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Resorts > France (187) > Les Deux Alpes

Visitor reviews for Les Deux Alpes Ski Resort

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• April 18, 2013
  Mayer from France
  

  Le prix des forfaits devraient êtres moins chers en fin de saison vue le nbre de pistes fermées ainsi que la qualité de la neige en dessous de 2600.

• Les Deux Alpes Ratings

  Based on 21 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.9 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Les Deux Alpes.	Public Transport: 4.3 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Les Deux Alpes, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.3 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.8 (1) No places to stay in/near Les Deux Alpes, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 4.4 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.5 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Les Deux Alpes.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.7 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.7 (1) There are no child care facilities at Les Deux Alpes, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.7 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Les Deux Alpes is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.4 (1) Les Deux Alpes relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.7 (1) There are no snow groomers at Les Deux Alpes, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Les Deux Alpes are groomed daily.	Shelter: 3.4 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Les Deux Alpes is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 3.9 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Les Deux Alpes, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.6 (1) Les Deux Alpes usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.4 (1) The staff at Les Deux Alpes are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Les Deux Alpes are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.7 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.8 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.9 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.5 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Les Deux Alpes has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.5 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.5 (1) No intermediate terrain at Les Deux Alpes, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 4.5 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 4.6 (1) Not even a kicker at Les Deux Alpes, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 4.4 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 3.7 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Les Deux Alpes, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 3.1 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Les Deux Alpes has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.4 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.7 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 4.6 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 4.3 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 4.0 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.7 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 4.0 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 4.3 (1) Overall, Les Deux Alpes is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.1 (1) Overall, Les Deux Alpes is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 21 votes. Vote

• March 05, 2013
  Girardin from France
  

  Super station pour bons skieurs! Neige toujours excellente merci aux préparateurs!! Bons restos sur les piste surtout la Fée et le Diable au cœur!!!

• January 11, 2013
  lee james from United Kingdom
  

  Excellent resort, as we know it's upside down! The Blue run at the glacier of Signal1 is a dream for cruisers, sometimes better to reject the long narrow green run Demoisseles back to village and try a steady run back via the Black of Diable1, not as difficult as it appears if you use common sense and less populated. Or if you would rather, work the glacier and then return on the Jandri Express. Overall, good snow and not as busy as some French resorts.

• December 18, 2012
  Daz from United Kingdom
  

  Ok, I'm in Les Deux Alps right now and it has snowed everyday since Friday.
  Upper runs are still empty as visibility is poor in the mornings due to the mist and snow but the skiing is excellent at the top, if you have a decent pair of goggles on with the right lenses in. Lower runs are still not that bad but there are a lot of ski school lessons going on; mostly English people,

• September 27, 2012
  John Allen from United Kingdom
  

  Les Deux Alpes is our preferred ski choice and has been for the last 6 years. We love it, although sometimes there is a little too much dog mess on the pavements, everything else is spot on.

  My only wish for L2A is that they finalise the secondary return run into the village from Cretes. Le Demoiselles return run can get very crowded and sometimes the snow suffers badly.

  Well done, you are doing an excellent job.

  [note from the editor: individuals are not referred to amongst the reviews]

• March 16, 2012
  Ben Williams from France
  

  I have recently spent a week in Les Deux Alpes staying with friends.
  The ski area is very extensive with a large glacier offering green runs at the top of the resort. However, due to the high altitude at the top (3600m) it can be quite windswept and very cold. Don’t base your clothing choices on the temperature in resort as it can drop dramatically the further up the mountain you go. The ski area is big, but I would say it is quite linear and you seem to end up on the same slopes again and again when trying to get between different ski areas. Saying that however, it has an amazing snow park (where a lot of the pro's train, year round), and they have 2 chairlifts directly feeding this as well as a button lift feeding the larger jumps.
  At mid-station there is a bar called Pano which has a happy hour from 3-4pm and is always very busy at that time of day. Prices are quite high as it is actually half way up the mountain but it is an experience that needs to be seen at least once on your trip.
  Après-ski in this resort is limited as there are not many bars actually next to the bottom of the slopes but if you head into town there is always a great atmosphere at the Polar Bear Pub with friendly staff and a truly 'mountain chalet' style feel. This seems to be one of the busiest bars and regularly has entertainment from live music around après time to a DJ later in the evenings. Smithies and Mini bar also gets a mention as it seems people congregate or meet up there later in the evenings and these can always turn into really good venues to finish off your nights.
  All in all, a good holiday with lots of great memories and I would not hesitate to recommend Les Deux Alpes for a week away.

