A Christmas ski holiday in the Alps sells itself. If you’ve experienced it once, the following festive periods back at home just won’t cut it anymore. Snow on Christmas morning and mulled wine at après in the afternoon… The recipe for a jolly time.
With speedy transfers and pistes for all abilities, you would be hard pushed to find a more ideal resort than Alpe d’Huez for your week in the mountains.
Read on to discover why Alpe d’Huez is the place to be for Christmas skiing.
Mountains Alpe D’Huez
New Chalets, Ready To Be Unwrapped
What is more exciting than ripping open a present on Christmas morning? Not much. Apart from maybe settling into a brand new chalet, newly released for the 2021/22 season-
Chalet Gaube
- The Chalet Gaube is part of Chalet de Lacs, a brand new beautiful complex of chalet apartments.
- This high-quality and attractive chalet benefits from a modern and bright living area, providing a homely and traditional feeling thanks to nice wooden features and large windows.
- Available over Christmas (20th Dec 2021) for just £819pp. SAVING £330pp!
Catered Chalet
Chalet Annecy
- Well-furnished, all en suite bedrooms, offering modern touches like individual bedside reading lamps and USB chargers.
- The Telecentre gondola and the gentle green piste which runs through the resort centre are both 100 metres from the chalets.
- Available over Christmas (20th Dec 2021) for just £819pp. SAVING £330pp!
Catered Chalet
Pistes for All
Are you an old hand on the slopes, bringing a bunch of newbies for their first voyage to the pistes? You’ve come to the right place. The diverse piste map of Alpe d’Huez will satisfy all experience levels. Plenty of beginner areas and heaps for the experts. Longest black run in Europe anyone?
To get the beginners/ intermediates going – The Vaujany sectors cruisy runs will be a good place to start to find your feet, with some blues for the learners and reds for the adventurous intermediates. If you’re a beginner looking to get into the freestyle game, just above the village you’ll find the perfect starter park with kickers and rails.
The more knowledgeable skier will of course already know that Alpe d’Huez is home to the Sarenne. A challenging 17km black run taking you from the top of Pic Blanc. Certainly an hour on the slopes you won’t be forgetting.
Laurent Salino / @alpedhuez
L’ile au Soleil
We all like our snow cold and our après pints chilled, but a bit of sun doesn’t go amiss either. The rays of Alpe d’Huez will make the Christmas ski deals all the more appealing. Nicknamed the island in the sun (l’ile au soleil), you will be unlucky not to have a few bluebird days in Alpe d’Huez, with over 300 days of sun a year.
Speedy Transfers
Now, if we all checked our Christmas wish lists, from childhood to now, I’m sure we wouldn’t find a long transfer at the top of many. The commute from the UK to the slopes is tolerated rather relished, so why not make it as short as possible.
With the majority of desirable French ski resorts coming with an airport transfer of over three and a half hours, Alpe d’Huez is a happy anomaly. You will be looking at a transfer time of around two hours from Grenoble, the perfect amount of time to review last year’s GoPro footage.
Daria-I Nor Hotel – Exterior
Activities for the Family at Christmas
When those skiing newbies have had enough of the slopes or if you’re looking for some boxing day activities for the family, once again we’ve got you covered. Christmas ski holidays 2022 will be chock-full of healthy competition, with a bit of help from Alpe d’Huez.
To give an example of just some of the things that can be argued about- who was the quickest around the ice rink? Who had the cutest dogs on the Husky ride? Who had the best drifts in the ice driving? And who was the stealthiest during the night skiing?
Alpe D’Huez
Where To Go for the Christmas Drinks
Christmas at home is largely centred around enjoying a copious amount of food and drink. So why would Christmas ski holidays be any different? Here are a few of the establishments to add to your list of ‘menus to google’-
Underground Bar (at Hotel Le Chamois) – Renowned and top-ranked, the perfect meeting point to share stories at après and also enjoy live music in the evening.
Genepi- Located in the Old Town area, this is the oldest restaurant in resort. As you would expect, the menu here consists of traditional French cuisine. Fondues, raclettes and a great selection of wine will all be at your disposal. Also, Genepi, as the name suggests…
O’Bar- Staying in the Old Town, O’Bar gives a cosy alternative with tapas and an inviting log fire. Definitely look out for the burgers, not to be missed.
Altiport- Beautiful views and quality food. At the top of the resort in the Les Bergers area, Altiport overlooks the valley. Get yourself there on a clear day and don’t forget the camera, think of all the Instagram likes.
O’Sharkeys- The Irish pub and sports bar. Found in the Avenue des Jeux, O’sharkeys hosts a pub quiz Thursdays at 9pm and is the place to be for any live sports events.
Smithy’s – In the Old Town, where everyone ends up on a good night… dancing on the tables of course.
So if you’re looking for an extra special Christmas this year, what better place to call your home than Alpe d’Huez. With the peak dates booking up fast it’s first come first serve, and this isn’t one you’ll want to miss!
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