to quite a few resorts, but some people have a psychological problem with it and prefer to make their last run of the day a bit of a battle with less-than-ideal conditions and having to avoid a lot of people picking their way down something too difficult for them.

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I've been to AdH twice and L2A four times, including last year. In my humble opinion, a "cautious" intermediate would likely prefer the wide and easier slopes at the lower part of AdH. It's above the tree line with gorgeous views. A gondola ride and a large outdoor area with restaurant at the top help as well to put someone at ease. A few runs and their confidence will be strong for the rest of the trip.

Between the two, I perosnally prefer L2A, with great skiing up top, especially if later in the season. However, two gondola rides to get to the great skiing can be intimidating for some, and if the weather is rough, can also be a bit scary. After a few pints at Pano Bar on L2A, I always take the gondola down avoiding the slush. The constant helicopter arrivals makes that decision easy Very Happy

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I've been to both several times and would say L2A for nervous intermediates based on length and width of blues available. . .ADH is argaubly a better resort for confident skiers and much more versatile in terms of piste options so depends on how nervous the nervous skiers are. As for downloading at L2A I pretty much do it every time; even after they'd opened the new blue (which although an improvement on the original green death track, can still be chopped up rat run at the back end of the day) its far more relaxing to skip this and take in the view on the gondola when your legs are trashed to enable a smooth transfer to the nearest bar . .

If you're insistent on France Montgenevre is a better option than both - nightlife low key but skiiing really easy (and diverse if required). Conditions (snow quality) also always seem to be consistently better in my experience than either of the aforementioned resorts . . .

Saying that Obergurgl in Austria would be my pick over all of them for your party - its Austria for a start (which instantly elevates the state of play) but also the lack of snowboarders but with more grey haired, capable and polite skiers makes for a more relaxed holiday . .

After all it is free

@phatcon, how does that change the fact you "havent skied [LDA] for years"?

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A few years since we did L2A but the main takeaway from it for me was the terrain was great for beginners and intermediates, especially up top (even if it is a bit barren), and there was always a green/blue (Demoiselles?) for when the main runs under the Diable/Jandri lifts weren't to your liking. I also remember Vallee Blanche being totally overlooked and a great place to muck around.

Help!!

Les Deux Alpes for cautious intermediates?

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