Alpe d'huez

Les Grandes Rousses : an outstanding ski area

Here, everything is described in superlatives : great spaces, great descents and great sun! On the Grandes Rousses massif the ski resort of Alpe d’Huez and surrounding resorts of Auris-en-Oisans, Huez, Oz-en-Oisans, Vaujany, Villard-Reculas face due south. Pic Blanc, the highest peak in the Grandes Rousses massif (3330m) offers breathtaking panoramic views on the National Ecrins Park and its peaks : la Meije, la Muzelle, les Aiguilles d’Arves, le Mont Blanc …rates 3 stars in the Michelin guide !
The high altitude guarantees good snow coverage of all 824 hectares of the ski area, in other words, 249km runs of different levels with average vertical drop of 2230m. The geography of the area, with gentle vertical drop at the bottom of the slopes, is ideal for learning ski nad snowboard on the green runs or in the beginners' area.

The black runs via Pic Blanc and the new Marmottes III cable car attract thrill seekers and the more technically advanced skiers and provide the opportunity to explore the entire area on a vertical drop of 2200m. 

GRANDES ROUSSES MASSIF in some figures

• 86 ski lifts : 6 cable cars, 10 gondola lifts, 25 chair lifts, 40 ski tows, 2 lifts and 3 others : 2 600 skiers/hour.
• 123 marked and monitored slopes : 38 green, 32 blue, 36 red, 17 black,
• 249 km of slopes : 47 km of green slopes, 53 km of blue slopes, 79 km of red slopes and 70 km of black slopes
• Vertical drop 2.230m, from 3.330 to 1.100m,
• 1 floodlit slope fir skiing by night, FIS registered, open 2 nights a week,
• 2 Snow parks with many attractions, a boardercross, and a half pipe,
• 2 exclusive areas for beginners,
• More than 20 high-altitude off-piste trails, with gullies and tracts of fresh powdered snow…
• 2 ski slopes approved by the International Ski Federation ofr international ski competitions,
• 1 sled area with floodlights, opened 2 evenings a week
• 50km of cross-country skiing trails, 30 km of hiking paths
• 845 snowmaking machines for guaranteed snow coverage of 67 km of ski slopes totalling over 170 hectares
• 24 grooming caterpillars
• 1 ice cave at an altitude of 2700 m
• 1 sled track under the DMC 2100-1860m NEW

Visalp Holiday Pass

From the second day on, Visalp pass provides access to all ski lifts of the Grandes Rousses Massif. It gives access to the ski and to the sled area by night (2 venings a week), both swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), the outdoor skating rink, the Sports and Convention Centre (26 activities), the weekly classical music concert, the Huez and Oisans Museum…
• Free: for children under 5 and adults over 72 on the ski lifts and Visalp Pass features.
• Discounts: Groups, children, families and loyal customers.

Great Galaxy

A 6-days pass includes one day skiing free of charge at one of the following resorts during the period for which the pass is valid : Puy Saint Vincent, Serre-Chevalier/Briançon, Voie Lactée Italienne and 2 days at Les 2 Alpes accessible from Alpe d’Huez by shuttles on wednesdays and thursdays.

The Grandes Rousses hands-free – NEW

The main inovation of the Grandes Rousses area for the winter season 2007/2008 is the automated ticket emission and control system called "Hands free". The SATA decided to entirely equip its ski area with electronic terminals, thus answering its customers' expectations and improving their comfort on the skiable field and within the resort.
Nearly 80 control terminals are placed on our ski lift network. All of them are positioned on the left of the skier. From now on ski passes are registered on a microchip, embedded in a skip@ss (scredit card size plastic support).
The "Hand-free" system, developped by Skidata compagny, automatically detects and controls your ski pass when you pass in front of the terminal and your skip@ss remains in your pocket. The terminal remotely reads the data of the purchase ski pass (ski area, duration of the ski pass,photograph, skier category adult, junior, senior…). No more need to take out and show your ski pass! More comfortable for skiers, a saving of time at controls and of course increased flow at the ski lifts. It also represents the possibility to purchase your pass directly on the internet. No more need to queue at the cashier : you can go skiing directly.
www.sataski.com

SKI AND GLIDING SPORT PLEASURE

Sarenne is 30 years old!!!

