My sister and I skied in Alpe d'Huez many years ago and we were very pleased to return there with…read moreski friends this year Marketed as the Island in the Sun due to its south-facing aspect, my vivid tan confirms that when the sun comes out, you will be enjoying warm sunshine. However, later in the season, it can get slushy on the lower runs in the afternoon Alpe d'Huez's main asset are its slopes. There's enough to keep to keep the vast majority of skiers of all abilities occupied for a week. The slopes are well laid out with a wealth of green slopes at the base of the main village bowl, allowing beginners to get their confidence up in those early ski weeks near to home. However, for those who fancy more of a challenge, there's the formidable Tunnel run. Yes, you ski through a long tunnel to emerge onto a ledge with a vertigo-inducing drop on one side encouraging you to make the turn before you drop off the side of the mountain! The other famous run in resort is the Sarenne, which is the longest run in the world at 16km. It's marked as a black run on the piste map but you can miss out the steepest part of the run at the beginning and the rest of the run is really mo more than a red run by gradient One other feature in the resort is the chairlift taking skiers over from the main Alpe d'Huez ski area over to the Auris ski area. Nicknamed the Scare Chair by locals, it leads under a concrete tunnel which takes you under the main runway for the airport before diving over a precipitous edge into the Sarenne Gorge before climbing up the other side. With runs leading to satellite villages like Montfrais (powder runs galore), Oz (no sign of the wizard!), Vaujany and the original town of Huez, you can put the travel miles in too We found some fun snow parks and boarder cross courses to have fun in The village is especially well equipped with off-slope activities. There's an outdoor swimming pool, an ice sakting rink (which turns into an ice go karting track on some evenings), a sports centre with indoor swimming pool, a tobaggan slope and an ice driving circuit. There's also night skiing on Thursday evenings when the Signal slopes are floodlit and stay open late The prices at the mountain restaurants were reasonable and we found some nice food on the slopes This is a fantastic resort, which I can highly recommend

SPECTACULAR resort. It is so incredibly large and expansive. The lifts and runs are plentiful --…read moreyou can make one run last 20 minutes without trying -- and the views are stunningly beautiful. You can get to the highest point in the French Alps at this resort and ski to neighboring resorts as well. This is without a doubt my favorite place. There is something for everyone. The only negative I can think of is snow. If the season is not so great, your skiing here will be horrible. I experienced good and bad here, and when it's bad, it's really bad. You'll spend the entire time dodging patches of grass, rocks, and gravel. My skis unfortunately got pretty damaged :(

One of the more exciting stages on Tour du France and a big ski resort. If you walk/cycle/ drive…read morepast the ski resort further into the mountain you end with a parking area which leads to some lakes and a wonderful view. It's one of my favourite plcaes in France to come. There's also a kiddies Tabogan run which is really fun