It is one of the five largest ski resorts in France . Located at the foot of Europe’s largest skiable glacier – Mont de Lance. Nearby is the La Grave glacier. From here you can go down to the village of La Grav – a favorite place for extreme lovers.

Les Des Alpes is a small village located at the bottom of a mountain range. It is stretched along the main street. There is no center here, as such, the resort has grown haphazardly for many years in a row, so many architectural styles have merged in it: from old chalets to elaborate buildings of recent years, wooden or wood-trimmed buildings “in keeping with the old” built in the neighborhood and modern hotels with glass and concrete. Les Des Alpes evokes conflicting feelings. The main peak and the snow on most of the slopes above 2100 m make a very pleasant impression, and the youngsters may enjoy the raucous night life.

Nearest airports: Grenoble (75 km), Lyon (160 km), Geneva (220 km).

For snowboarders: a board park, a border cross track and two half pipes in the Tora sector. The Mondial du Snowboard competition is held every year in Les Des Alpes.

The winter season is from the beginning of November to the beginning of May.

Summer skiing on the largest glacier in Europe from June 21 to August 30.

The maximum height of the upper station of the lift is 3570 m. Fairly high slopes and northern slopes guarantee good snow even in low-snow winters, but the network of trails here is insufficient for a large resort.

Business card

French Les-des-Alpes in numbers:

Resort height (m) 1650

The minimum height of the tracks (m) is 1600

Maximum height of tracks (m): 3566

Track length (km): 220

Number of tracks: 76

Green: 22

Blue: 25

Red: 21

Black: 8

Number of lifts: 43

Telecabin: 5

Armchairs: 25

Bugelnykh: 16

Capacity (people / hour): 66800

Number of running tracks (km): 21

What to see, where to visit

The most interesting sights in the vicinity of Les des Alpes are an ice grotto at an altitude of 3,200 m, the Maison de la Montagne local history museum, an alpine farm that offers tourists fresh rural products, the traditional village of Venosque, the climb to which is over a deep gorge, the Mountaineering Museum in the village of St. Christophe, etc.

The Grotto de Glace Ice Labyrinth is located at an altitude of 3400 meters above sea level. An ordinary lift will take you to the cave. Visitors are presented with a 120-meter-long labyrinth with intricate figures carved out of ice. Tourists visit this place even in the warm season, as the cave is located on a glacier and there are always sub-zero temperatures. The cave was dug many years ago by local mountain guides 30 meters below the surface of the glacier, and later figures appeared in it. Sculptors come to the labyrinth every year to update their creations.

Venosk is a mountain village 8 minutes away by lift from the Les des Alpes resort. Here you will see the life of a mountain alpine village of past centuries: wooden mountain huts, narrow stone-paved streets and benches with local delicacies. Venosk has its own stone castle, but it looks somewhat like a toy. Visit the village if you are tired of the noise and crowds of Les des Alpes during the peak tourist season.

Tracks, slopes, lifts

Those who prefer off-piste skiing head to the slopes of La Meije and Col des Ruillans, to the small village of La Grave: this is where the famous “Valley of Extreme” is located, with excellent snow and many wooded and rocky areas.

From the Fe chairlift, descents to the Combe de Thuy gorge are possible, the most famous descents are marked on the map. The steepest “black” track starts from the upper station of the Super-Dyable lift, where you can ride off-piste between the rocks. On the main northern slopes in the upper part of the region, there are very good opportunities for skiers who like fast descents. Less experienced fans just need not to speed up, but you must ride here – the snow is very good.

In the lower part of the slopes, the tracks are steep, often icy, skiing here can be disappointing. Only the lower tracks, near the village, are perfect for beginners – they are wide, with soft snow. Beginner skiers are best suited to the wide slopes above the resort, as well as the pistes leading from the Mont de Lans glacier to the Cretes station at an altitude of 2,100 m, below which the hilly descents for professionals begin. Among the difficult routes, you can mention the descents of Super Diable, Aymes or Le Grand Couloir on the northern slope of the Tete Moute peak.

For lovers of cross-country skiing – 20 km of relatively short prepared tracks.

A special pride of Les-des-Alpes are 2 snow parks, which are considered to be almost the best in France. Both are located on the glacier, which allows them to work even in summer. 10 skating zones, a half-pipe and other park features are of interest to both “advanced” snowboarders and beginners.

2 ski schools are open in Les des Alpes: Evolution 2 and European Ski and Snowboard School, where you can take group or individual lessons in snowboarding, skiing, freeride, slopestyle, etc.

Entertainment and active recreation

There is a lively resort life in Les Des Alpes. Many restaurants with good French cuisine, including inexpensive ones. For gourmets, restaurants located at the bottom, and not near the tracks, are better. There are swimming pools, a central heated outdoor pool (free with a ski pass), an outdoor skating rink on the central street. Many night bars, 4 discos.

