Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez is a large and popular ski resort in the Isère department, near Grenoble, on the southern slopes of the Grandes Rousses massif in the Dauphiné Alps. Founded in 1936 as a health resort, Alpe d'Huez is today one of the larger ski areas in France. It offers as many as 220 km of pistes, 16 km of which belong to the famous "Sarenne", the longest black piste in Europe, which takes an hour and a half to ski on average. It starts on the Sarenne glacier, a year-round ski area, and runs all the way down to the village of Huez. Most of the local slopes, however, are best suited to relaxed recreational skiing, which is why families with children make up a large share of the skiers who come here. Advanced skiers have a wide choice of black pistes (besides the Sarenne, the most famous is the very difficult run from Le Pic Blanc, "Le Tunnel"). The snowmaking system works flawlessly, and even when natural snow is short, all the villages and pistes of the area stay linked and can be reached without taking your skis off. The ski terrain on the slopes of the Grandes Rousses, covering a total of 10,000 ha, is linked to the villages of Auris, Oz en Oisans, Villard Reculas, Vaujany and La Garde. Thanks to its south-facing slopes, the resort enjoys an above-average number of hours of sunshine a year, which has even earned it the nickname "Island of the Sun". From Le Pic Blanc (3,330 m), which towers over the area, there are superb views of the Mont Blanc, Mont Cervin and Meije massifs. Alpe d'Huez has a lot to offer snowboarders. Besides excellent freeride terrain, boarders will certainly be interested in the "Espace Nature Surf" snow park (with a halfpipe and boardercross, among other features). Beyond its varied ski terrain, the resort offers visitors other attractions too. The list of sports you can take up on a winter holiday in Alpe d'Huez is encouragingly long. The Palais des Sports et des Congres, a modern sports and conference centre in Huez, offers as many as 26 sports, including climbing, golf, squash, tennis and swimming. Two important local attractions should not be missed either: the ice cave at 2,700 m, which is open to visitors, and the trip up Le Pic Blanc (3,330 m), with a magnificent panorama of the highest massifs of the Alps. Lovers of good food and a good time will certainly not leave Huez disappointed. The village has a wide choice of restaurants, cafés and clubs. For classical music lovers, the Notre-Dame des Neiges centre hosts weekly concerts by world-class musicians. New for winter 2006/2007: * Alpe d'Huez is twinned with Bormio in Italy. In April 2005 the link between Bormio and Alpe d'Huez became official, and real cooperation between the two resorts began. This year holders of an Alpe d'Huez season pass will be able to ski for 6 days in Bormio and Livigno. * Les Grandes Alpes: 468 km of pistes. In the coming season the Les 2 Alpes and Alpe d'Huez ski areas are covered by one ski pass (minimum 6 days). Each resort makes its terrain available to skiers for 2 days. From the events calendar: * 22 to 23 December 2006: the 11th Trophée Andros, Alpe d'Huez. This exciting motor race on ice puts on a real show on the Eclose circuit in the heart of the resort. * 16 to 21 January 2007: "Star of Laughter", the 10th International Comedy Film Festival in Alpe d'Huez. As the first major film event of 2007, the festival presents 8 feature-length comedy premieres and about 10 short films. * 24 to 28 January 2007: the 3rd Les integrales de l'Alpe d'Huez, a gathering of 4-wheel-drive cars (meetings, car tests in winter conditions, "art de vivre").