2 Alpes Ski Area France

Les 2 Alpes in the southeastern French Alps is massive, with skiing on both sides of the valley on huge mountains. The best skiing is at high elevation. Ride the spectacular $100-million two-stage 32-passenger Jandri gondola up to 3200 meters, where you can ride T-Bars or take a funicular up to the Puy Salie glacier at 3600 meters, 11,800′. This ski elevation is almost as high as Zermatt (at 3800 meters), among the highest in the Alps.

2 Alpes is big, 200-kilometers of prepared slopes, with a confusing array of 43 lifts, but quite easy to ski around too, with seven “secteurs” all interconnected via high-capacity lifts, which indicates they do get crowds on holidays.

2 Alpes glacier skiing at the summit is surprisingly mellow, in fact it’s rather flat, but you must go up to see the amazing view of the surrounding Alps, especially the Meije peak that resembles a Matterhorn across the valley in France’s Ecrin National Park. You also have a fantastic view of Les Sybelles ski resort nearby too. Take a few scenic summit T-Bar laps, or ride up the Funicular, and visit the Grotte de Glacier ($7 Euro) to enter an amazing glacial cave with beautiful ice carvings illuminated inside.

The heart of 2 Alpes skiing includes mid-mountain sections of Bellecombe, Crete, and Toura where you’ll find fun parks, a border cross, and a few trails served by a modern eight-passenger chair. Diable (the devil) is another cool section near the lower mountain with steep trails and a wonderful chic chalet for lunch at Le Diable au Couer (devil at heart). A wonderful Diable Umbrella Bar is part of the restaurant. Interestingly, the locals in the 1800s thought these mountains were haunted, with avalanches and mystical snow. Diable is also where the Parapente, parachute skiers, launch from if you’d like to experience that rush in tandem with a guide.

Don’t miss Fee and Pierre Grosse, another wonderful section of 2 Alpes ski resort with more great long trails, and more natural terrain for freeride skiing. At the base of the Fee lift, you’ll find a fun, more casual chalet, Le Fee restaurant and sun terrace restaurant with excellent service and good food! Le Fee also has a self-service creperie and bar with lounge chairs.

Freeride skiing, offpiste, could be epic at 2 Alpes, with good natural snow, go at your own risk or better yet, hire a guide to explore the steep chutes under Pierre Grosse, and open snowfields of Fee.

From 2 Alpes upper mountain back down to the village are really long runs, as much as 6,400-vertical feet, as you ski through various conditions from high alpine cold snow on the glacial plateau all the way to spring-like conditions near the base of 1600 meters at Mont de Lans village.

Fun fact, Les 2 Alpes is part of AEON ski company which also owns and operates Alpe d’Huez and La Grave, both within 45 minutes.

2 Alpes ski village of Mont de Lans is a pretty but busy alpine town, so many hotels, but a fun downtown with ski shops, Après Ski bistros like Polar Bear Pub, Boris’s Bistro, The Spot, and Penguin Club along De la Muzelle street which locals refer to as the “Champs Elysees of winter.” We enjoyed some excellent French restaurants off the busy boulevard, creative Soul Kitchen, and more traditional Le Rustique and Le Trappeur. On the other side of the street is Vallee Blanche, more skiing as part of 2 Alpes with beautiful lifts but southern exposure, and when we skied it in April, this part of the mountain was not worth visiting as the snow was so minimal.

For fun with your lift ticket, you can take the gondola from Mont de Lans down the steep canyon to visit the beautiful medieval village of Viascon.

We stayed at the lovely traditional Hôtel Côte Brune right at the base of the slopes, a short ski or walk to the Jandri gondola, with great proximity to town. In fact, the hotel has its own umbrella bar that rocks from 4 to 7, we could enjoy the DJ music and apres ski vibe from our balcony.

2 Alpes is a fun ski resort, big, busy. We also recommend lesser known big-mountain ski resort nearby that aren’t as popular, like Serre Chevalier and Val Cenis. In fact, you could enjoy a French Alps ski safari in this region since so many ski areas are nearby.

Les 2 Alpes Ski Resort Ski Stats:
Elevation: 1280 – 3600 meters, 11,800-feet
Vertical Drop: 2243-meters – 7,359-feet
Lifts: 43
Trails: 200 kilometers, plus lots of off-piste with good natural snow.