Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine
The Island in the Sun — home of the longest black run in the Alps.
Difficulty mix
On the mountain
- Night skiing — 6 floodlit runs
- 4 snowparks / fun zones
- 1 mogul runs
- 27.8 km cross-country trails
Bonvo Score breakdown
Computed from mapped terrain data — no editorial opinion, no pay-to-rank. How the score works
Skiing Alpe d'Huez, told properly
Alpe d'Huez sits on a broad, south-facing shelf high above the Romanche valley, soaking up so much light that the French call it L'Île au Soleil — the Island in the Sun. In summer its 21 hairpin bends are cycling's most famous climb, a Tour de France amphitheatre; in winter the same sun pours onto one of France's biggest linked ski areas, rising from village orchards to the 3,330 m summit of Pic Blanc.
From that summit launches the run that made the resort's name: La Sarenne, around 16 km of black-rated descent through a wild, road-less gorge — usually cited as the longest black run in the world. But the area's real strength is its breadth: enormous sunny beginner plateaus right above town, endless mid-mountain cruising, and a serious dark side too, with the steep Tunnel run and big off-piste faces that stay cold on the shaded aspects.
It's a resort where a family, a first-timer and a vertical-obsessed expert can share a lift up and each have their best day of the season.
Signature runs
La Sarenne
Around 16 km from Pic Blanc through a remote gorge — the longest black run in the Alps, more scenic marathon than fright-fest after the steep top pitch.
Le Tunnel
Through a rock tunnel under the Pic Blanc ridge and out onto a genuinely steep, often bumped-out wall — the local test piece.
Signal de l'Homme sector
Quieter reds and blues facing the main resort, with the best views back across the whole sun-drenched bowl.
Local tips
- Ski La Sarenne first thing after a grooming pass, or make it a long-lunch expedition with a stop at the gorge-bottom hamlet.
- South-facing means spring conditions arrive by afternoon even in February — chase aspects like a local.
- The DMC gondola queue melts if you start from the Marmottes side.
- Villages like Vaujany and Oz, linked into the area, offer the same skiing with half the crowds and prices.
Good to know
- Pic Blanc's summit platform serves up a view claimed to cover one-fifth of France on a clear day.
- The resort's 21 hairpins are cycling's most mythical climb, first won in the Tour de France by Fausto Coppi in 1952.
- Alpe d'Huez hosted events during the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics — its bobsleigh run has since vanished.
Slope-by-slope analysis
Every run measured from elevation-aware map geometry: true length, vertical drop, average gradient and a 0–10 slope score that rewards long, sustained descents.
| Run | Difficulty | Length | Vertical | Avg grade | Slope score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarenne | Advanced | 8.1 km | 1654 m | 20.5% | 8.4 |
| Combe Charbonnière | Advanced | 3.1 km | 764 m | 24.7% | 7.0 |
| Bartavelles | Intermediate | 3.0 km | 723 m | 24.1% | 6.7 |
| Rousses | Intermediate | 2.7 km | 465 m | 17.2% | 5.1 |
| Pré-rond | Easy | 2.6 km | 390 m | 15% | 4.5 |
| Villard | Easy | 2.6 km | 500 m | 19.5% | 5.2 |
| La Fare | Advanced | 2.6 km | 725 m | 28.3% | 6.7 |
| Chamois | Intermediate | 2.3 km | 500 m | 21.3% | 5.2 |
| Agneaux | Beginner | 2.2 km | 294 m | 13.2% | 3.8 |
| Couloir | Easy | 2.2 km | 510 m | 23.1% | 5.2 |
| La Mine | Intermediate | 2.1 km | 359 m | 16.8% | 4.2 |
| Col de Cluy | Advanced | 2.1 km | 468 m | 22% | 4.9 |
| Vaujaniate | Intermediate | 2.1 km | 362 m | 17.4% | 4.2 |
| Col | Easy | 2.1 km | 272 m | 13.1% | 3.6 |
| La Brèche | Advanced | 2.1 km | 520 m | 25.1% | 5.3 |
| L'Alpette | Intermediate | 2.1 km | 468 m | 22.7% | 4.9 |
| Village | Easy | 2.0 km | 359 m | 17.5% | 4.2 |
| Marcel’s Farm | Beginner | 2.0 km | 246 m | 12.6% | 3.3 |
| L'Olmet | Intermediate | 1.9 km | 490 m | 25.4% | 5.1 |
| Edelweiss | Easy | 1.9 km | 370 m | 19.6% | 4.2 |
| La Balme | Advanced | 1.8 km | 523 m | 28.4% | 5.3 |
| Le Gua | Easy | 1.8 km | 111 m | 6.1% | 2.3 |
| Boulevard des Lacs | Easy | 1.7 km | 124 m | 7.2% | 2.3 |
| Chalets | Easy | 1.6 km | 220 m | 13.5% | 3.0 |
| Campanules | Intermediate | 1.6 km | 323 m | 20.8% | 3.8 |
| Loup Blanc | Beginner | 1.5 km | 224 m | 14.6% | 3.0 |
| Le Belvédère | Intermediate | 1.5 km | 297 m | 19.5% | 3.6 |
| Farcis | Easy | 1.4 km | 269 m | 19.2% | 3.4 |
| Jeux | Beginner | 1.4 km | 226 m | 16.3% | 3.0 |
| Tunnel | Advanced | 1.4 km | 441 m | 32.3% | 4.9 |
| Champ Clotury | Easy | 1.3 km | 262 m | 19.9% | 3.4 |
| Chez Roger | Beginner | 1.3 km | 144 m | 11% | 2.3 |
| Les Bergers | Beginner | 1.3 km | 197 m | 15.8% | 2.8 |
| La Forêt | Advanced | 1.2 km | 422 m | 34.8% | 4.9 |
| Fontfroide | Intermediate | 1.2 km | 437 m | 36.1% | 5.0 |
| Promontoire | Intermediate | 1.2 km | 244 m | 20.9% | 3.2 |
| Balcons | Advanced | 1.2 km | 241 m | 20.6% | 3.2 |
| Herpie | Easy | 1.2 km | 239 m | 20.5% | 3.2 |
| Le Gua | Easy | 1.2 km | 145 m | 12.5% | 2.3 |
| Petit Prince | Easy | 1.2 km | 235 m | 20.3% | 3.2 |
+ 260 more mapped runs and connectors — all of them in the free 3D map in the Bonvo Ski app.