• October 21, 2011
  Will Corder - Ecrins Lodge from France
  

  Having owned my own chalet business in Les Deux Alpes for the past 5 years, my only criticism has been the morning queues on busy weeks to get up the mountain and the lack of a good quality, well maintained easy runs back to the resort. Thankfully the resort in under new ownership and this company is addressing these problems for the 2012 season. Firstly they are replacing the ancient Diable (red eggs) with a high speed 6 person chairlift which will double the current uplift capacity to over 2000 people an hour. In addition Les Deux Alpes are creating a brand new blue run from the top of this gondola, close to La Cretes area which will head out in the direction of the Venosc valley before heading back to the lower slopes in front of the resort. Fingers crossed this will eliminate the need for the beginner and intermediate skier to queue up to down load at the end of the day. Finally new snow cannons are being built on the Diable black run which also feeds into the lower slopes. Hats off to the Compagnie des Alpes. Chapeau.

• April 22, 2011
  Mari Wall from Ireland
  

  We returned from 2 Alpes (Les Deux Alpes) on March 12th. This is our second year visiting and once again we were so satisfied with the resort. The sun shone every day but this did not really effect the state of the piste. All runs except the green back to the village were open. The views from the top are incredible. The run from the top of the glacier down is amazing. We'll go back next year as our 3 children love it too.

• April 18, 2011
  Sadie Thomas from United Kingdom
  

  Just got back from L2A (Les Deux Alpes) on 16th April. I was very impressed with the state of the snow/pistes on the mountain considering how warm it got during the day. Never been skiing in such warm temperatures before! Such a shame so many runs were closed. I would definitely go back earlier in the season to make the most of the whole area.
  The accommodation was great, stayed at Chalet Alexandre. The rooms were excellent, dinner was 3 courses every night and we could not fault it at all. Bus stop right outside to take us to the main lift or a 300yard walk to the "red egg" We would recommend this chalet to anyone.
  Plenty of excursions for the non-skiers in our party of 16 to do also, and lots of shops & restaurants to explore in the town.

  A very pleasant holiday and would go back to L2A,

• April 17, 2011
  Jane from United Kingdom
  

  I have just returned from a week in the resort of Les Deux Alpes and had a wonderful time. There was plenty of snow higher up on the glacier and a good choice of runs for the intermediate skier. The views right at the top were absolutely beautiful and once you have disembarked from the Jandri Express it is well worth while taking the T-Bar right to the very top.

  I hired my skis and boots from the Inter Sports shop next to the Windsor Pub and the staff there were extremely friendly and helpful. I paid 45 Euros there for my ski and boot hire and left them there every evening after a day's skiing.

  This is a wonderful resort for late skiing and whilst there the weather was absolutely beautiful. Thoroughly recommend it.

• April 11, 2011
  Rick Paris from United Kingdom
  

  Just returned from a very sunny L2A (Les Deux Alpes) on the 10th April. With so little snow around this spring (been a poor season in France) we got a lot of skiing in at this fine resort. Maybe not as extensive/varied as the top 2/3 French areas but with slopes extending up to well over 3300mts, there are plenty to occupy most people and well worth considering any time of season for a mixed ability group.

  Congratulations and thanks to the excellent L2A pisteurs for keeping the runs in the best condition possible during the snow drought.

  The town was a very pleasant surprise and the dramatic scenery at the "red egg" end of town has to be seen to be believed. The view from the cliff edge overlooking Venosc village must be one of the wonders of France, worth the price of the visit on its own, well almost! Don't know why no one has mentioned it before.

  Stayed at the "Alpine Elements" Hotel Genepi, Staff were great, food very good and the hotel okay if a little tired, esp in the bedrooms, but understand they are part way through a refurb so should get better with time. The location was good too, only 4 mins walk to the "Diablo" red egg lift. Night life was great, something for everyone, bowling, cinema, swimming etc, plus loads of bars and restaurants of almost every type too, inc Tex-Mex.

  Would book again like a shot. Enjoy

• March 30, 2011
  DODE MARTIAL from France
  

  About: March 06, 2011
  Danny White from United Kingdom

  Aalborg Sports Hire - Les Deux Alpes
  My name is Martial Dode and I am Aalborg shop owner. I have seen this customer who complains about the price that we have made paid for a "lost helmet".

