Resort information for Les Deux-Alpes

Les Deux-Alpes is a narrow village that sits on a remote, high col. It is a long , sprawling collection of hotels, apartments, bars and shops, most lining the busy main street and the parallel street that completes the one-way traffic system. Lifts are spread evenly along the village and there is no clear centre – the free shuttle-bus service saves on some very long walks from one end of town to the other.

For a big resort, Les Deux-Alpes has a disappointingly small piste area, despite recent improvements. The slopes are long, narrow and fragmented, but the snow on the higher slopes is normally very good, even in a poor winter. Above 220m/7,220ft most of the runs are north-facing, and the top glacier section, Mont de Lans, guarantees good snow. More of a concern is the bad weather shutting the lifts, or extremely low temperatures at the top. The runs just above the village face west, so they get a lot of afternoon sun and can be slushy or icy, although snowmaking has been improved on the lower slopes. Queues can be a problem in spite of some impressive lifts.

There are mountain restaurants at all the major lift junctions, but they are generally unremarkable. The resort has a lively ambience, as it is one of the liveliest of French resorts, with plenty of choice for eating out in the village and lots of bars, several of which stay open until the early hours.