It was back in 1968 that Georges Rajon, Président of the SATA matured the idea to open the off-track route of Sarenne to the public. Eight years later, he asks il charge Christian Reverbel, director of the tracks, to actually transform the project. It hardly took 2 years before this track started a mythical history and welcomed skiers. Preserved like a treasure, Sarenne remains accessible 40 days a year. The SATA's project in the years to come is to double this period for everyone's pleasure. The SATA, with Christian Reverbel, the municipalities of Huez, Freney, Auris and La Garde decided to build a high altitude reservoir at the bottom of hte chair-lift, to cover this mythical track with snow and bring water on the other side of the brook, within the frame of a very ambitious and federative inter-village project.

Sarenne in the moonlight

The longest slope in the world, champion in all categories, has been attracting skiers from around the world for 30 years. British, French, Dutch, Italian; Polish, Russian... : everyone dreams of Sarenne. No other slope has such notoriety or has achieved such cross-boarder success. Get a map and try and find better. Take the last cable car up to Pic Blanc at an altitude of 3330m, then a gourmet break for dinner in a refuge in the middle of the glacier, before your astronomic downhill ride down to Huez, where the bus will pick you up to take you and your memories home. Ski instructors accompagny you to ensure a totally safe excursion. Just imagine the beauty of a starry night!!!
10 excursions are planned : december 24th and 25th, january 22nd and 23rd, february 20th and 22nd, march 21st and 23rd, april 20th and 21st.

Sarenne by night

And to double your pleasure, 6 "Sarenne by night" evenings with frontal light are planned : Wednesdays february 6th, 13rd, 27th, march 5th, 12th and 26th.
SATA : +33 (0)4 76 80 30 30

Sarenne minute by minute

9.30 am - At the bottom of the slopes : the DMC shudders in the pure, sharp air of Alpe d’Huez… Piercing the sky, Pic Blanc shimmers like a lighthouse above the resort.

9.50 am - Everybody out at 2700 m. Through the barriers, into Pic Blanc's departure platform and you're ready to be carried up to the panoramic terrace at 3330m. 

10.05 am - Visual impact. The sun lights up Grande Casse and Mont Blanc on one side and on the other the Écrins, Meije and Râteau, then the Arves needles : an ocean of sparkling peaks. Sometimes in the distance one can see Mount Viso.

10.15 am - The dry air seizes your body and chest... your first turns on the glacier along the net protecting the Grand Sablat. Gently does it. Your muscles are cold and the slope is steep but it soon opens into a vast cirque. On the right you pass the famous tunnel that goes trough the mountain back to Alpe d'Huez. Leave that for another time... Long curves... The snow is cold and easy to ski. The cold of the night stops it deteriorating. The flat of the Sarenne glacier provides a rest for your muscles, which are crying out for oxygen. Make sure you keep some energy for later as you reach the Herpie Chair lift.

10.40 am - Change of scenery : you now leave the glacier and enter the Sarenne's own barren, mineral world... and literally plunge into the gorges.

10.50 am - Past the Pierre Grosse emergency station, carefully balanced on a flat area, an eagle's nest facing the slope. From one narrow inlet to another, the slope curves through the gorges. No sign of any ski lifts : total silence. You are being watched by large crows... see the yellow-beaked jackdaws circling overhead.

11.00 am - Sarenne bridge. Like the wind, you cross the glacier stream that later reaches Bourg d’Oisans. The stream runs in its icy gangue, trees cover the surrounding inclines, trapped by the snow.

11.15 am - The Gua Bridge. Like a border between you and civilisation. You are at the foot of Auris, but you must go on... The mountains are getting closer, the gorges are now in the shade, freezing nature and snow into icy shell. It's really cold but the snow is great to ski up to the Combe Haute restaurant for a celebratory hot chocolate!

11.40 am - Another little effort to reach the Alpauris chairlift which will take you back from the depths of the gorges to the bright sunlight.