  On Tuesday, he came and say: I have paid enough for Neilson, I don't have to pay for a lost helemt.

  We explained that we are not "Neilson company" and that if every guests do like this , we will have many difficulties at the end of the season......

  On Wednesday hE said that whatever it could happen, he'll not pay for that.
  We answered that he should explain his problem to Neilson's reps. Bust he didn't.

  On Thursday, he finally asked about the price; we informed him about 90 euros (let him try to show on the web our invoice).

  On Friday he made a real trial to pay only 50 euros with a very aggressive and ungentlemanly attitude in the shop, especially with our manager, Carlos.
  He explained that he will show us as stolers and the web site, if he paid that.

  Even if we tried to explain him that we are very focalized on the "rental and locker"; so the price of the helemt is not based for us on it's price but on the rentabilty to the end of the season, the customer didn't want to understand anything.

  The worst is that because of that sort of attitude, in every shop of the French Alps, customers are asked to let their passport or deposit with their credit card on the desk before hiring equipments.

  And the best way in this bad story is that this customers also complained because he was obliged to let us a ID Card before the rent.

  We definitely know now that if we didn't take his id card, we were not paid (only 90.00 euros).
  Probably, if he was more cool, we should have made a discount but every thing was not correct with this man: words, attitudes,a kind of "patronizing attitude" from who has paid you know ?

  We apologies for the bad feeling this customer had, but many people who tasted our services, particularly these from "the other side of the town" know that our product is a good solution for ski holidays in family.

  We will try to do better next time...............

  Martial dode
  Les Deux Alpes

• March 28, 2011
  Barnaby Lassen from United Kingdom
  

  I was in Les Deux Alps w/c 21st March and couldn’t have had a better trip. The snow was fantastic, the park was in great condition and it was sunny all week. We had some snowboard freestyle lessons which really helped us to jib and progress in the park. Well worth booking a private lesson if there are a few of you around at the same standard. As it’s late on in the season you may find you keep doing the same runs as the snow is way better up top. Other things that may get on your goat are the 6 euro beers (fairly standard in France) and amount of dog poo on the streets. Other than that I’d thoroughly recommend the place. Unbelievable portion sizes in some of the restaurants on the slopes. Avoid Chalet Alice as well as it was really run down. I won’t go into detail as I’m reviewing the resort not the chalet.

  I’d certainly go back.
  Enjoy.

• March 18, 2011
  Rob from United Kingdom
  

  Returned from Les Deux Alpes on 12 March after a great week's skiing :-)

  We were a bit worried about the lack of snow at resort level when we arrived, and indeed the pistes at resort level were icy in the morning and slushy by the afternoon. However, this wasn't a problem as once we got above the resort (via the Jandri lifts in our case) the skiing was fantastic and the pistes were not adversely affected by the warm conditions affecting resort level ski areas. The variety of runs is good given that the overall pisted area is relatively small compared to some ski areas. My wife learned to ski last year in Avoriaz and so this was only her second season. Being a mixed ability couple L2A was fantastic as were able to ski together on the plentiful blue runs throughout the area (which we couldn't do last year), even at the top run on the glacier at 3650m where you can really appreciate the stunning surrounding scenery. Our friends learned to ski at the resort level pistes this year but by the end of the week were also able ski on the uppermost few blue runs, although some of the other blues (e.g. Jandri / Fee) would probably have been too much for them.

  The lift system was mixed. There are some very modern and efficient lifts, as well as some particularly antiquated ones, but overall they served the area reasonably well and access to all the zones was easy and logical. Some lifts and pistes were very busy, particularly so because some of the French schools were still on holiday and the Belgians were on half-term too, but it was bearable and you can get away from the majority of the crowds until it's time to return back towards the resort access points. The green run back to the L2A was closed while we were there, presumably due to the poor conditions lower down, but one of the black runs was open. I didn't attempt this as I chose to stay with the Mrs! Getting the 'white egg' back down to the town was actually fine (this was something I was feeling a bit negative about prior to the holiday).

  We found the locals to be very friendly and helpful, with many speaking good English (but it's still polite to make an effort to speak some French, even if it's only Parlez vous Anglais?).

