L'Alpe d'Huez is a resort in Isère (Oisans) (France) skied between 1860 and 3330 metres, with 250 km of pistes and 40 lifts.
L'Alpe d'Huez is in Isère (Oisans), France, with the base at 1860 m and the top at 3330 m.
L'Alpe d'Huez has not announced its opening date for the 2026/27 season yet. Our own estimate, based on the resort's altitude and its past seasons, puts it around November 29, 2026: that is a forecast, not an announcement. The resort confirms the date each autumn and we keep it up to date at https://www.caranva.app/en/esqui/fechas-apertura/alpe-dhuez.
L'Alpe d'Huez is expected to close for the 2026/27 season on April 19, 2027. The real date depends on how the snow holds up at the top (3330 m) late in the season, and the resort usually announces it only a few weeks ahead: the up-to-date version is at https://www.caranva.app/en/esqui/fechas-apertura/alpe-dhuez.
It changes daily and the resort itself publishes it every morning: snow depth by altitude, open runs and open lifts. The L'Alpe d'Huez daily report and forecast are at https://www.caranva.app/en/nieve/francia/alpe-dhuez. When it blows hard, the most exposed lifts are usually the upper ones (3330 m), so it is worth checking before driving up.
Between 1860 and 3330 metres, a vertical drop of 1470 m. That difference is why the snow is not the same across the whole resort on the same day: the upper slopes hold up better late in the season, while the lower part, at 1860 m, is the first to feel rain or warm weather. That is why the L'Alpe d'Huez report is read by altitude band, at https://www.caranva.app/en/nieve/francia/alpe-dhuez.
L'Alpe d'Huez has 250 km of pistes and 40 lifts, between 1860 and 3330 m of altitude.
On Caranva you book the full kit for L'Alpe d'Huez — skis, boots and poles, or a snowboard if you prefer — at https://www.caranva.app/en/shop/esqui/alpe-dhuez: you pick the dates and give your height, weight, shoe size and level, and the gear is waiting assembled with the bindings set to those figures. You pay online, you skip the sizing counter, and you can swap the gear in the shop if something does not fit. The alternative is walking into a shop at the resort on a first-come basis, which over a bank holiday or at Christmas means queuing for whatever is left.
At the resort ticket office on the day, or online in advance from the official L'Alpe d'Huez store (https://skipass.alpedhuez.com/). Which pass types exist and who each one suits is explained at https://www.caranva.app/en/forfait-esqui/alpe-dhuez. Buying online avoids the ticket-office queue, which first thing on a Saturday is the first half hour of skiing you lose.
Yes. L'Alpe d'Huez has an official ski school with qualified instructors (https://www.esf-alpedhuez.com/), and lessons — group or private — are requested at https://www.caranva.app/en/clases-esqui/alpe-dhuez. Group lessons are cheaper and sort people by level; private lessons fit your timetable and progress faster. For a first-timer, what works is a morning lesson plus rental gear set up to their size, not borrowed.
57% of L'Alpe d'Huez's terrain is beginner level, according to the breakdown the resort itself publishes. That share tells you far more about whether it works for a first time than the overall size of the ski area: a huge resort with 5% easy terrain makes a worse first day than a small one with 30%.
The resort breaks its terrain down like this: Beginner 57%, Advanced 30% and Expert 13%. The difficult terrain sits mostly up high, to 3330 m, which is where the snow keeps best and where visibility goes first in bad weather.
L'Alpe d'Huez is not one single slope: it is split into Pic Blanc – Sarenne, Signal – Les Bergers and Auris, Oz, Vaujany y Villard-Reculas. Each sector has its own access, altitude and feel, and they do not all open together — with wind or thin snow the resort opens some and keeps others closed — so the daily report is read sector by sector.