What's new in Les 2 Alpes winter 2018/19

The biggest change on the slopes is happening in the La Toura area. Here, the ageing Toura and Lac Noir chairlifts are being replaced with an express eight-seater lift. This will serve the Freestyleland Snowpark as well as the Lac Noir 1 and Lac Noir 2 pistes. Les Deux Alpes has long been known for its snowparks, so this will be appreciated by many visitors. Freestyle skiers and snowboarders will benefit from faster turnaround times when sessionning the various lines through the park. These include a couple of freestyle-novice friendly lines – the Easy Park and Family Cross. Experts will head to the more serious Slopestyle, Big Air and Park Avenue sections while a skier/boardercross course completes the Snowpark. Those looking to keep their skis firmly on the ground will be able to enjoy a quicker ride to the often overlooked Lac Noir pistes.

The installation of the new chairlift is the first stage in a rolling programme of infrastructure investment planned for the next few years. This will improve lifts across the ski area, continue to expand the snowmaking facilities, and culminate in the long-discussed link to Alpe d’Huez which is planned for 2022. Watch out for our upcoming article on Les Deux Alpes’ long-term strategy.

To complement the upgrades to the ski area, a wave of new accommodation is being built to accommodate growing numbers of visitors to the resort. The first two sites will be completed in time for the coming winter, most notably a budget hostel at the entrance to the resort. The People’s Hostel will be an ultra-modern hostel adjacent to the Point I tourist office accommodating 364 people in dormitories and private rooms. While Les Deux Alpes is not an expensive resort, it has lacked a real budget hostel option for several years, so the People’s Hostel will be a welcome addition.

Also opening for this winter is the 260-room Clubs de Soleil Village, which will provide accommodation in the Village 1800 sector of the resort. The resort is being supported in these and other endeavours by the ATOUT French Tourism Institute. The support will cover a period of eighteen months as part of the France Tourism Engineering plan which aims to bring 100 million tourists to France.

As with the lift upgrades, several new accommodation facilities are planned over the next three years. Together, these projects will provide an extra 3,500 beds in the resort.

The area of the snow front, from the Jandri Express station to the Umbrella Bar, has seen some improvements over the course of the autumn. Improved drainage, pathways and landscaping should make for easier access along the foot of the pistes while the removal of the old Dome Bar will help skiers reach the Jandri Express and White Eggs.

In town, the new Saloon Bar is due to open in the main square, offering an American Diner style menu. There is also a new café, Café Edina, opening next door to Genepi des Sommets to serve breakfast, lunch and coffee. Around the resort, plenty of establishments have refits and renovations in hand, so we will let you know what else is new as the winter approaches.

Also in the snow front, the European Ski School has constructed a brand new children’s snow garden for little ones to learn to ski or snowboard in a safe, fun, enclosed environment. Completely fenced off, there is a gentle ski slope where four and five-year-olds can learn to make their first turns.

Founded by David Robertson and Mark Gillis in 2004, Action Outdoors will celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2019. Originally inspired by UCPA, a French non-profit organisation providing affordable, all-inclusive adventure sports holidays, they actually became UCPA's official UK partner in 2017. Action Outdoors offers great value ski holidays for everyone, with packages that include everything, from accommodation to lift passes, meals, gear hire and lessons, making it the cheapest way to come skiing to Les 2 Alpes.