  We were initially slightly disappointed with the town itself, it's not the prettiest resort on the block, but we actually grew to like it. Although we didn't go out much (to save cash!!), there is a good variety of pubs, bars and restaurants etc to explore. The supermarket was reasonably priced and we managed a very economical week on a tight budget, including drinking beer and / or wine every night!

  In terms of the weather, we had a fantastic week in the sun from arrival day (Sat 5th March) to the Friday - so a lovely bit of well needed sun and warmth as well as great snow - perfect skiing conditions! We also managed to ski until 3pm on the day we left (Sat 12th) as we booked late flight and with the relatively short transfer. It was cloudy in the morning and by the time we got to the glacier the weather had really closed in with low cloud, snow and high winds. Some of the lifts were closed due to the wind and visibility was difficult, but the fresh snow was great! Lower down around Les Cretes area, for example, was fine.

  Overall, I can recommend L2A for anyone, particularly if you're with a mixed ability group. It's relatively cheap and cheerful, unpretentious, there's a short transfer from airport and, most importantly, the skiing was good. I ended up with a slight feeling of affection for L2A.

• March 14, 2011
  Angie from United Kingdom
  

  Just returned from resort after a very warm sunny week. We were very impressed with the condition of the pistes. They seemed to work all night to keep the ever disappearing snow on the pistes. There were a lot of very burnt faces around. Above the 'white egg' gondola the pistes stayed quite firm and only got slushy on our last day - 11th march. It was almost too hot to stay in the sun. The chairs and lifts are quite antiquated and are in desperate need of updating. Luckily, we were the end of Belle Etoile chair which you could ride both ways and never had to wait. Our stay was marred by our very scruffy self-catering apartment which we are currently seeking compensation for. Otherwise, the people, restaurants and atmosphere were great. The best was an evening in Le Range where we were in a 'snug' they called the wine cellar and had an amazing taster menu with 3 different amazing wines as suggested by Sebastian the manager. We felt like VIPs.
  Amazing chill out music everywhere in resort, getting more upbeat as the afternoon, evening wore on. Makes a change from apres ski euro trash usually played in Austria. (Half the fun though!)

• March 06, 2011
  Danny White from United Kingdom
  

  Aalborg Sports Hire - Les Deux Alpes

  I have just got back from the amazing resort of Les Deux Alpes. The only thing to spoil the holiday was the treatment received from Aalborg sports hire centre. Beware of this company, they were recommended by the operator Neilson on the transfer into LDA. Whilst I lost a helmet they hired to me during the holiday, I then looked to replace this for them and found exactly the same model on sale in 3 of the nearby sports stores for 49 Euros. I offered to buy them a new helmet, but this was not acceptable, instead Carlos at Aalborg (the jolly company manager) wanted me to pay 120 Euros. Absolutely no reason could be found with this company and as they held my passport they obviously felt that I needed a damn good robbing. The tourist information and Gendarmerie advised that this was malpractice but were unable to intervene.

  Also comparing the prices we paid at Aalborg with other visitors I would advise that if you are visiting Les Deux Alpes you avoid this band of thieves like the plague.

• January 06, 2011
  H from United Kingdom
  

  I have just returned from my 2nd ski holiday in Les Deux Alpes. I fail to understand any previous criticism about not being able to ski back to resort. If you can't ski the black back down (as I can't, then take the gondola - what's the problem). I agree it's an excellent resort for all levels of skiers and well worth beginners being able to get up the mountain and ski from day 1. have never experienced any bad manners from lift operators, however, they could do with a kick in the morning to get the drags and gondola's operating on time as those that need to get up the mountain for ski school are often left waiting in long queues. there was also a heavy fall of snow during our week and they were a little slow to piste the slopes which made for a couple of days difficult skiing, i find the resort has plenty to offer in respect of bars and restaurants which having been to a few other more "exclusive" quiet resorts makes a pleasant change to find life after apres ski!! in respect of restaurants it's sad to report my worst French restaurant experience at L'table with extremely rude and aggressive owners over an 8 euro mistake with the bill. They could do with a few Gordon Ramsey tips about customer care. However, I cannot compliment La Spaghetteria enough with their daily plat de jour offers and friendly service. and finally a compliment abpout the Eurpoean ski school which i would highly recommend if you need ski school. Ever friendly instructors and excellent tuition. Our hotel Serre Palas in a very convenient location, excellent 2*, would recommend to those wanting clean friendly hotel if you are seeking a more independent week.

