Alpe d’Huez

Before you say anything about Alpe d’Huez in Central France, it is possibly best known amongst skiing enthusiasts for being the home of the Sarennes black glacier ski run, which, at a whacking 16km (some might argue it is 18km!), is the longest run in Europe. It also has the steepest black glacier ski run contained within it. This magnificent run joins the Pic Blanc to the Sarenne Gorge. It is also lauded by cycling enthusiasts as the most well-known stage of the Tour de France and became quite popular with skiers following the Olympic Games held in Grenoble in 1968.

The resort has the unusual pet name “L’Ile au Soleil” (Island of the Sun), because it sits on a high plateau in a large south-west facing bowl which means great weather and lots of sunshine, up to an astounding average of 300 days a year.

The runs available at Alpe d’Huez read like a statistician’s delight - 249km of linked pistes comprised of 17 Black runs, 39 Red runs, 37 Blue runs, 42 Green runs, two snow park and a boarder cross, Half-pipe and night piste. These are in turn served by 81 lifts (a healthy mixture of cable cars, gondolas chair and drag lifts and lifts and carpets).

Alpe d’Huez is a flourishing all year-round resort and is split into a number of ‘quartiers’ (that’s ‘sectors’ to the rest of us!): Quartier des Vieil Alpe is the oldest, most traditional sector and is predominantly residential and quiet, although hidden away in the back you’ll find some traditional and lovely family-run restaurants; Quartier des Jeux is the main centre, with shops, mainstream restaurants and bars; the most modern part of Alpe d’Huez is Quartier Bergers which also boasts plenty of interesting places to eat, drink and shop.

Aside from the more formal skiing activities, there are also many off-piste routes that start from Alpe d’Huez and there’s even a monthly moonlight ski itinerary. Again, a camera is a must if you venture to the highest point in the area, Pic Blanc, which at a height of 3330m and stunning views of Mont Blanc aside, you can, on a clear day, see almost one fifth of the entire country.

Alpe d’Huez is also a great summer resort, offering the outdoors’ enthusiast a host of activities including horse riding, climbing, rafting and walking. However, special mention needs to be made of mountain biking, the summer activity the region is probably best-known for. There is over 140 miles of cross country, downhill and of course, regular routes that sees as its feature, the world’s longest downhill route at some 32km in distance. And if you’re willing and able, you can give the famous 21 bends of the Tour de France road up to Alpe d’Huez.

Worth a visit is the famous Poutran International Equestrian Training Centre where the owners of many world championship horses from all equine disciplines have sent their horses for the training and development opportunities afforded by the 2,000m altitude.