Few resorts in the Alps match Alpe d’Huez for its suitability for skiers and snowboarders at both ends of the skills spectrum. The terrain here is as well suited to experts as it is to beginners , while confident intermediates will have a ball. Alpe d’Huez has grown spectacularly in stature since Polish engineer Jean Pomagalski installed the first drag lift in France here in the 1930s, powered by a Perkins Engine from a First World War American truck.
Pomagalski went on to found the international Poma lift company, while Alpe d’Huez now has the fifth largest ski area in France with 250km of slopes encompassing the slopes of the outlying villages of Auris, Villard Reculas, Oz en Oisans and Vaujany. Stay on track with the essential facts from the resort below, and scroll down for our insider guide to a day on the pistes, expert ratings and advice. For further Alpe d'Huez inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation , restaurants and après ski .
Inside the resort On the slopes Who should go Where to stay How to get there When to go Essential information Alpe d’Huez has great pistes for all standards, a large 250km ski area and reliable snow cover. The slopes go from 1,135m up to a heady 3,330m, while the resort’s Sarenne glacier at the high point of Pic Blanc helps ensure snow cover is sufficient for a long season that stretches from early December to late April. What’s more, it is easy to get to, being a 90-minute drive south-east of Grenoble, th.