• December 18, 2010
  inge from Belgium
  

  We already visited Les2alpes (Les Deux Alpes) several years for our ski-holidays. It's an ideal resort: there is a gletsjer so you can ski until 3200 km! You are always sure to have good snow conditions and there are a lot of different types of slopes (easy, moderate and difficult). Les2Alpes is an ideal family resort: kids learn to ski on easy slopes, even very high on the mountain. Tip: check where your appartement is situated on the townmap: Les2alpes is a narrow but large ski resort and you want to be close to the Jandry Express and good news: Les2Alpes is building a new 'bleu' slope to make the return to the town, it will be located next to the residence 'Cote Brune'.

• December 09, 2010
  Patrick from Poland
  

  The snow park crew wrote (both on their website and on Facebook) the 3200 park is open... Who are they kidding? I spent last week in Les Deux Alpes and by all means the upper park was not open. The situation was as follows:

  The weather was mixed - 3 sunny days and 3 cloudy days - but basically for all days except one it would be possible to hit rails.

  The park lift was operating only for one day out of six and I could probably finish my report here, because I don't know how you can call a snow park without a lift "open".

  Now, what was in the park:
  -> one 16m kicker - this was probably the only thing actually working (not for snowboarders though because of speed issues)
  -> line of 5m kickers - which I wouldn't say were shaped, they just were there
  -> line of five rails - which could be potentially pretty awesome if only it would have been possible to get enough speed

  When I asked one of the shapers if they were going to open the 8-10m kickers, he told me that they weren't because "there's too much snow" (sic!) - I have witnesses ;-) !!

  To wrap up, I understand it was the season opening and the shapers were already working on the bottom park, but really they shouldn't lie to people by putting the info that the park was open. The other thing is that it would take so little work to actually open the park. It was enough just to open the lift and set up the rails better.

• September 02, 2010
  Mel from United Kingdom
  

  Summer riding in L2A (Les Deux Alpes) is great! Glacier opens from 7 or possibly 8 - about 1pm, snow park open slightly later. After ski/snowboard activities are plentiful! If you are against large families with massive amounts of children, this is not the place to be.
  This summer was the first summer we encountered problems, with a few Catholic Austrians and the massive turn out this year of Jewish families, which lead in to a few arguments, due to the some Jewish men being rude about Christianity in the J-express gondola!
  L2A is really friendly, and as mentioned bonjour and salut gets you very far, and if you speak good enough French, you may even get discounted bikes/boards etc! it worked for me!

  Winter skiing in L2A is great too! Snow-sure, and suitable for all types of skiers and riders. Improves are currently being made to open a massive freeride section (La Fee sector) new lifts being installed this summer ready for winter season to come!

• July 16, 2010
  Snow Goose from United Kingdom
  

  I have just read through the string of reviews and although there are some valid points being made, if you are looking to go skiing early or late in the season, Les Deux Alpes is one of the few decent resorts with guaranteed snow.

  Sure the runs into the village are mostly black or a knee aching green but there is plenty of skiing above these runs to keep most people happy. Skiing back to the resort is not a necessary requirement and in Les Deux Alpes I would advise those who have concerns about skiing blacks to get the gondola. I have seen people freeze on Valentine or slide down on their backsides or, even worse, fall and slide down most of the piste out of control. Know your limitations.

  As for the comment that this is only a resort for beginners and low intermediates, I could not disagree more. I have been skiing for over 20 years, twice a year and still find enough to keep me happy. My son learnt to ski here and my daughter is going to learn to ski here this Christmas so I think that this resort can cater for all tastes.

  The biggest problem that I have found at Les Deux Alpes is the queue for the gondola first thing in the morning as all of the people need to go up the mountain for ski lessons apart from the very beginners. My advice: go to the "Red Bubble" and make your way to the top from there. This may take longer but at least there is a bit of skiing in between.

  This is not the prettiest resort by any means but equally it is not as ugly as some.

  I have read a lot about rude and unhelpful staff but on the times that I have been to Les Deux Alpes, most of the people have been friendly and helpful. A "Bonjour" goes a long way!

  Overall, just accept that no ski resort is perfect and ski to your strengths and within yourself. This really is a very good resort with fairly well cared for pistes, quite a few km of piste to play on, guaranteed snow and is reasonably priced compared to the more fashionable French resorts. I would recommend it.