Lift network
74 mapped lifts, moving up to 90,018 skiers per hour.
| Lift | Type | Capacity/h | Ride time | Length | Vertical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeux | Hybrid lift | 3,900 | 4 min | 1.3 km | 229 m |
| Télémix du Signal | Hybrid lift | 3,370 | 3 min | 756 m | 245 m |
| Marmottes 1(bubble) | Hybrid lift | 3,300 | 13 min | 2.2 km | 527 m |
| Romains | Chairlift | 3,200 | 4 min | 1.6 km | 335 m |
| Pic Blanc 2 | Gondola | 3,000 | 7 min | 2.0 km | 504 m |
| Pic Blanc 1 | Gondola | 3,000 | 7 min | 1.5 km | 243 m |
| Chalvet | Chairlift | 3,000 | — | 1.5 km | 569 m |
| Fontfroide | Chairlift | 2,700 | 4 min | 1.2 km | 441 m |
| Sures | Hybrid lift | 2,650 | 4 min | 643 m | 266 m |
| Rif Nel Express | Hybrid lift | 2,500 | 2 min | 683 m | 105 m |
| Alpauris | Chairlift | 2,400 | 5 min | 1.3 km | 276 m |
| Huez Express | Gondola | 2,400 | 4 min | 1.2 km | 302 m |
| Alpe Express | Gondola | 2,400 | — | 861 m | 32 m |
| Le Villarais | Chairlift | 2,000 | 6 min | 1.8 km | 542 m |
| Poutran 1 | Gondola | 2,000 | 8 min | 1.5 km | 532 m |
| Herpie | Chairlift | 2,000 | 7 min | 939 m | 326 m |
| Lac Blanc | Chairlift | 2,000 | 2 min | 229 m | 90 m |
| Louvets | Chairlift | 2,000 | 3 min | 833 m | 162 m |
| Auris Express | Chairlift | 2,000 | 6 min | 1.7 km | 368 m |
| Lombards | Chairlift | 2,000 | 6 min | 589 m | 248 m |
| Poutran 2 | Gondola | 2,000 | 6 min | 1.1 km | 219 m |
| Alpette-Rousses | Cable car | 1,900 | 9 min | 1.5 km | 753 m |
| Lièvre Blanc | Chairlift | 1,800 | 11 min | 1.4 km | 439 m |
| Marmottes 2 | Gondola | 1,650 | 5 min | 1.4 km | 422 m |
| TC Alpette | Gondola | 1,600 | 9 min | 1.9 km | 668 m |
| Vallonet | Chairlift | 1,600 | 11 min | 1.0 km | 370 m |
| Vaujany-Villette | Gondola | 1,500 | 7 min | 968 m | 56 m |
| Villette-Montfrais | Gondola | 1,500 | 6 min | 744 m | 365 m |
| Vaujany-Alpette | Cable car | 1,500 | 7 min | 2.3 km | 815 m |
| Clos Giraud | Hybrid lift | 1,450 | 8 min | 2.5 km | 369 m |
Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine — quick answers
How many ski runs does Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine have?
Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine has 300 mapped downhill runs totalling about 175.4 km of pistes, with the longest single run measuring 8.1 km.
What is the vertical drop at Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine?
The mapped skiable terrain spans 2175 m of vertical, from 1129 m at the base to 3304 m at the top.
How many lifts does Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine have?
Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine operates 74 mapped lifts moving up to 90,018 skiers per hour.
Ski Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine with the map in your pocket
Every run and lift on this page, rendered in interactive 3D — and it keeps working in airplane mode at the top of the mountain. Free on the App Store.
More ski resorts in France
826.8 km pistes · 1339 runs · 170 lifts
539.9 km pistes · 924 runs · 163 lifts
303.1 km pistes · 421 runs · 91 lifts
299.7 km pistes · 440 runs · 107 lifts
267.7 km pistes · 488 runs · 80 lifts
272.1 km pistes · 436 runs · 85 lifts