Les des Alpes in France offers its guests a full range of active entertainment: snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, glacier walks, snowmobiling, paragliding, swimming pools, saunas, an ice rink, tennis, bowling and much more. Spectacular descents with burning torches are regularly arranged in the evenings, and during the winter season quite extreme competitions such as Mondial du Snowboard, Mondial du Ski, World Border Cross Games, etc. are held.

In the summer months, mountain biking, kayaking or canoeing, skydiving, etc. are popular.

Karting on ice is a rare winter pastime, not available at all ski resorts. In Les des Alpes, you can ride cars only 2 days a week: on Thursday from 15:00 to 18:30 and on Friday from 21:15 to 23:00. A round trip takes 6 minutes and will cost 3.80 euros.

Local cuisine and wines

There are more than 50 restaurants and bars in the Les des Alpes resort: restaurants of Savoy and French cuisine (Le Cellier, Brasserie L’entracte, le Raisin d’Ours, etc.), Italian restaurants and pizzerias (Pizza Cyan, La Vetrata), cozy taverns where you can have a great time with a company (Smithys Tavern, Smokey Joe’s, The Red Frog, etc.). The town is also famous for its lively nightlife: there are 4 clubs with discos and many pubs where young people have fun until the morning.

Family vacation

For children from six months to 2 years old, the resort has a crèche (near the Cretes station), from 2 to 6 years old – Le Bonhomme de Neige kindergarten, for those who are older (6-12 years old) – a leisure center Center de Loisirs. Ski schools accept children from the age of 5, and most hotels provide nannies and animators.

Where to stay

Les des Alpes in France has a significant number of hotels. It should be noted that high-rise hotel complexes predominate here, and cozy chalets and apartments, familiar to the Alpine public, began to appear here relatively recently, but you can find something suitable for yourself from this housing category as well.

Hotels are concentrated in the center of the resort, close to the lifts, which makes it possible to ski right from the door. For the maximum convenience of vacationers, a free ski bus plies the streets.

It is better to stay in the north of the town, there is less busy traffic, there are many hotels and shops, and the lower station of the Diable gondola is nearby.

Hotel le Chalet

Hotel Le Chalet is located 150 m from the ski lifts in Les des Alpes, just 20 km from the Vénosc theme park. It offers ski storage, free private parking and free Wi-Fi in public areas.

Rooms at Le Chalet are decorated in a mountain style and equipped with an LCD TV. All rooms have a bathroom and some have a balcony. Guests can also stay in fully equipped apartments with a terrace.

From autumn to spring, breakfast is served every morning in the garden-facing breakfast room for in-room guests.

The Les des Alpes mini golf course is just a 10-minute walk away. You can also visit Lake Chambon, a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

Hôtel Club mmv Le Panorama *** 3-star hotel

This hotel is located in the heart of the UAZ mountain range, at the entrance to the Les des Alpes ski resort, 100 m from the ski lift. Guests have free access to the spa with sauna, hammam, hot tub and hydromassage shower.

Each room at Club MMV Le Panorama features a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom. The windows offer a view of the mountains.

Savoyard cuisine is served once a week in the hotel’s restaurant, where thematic evenings are held. A continental breakfast is served daily. Guests can enjoy drinks in the hotel bar by the fireplace or on the terrace in warm weather.

Free Wi-Fi is available at the reception desk. The hotel has a children’s club. For an additional fee, you can order a massage session.

Chalet Mounier 4-star hotel

Hotel Chalet Mounier is located in the ski resort of Les des Alpes, 150 meters from 2 ski lifts. It offers 3 restaurants, a spa with an indoor heated pool and a seasonal outdoor pool.

The rooms and suites have a flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a private bathroom with a bath or shower, a hairdryer and free toiletries. Some rooms open onto a balcony or terrace.

A continental breakfast is served each morning in the dining area or in the guest rooms. The hotel features the Michelin-starred Le p’tit Polyte restaurant, the modern Chalet Mounier restaurant and the Le Jardin du Chalet restaurant in summer. Drinks can be ordered at the bar with a fireplace.

Spa 5 Mondes offers facial and body treatments. Guests can relax in the sauna, Turkish bath or hot tub. A fitness room and a heated ski storage room are available.

Chalet Mounier is close to the golf course and the tourist office. The hotel overlooks Ekrenom National Park.

How to get there

The nearest international airport is located in Grenoble (75 km), where you can fly from Ukraine in the winter season by charter flight or with a connection in one of the European cities. The most convenient way to get from Grenoble to Les des Alpes is by bus, which departs directly from the airport, or by car along the A480, N85 and D1091 routes (about a third of the way goes along the mountain serpentine).