• March 02, 2010
  Will Corder - Ecrins Lodge from United Kingdom
  

  I own a catered chalet in the region of Les Deux Alpes so get a lot of feed back from my clients. I agree that there is an issue with a lack of easy return runs to the resort. However, having lived for 6 years in Chamonix where you generally have to catch a bus to the bottom of the slopes, before waiting for half an hour to get on a cable car to take you up to the skiing and sometimes have to wait again to return by gondola to the valley, I think a 5 minute gondola back to the resort for those unhappy to ski out is hardly an inconvenience. That said I have chatted to staff at Les Deux Alpes who say that they are looking at plans to create a blue run from La Cretes area directly under the Jiandri Express gondola back to the center of the resort. The resort has recently gone through a change of owners, so fingers crossed they will look at the attitude of their staff. I know Chamonix had a similar reputation for rude staff and this did have an effect on business. They now send their staff on a North American style induction course in customer care and things have changed considerably. Les Deux Alpes, take note.

• December 28, 2009
  luca from Italy
  

  I'm an Italian living in Les Deux Alpes since '96....
  Probably you meet the wrong people here, but generalising is wrong, surely you can find also a lot of lovely and friendly people....
  Concerning the black runs for come back.....I agree that it will be better to have a blue run for come home .....but the nature ages ago decide differently,....and I don't like the idea to change that moving a mountain in a different way.....only someone who never love the mountain cannot accept her size and form.......that's the nature man!!!!
  and I think that here there is a wonderful snowpark at Les Deux Alpes, for young rider, and very good freeride....but also for easy slope we are no bad.....so what do you want more????

• December 16, 2009
  John Jensen from New Zealand
  

  Interesting to read that people have so many negatives to say about Les Deux Alpes. My family and I have been there 3 times and returning again this winter for 10 days. We have always had fantastic holidays, find the locals very friendly, ski schools great for the kids and so on. My belief is it all depends on how you approach the locals as to how they will respond to you. The main problem for contributors seems to be the run home.That tells me there's not really a problem at all. The run home is a challenge sure, but what resort doesn't have a congested, slushy run at some point? Get over yourselves and enjoy the fact you have the choice of skiing back - that's not always possible.

  Our only complaint is we can't stay longer.

• December 05, 2009
  Charlotte from France
  

  As an English person living in Les Deux Alpes, I am astonished at people finding the locals unfriendly, and I have always found them much more friendly than in the more northerly resorts in France. It's true that they might not speak so much English though!

  Many people complain that the runs into the village are too steep and it's hard to ski back into town. There is a vertical drop of 1400m (4,500ft) before you get to this point so I don't understand the problem. Also there are many steeper runs that are unpisted and harder to find, so many people never find them! There is a huge amount of skiing for good to expert skiers here, which is why some of the top freeriders in France live here, it's just a shame that so many tourists don't seem to find the good skiing.

  Someone said the glacier was small - it's the widest in Europe and the second largest overall after Hinterux I believe.

  OK - I'm biased, clearly, but I just don't recognise the place I read about in some of the comments.

• December 02, 2009
  Pyero Doisans from Afghanistan
  

  For me, Les Deux Alpes is the best place for skiing and for fun... No arrogant staff, in the resort, all nationalities are welcome. I live near Les Deux Alpes and all I have to say, it is that the tourists who are sometimes arrogant. They couldn't accept that the staff are not slaves.. Show respect when you come to a country or a region like the Oisans. Some customers forget that thing... Especially Italian and English people...

  But don't worry, everybody is welcomed in Oisans

• March 13, 2009
  will from United Kingdom
  

  Went to Les Deux Alpes in the first week of March 09. Also went last year in January. Had great snow both times, turning the place into easily accessable powder everywhere. I agree, it does not offer the range of different runs as places like Les Arcs. But when it snows, for boarding Les Deux Alpes is great. Fantastic chocolate shop. Les Deux Alpes is one of the quickest resorts to get to if you self-drive from the UK.
  Mountain restaurants are not cheap and the best food was found in the village.
  Prefer Italy, as it is cheaper.

• February 14, 2009
  couturier from France
  

  We are French and unfortunately we agree with you about the staff at Les Deux Alpes; they are very, very arrogant. Anyway, the slopes are very good and the 'out-slope' is very interesting. You can join the resort of Les Deux Alpes at La Grave.