11.47 am – Alpe d’Huez. Shall we do it again?

The race to 8000

In the faraways Himalayas, there are mountains that reach up to over 8000m. Not bad, eh? But it's a bit complicated to climb them... so we have come up with something that's almost the same... but with better skiing!!! Alpe d'Huez can offer you your first 8000. But how? Easy and unique in France : you ski down a 2000m slope four times in a row without taking a ski lift. Yes, the four legendary downhills runs from the top of Pic Blanc make this pretty little miracle possible. In order : Pic Blanc 3330 m / Villette 1295 m, Pic Blanc 3330 m / Enversin d’Oz 1125 m, Pic Blanc 3330m / Oz-en-Oisans 1340 m, Pic Blanc 3330 m / Sarenne Gorges 1510 m. Got a calculator handy? Sorry, we lied... in fact it's more than 8000m. What are you wainting for? Skis on and you're off!!! To authentificate their feats, skiers can have it validated near the ski lifts. Present the duly stamped document to the Tracks Service and against 1€, sportsmen will be given a diploma and a giant poster of the tracks. The funds will be completely paid out to the association "Every one his own Everest", sponsored by Christine Janin making it possible to ill children to excell themselves by fulfilling their dreams. SATA : + 33 (0)4 76 80 30 30

Ski de fond

Trois sites de fond, au total 50 km de pistes balisés et entretenus, pour le skating et l’alternatif sur l’Alpe d'Huez :
• La boucle de Pierre Ronde, classée bleue au départ de l’Altiport, constitue une balade d’entraînement et de remise à niveau de 4 km : doux dénivelé, vue imprenable sur le col de Cluy et les pentes vierges du Signal de L’Homme.
• La boucle de Poutran, classée bleue, s’entreprend au Rond Point des Pistes, puis s’élance sur 10 km vers les immensités blanches du massif des Grandes Rousses.
• La boucle des lacs de 20 km, classée rouge, contourne les lacs Besson, Noir, Faucille et Carrelet jusqu’à l’Alpette. Recouverts de neige, ils se signalent par d’immenses plates-formes.
Service des Pistes : +33 (0)4 76 80 37 38

Ski de randonnée

De la découverte aux raids les plus prestigieux, explorez en peaux de phoques l'univers sauvage de la haute montagne autour de l'Alpe d'Huez. L'initiation aux Grandes Buffes, la fameuse Traversée Intégrale des Rousses dans la journée, Le Pic de l'Etendard (avec nuit en refuge), etc.… Engagement d’un guide de haute montagne à la journée ou à la demi-journée. Bureau des Guides : +33 (0)4 76 80 42 55
Ski hors piste
L’Alpe d’Huez offre un domaine fabuleux pour le ski hors piste. Il offre une vingtaine d’itinéraires, variantes et couloirs mythiques, au départ du Pic Blanc (3330 mètres), dont la plupart avoisine les 2000 mètres de dénivelée. Leur exposition aux quatre points cardinaux garantit un versant toujours en bonne neige. Le retour en hélicoptère permet d’enchaîner plusieurs descentes dans la journée.
Bureau des Guides : +33 (0)4 76 80 42 55

Ski by night

Pas besoin d’attendre la lune, le stade de slalom TPS Eutelsat du Signal, long de plus de 950 m avec un dénivelé de 250 m possède un éclairage digne de celui du stade de France et pas moins de 3 téléskis. Le conseil malin: le ski de nuit est gratuit avec le forfait Visalp (2 jours et plus). A tester de toute urgence !
Ski Anim’Alp : + 33 (0)4 76 80 37 38

Les glisses en folie du vendredi

Folie gliss, ce sont des descentes endiablées sur la piste verte des Violettes sur des engins digne de Satanas et Diabolo: l’airboard, une luge gonflable aux allures d’engin spatial; le snake gliss, une succession de luges qui se tortillent en glissant; le be one, un tabouret pour les équilibristes; et enfin le snow trikke, un joyeux mélange de vélo et de ski… De quoi vous faire une franche session de gamelles, courses et autres «speed party»! Ski Anim’Alp: +33 (0)4 76 80 37 38