Vaujany in Winter

What's the

Ski area like?

Alpe d'Huez is a superb place to ski or board and is the 5th largest ski area in France. Access to the region is easy from our apartments and chalets - all are located just a short walk from the 160 person gondola that connects you to the region. Highlights of the area include Pic Blanc, the highest peak at 3,300m where you can ski the longest black run in Europe, the world famous Sarenne (16km).

The vast ski area includes 248km of marked pistes and 900 snow cannons which, along with the high altitude of the resort, ensures good ski conditions throughout the season.

Vaujany, with its own system of pistes at Montfrais, links with the resort of Alpe d'Huez and its satellite villages.

In total there are 84 lifts serving:

42 x Green runs
37 x Blue runs
39 x Red runs
17 x Black runs

From Vaujany you have access to the Grande Rousses massif, the ski resort of Alpe d’Huez and surrounding resorts of Auris-en-Oisans, Huez-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans and Villard Reculas.

What about

snow cover?

With Already equipped with one of the largest snow-production plants, the area now has a second automatic snow production unit, supplying a further 16km of slopes via 285 snow canons.

There are more than 64km of artificial snow-covered slopes in the Grandes Rousses area produced by canons over a height of 1600m.

With a season lasting from Early Dec throught to late April you can be sure to make the most of the Winter here in Alpe d'Huez.

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Beginners

Vaujany’s own ski area Montfrais is a perfect base for beginners. Quiet, sheltered and sunny it offers a host of greens and blues to perfect those first turns. The local ESF has its own beginner section here where kids can safely ski and there are a couple of really nice restaurants to celebrate your progress in. More adventurous beginners can venture to the lower slopes of Oz or the fantastic green below into Alpe d’Huez which has a bunch of fabulous long greens to get stuck into. Once you’ve perfected those turns you can head to Vaujany’s own ski park at Montfrais to practice your first big airs!

Intermediate

Vaujany and Alpe d’Huez is an intermediate’s playground with a huge amount of blue, red and easy black runs to get to grips with. We’ll include the infamous ‘Europe’s longest black’ Sarenne here because although it is 16km and is a black run its well within reach for most capable intermediates. Starting off at Pic Blanc it winds its way down some red grades pitches with truly stunning views on every call until you reach the Sarenne Gorge.

The often overlooked Auris also provides intermediate heaven with wide, uncrowded pistes and sunny aspect. Head back to Montfrais after lunch and often you’ll have a host of blues and reds to yourselves as the crowds head back to Alpe d’Huez.

Advanced

For advanced skiers head up to Pic Blanc at 3300m for some seriously tough runs. The Tunnel is infamous for its steep pitch and huge moguls. From here you can ski all the way down to Vaujany taking in Les Rousses a great red run and then the superb Black run of La Fare ending up at 1100m below Vaujany! A real thigh burner…

Other testing blacks in the resort include the steep and often mogul covered Col du Cluy near Auris, La Foret at Villard and the superb Combe Charbonniere.

Off Piste

There is great back country terrain to access both above Vaujany and over in Alpe d’Huez. When its dumped it down, advanced and expert skiers will have a ball here scoping out fresh powder tracks. We’d always recommend getting a guide to take you on these days. One of the most popular off piste routes is the Grand Sablet which starts off over to the side of Pic Blanc and takes in a glorious route down to Le Clavens where you can get a helicopter back to Alpe d’Huez!

Nearer to home in Vaujany the playground of Montfrais has loads of easily accessible tree lined runs, our favourites being under the Montfrais cable car and the Roche Melon run which is still listed as a piste but is actually a great off piste run down to Vaujany.