• January 15, 2009
  Dan from United Kingdom
  

  Stayed here (Les Deux Alpes) for a week in March '07. It's a funny place and not my favourite resort by a long way. The village is scruffy and unattractive but it is easy enough to find your way around and what you need. We found the locals to be very friendly by French standards and some good bars and restaurants.

  The skiing is what I mean to be funny; except for the runs straight into resort, almost all the higher runs are very easy with very few consistently steep slopes (even standard red equivalent) and just funnel down one long, shallow high valley together, resulting in plenty of repetition. The medium sized glacier area (small by Zermatt standards, probably about the same as Tignes/Val D'Isere) is pretty much only green/blue gradient (except if you head into the back-country or down to La Grave). So on the face of it, the resort is really only of interest for beginners, however, the bottom runs to the town (from the main area) are horrific for learners; solid blacks or narrow switchback paths. As long as you're happy to download back to the resort by lifts, then I'd recommend this place to beginners and lower intermediates as you get great access to high-altitude runs.
  For upper-intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders, I'd look elsewhere as there are limited challenging runs and nearly all the best off-piste is either seriously hardcore (guide and/or taxi needed) or down the short steeps into the resort itself (requiring good powder down to the base). I'm sure, for an intermediate dabbling in piste side powder next to blues, the resort would be ok when it snows.

• June 04, 2008
  Dave Scott from United Kingdom
  

  I sometimes wonder if people who write reviews on trips they've been on went to the same place that I did !!
  We had a fabulous week at the Titan Snow Lodge in Les Deux Alpes towards the end of April (2008) and I have to say how impressed I was with both the accommodation (rooms, service, food, ambience, etc all top drawer) and the resort.
  The chalet was great - lovely living room with open fire, TV, DVD, Playstation, Xbox, board games, etc. Really relaxing after the great food and drinks we were served up. Rooms, etc all really comfortable and the whole place was up to a great standard for the price - no idea how they manage to do it, but I wish there were more companies out there doing something similar and I wish them the best of luck.
  As for the resort, this is the ONLY French resort I have ever been to where you get a smile off pretty much all of the lift staff - and some of them even have teeth ! Even just over the road at Alpe d'Huez the lifties are the typical bunch of miseries. Maybe there is something in the glacier water in Les Deux Alpes that keeps everyone cheery ! Almost to a man they were all courteous, friendly and willing to help out with directions, kit tangles, etc.
  The runs are by no means the easiest in France - this is a pretty challenging resort for most intermediates. Beginners can feel a little intimidated on their way up on the lifts because of the scale of the place, but should not forget that after their lesson on the lower of the upper slopes or up on the glacier itself that they can always take the lift back to the resort rather than challenging the Valentine or one of the other tricky home runs.
  The runs are all pretty varied and there is plenty of scope for off-piste runs too - we were still getting fresh lines right 'til the end of the season which was amazing !
  The lift system is pretty modern with a couple of new, high speed lifts having been installed in the last couple of years. After the initial gondola up where there was a short < 5 minute wait queue (nothing like Chamonix !!) we were pretty much straight on the lifts every time we rode up to them (VERY un-French !)
  If you do make your way to Les Deux Alpes, do not leave without going to the top of the glacier and taking a look at the scenery - it is absolutely breathtaking ! The panoramic views take in all the local mountain areas and you can even see Mont Blanc in the distance. Even if you don't think you are confident enough to make the journey down on your board or skis, you just have to make the trip up.
  At night, although suffering from a small addiction to neon signs, the village itself is great. Big enough to have choice but small enough to retain its character, there are dozens of really good quality restaurants to choose from - local French, mountain cuisine, pizza, Italian, steakhouses, etc, something for everyone, even the vegetarian in our group.
  There is no shortage of bars to choose from too - from intimate local bars (Windsor, Polar Bear) through vodka and cocktail bars to the big Australian barn style booze houses.
  The two nightclubs cater for everyone from the young and stupid to the even younger and even more stupid !! A trip to Les Deux Alpes would not be complete without a trip to either the Brasilien or the Avalanche !
  All in all, this visit to Les Deux Alpes was fantastic ! We have already booked next year's winter trip and are also booked in for a week this summer so we can get on the glacier to keep our riding skills up and also hit the downhill mountain biking runs - they look fantastic and we heard so many stories we couldn't resist.
  Overall, definitely my favourite French resort (and I've been to a few) and other resorts should take this resort as a template when they are looking to ways to improve
  8.5/9 out of 10

 

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