Alpe d’Huez, as the hub of the Domaine Ski area, can get somewhat crowded in the peak of the winter season. The good news is that nearby to Alpe d’Huez, visitors can find some of the best skiing on the pistes running down to the satellite mountain villages of the domain.
Auris en Oisans
All visitors to the domain should make sure they take the (scare) chairlift to Auris en Oisans on at least one occasion. This lift drops almost vertically down the valley before climbing up the other side at an equally steep angle through the trees.
There there are a good number of red and blue pistes to experience on this mountain as well as a green for those who are new to the sport
The west facing pistes on this side of the resort hold up better in warm conditions than the rest of the area with less ice in the mornings.
On the return journey, it’s possible to get back to Alpe d’Huez via the chair at the bottom of the valley. This is also a way back to the resort for those that have just completed the descent of the Sarenne black piste.
Villard Reculas
Villard Reculas is accessible from the Signal 2115 station and includes some very enjoyable intermediate runs such as the blue Petite Prince and the Souveraine and Villard reds.
The steeper top section of Villard Reulas is quite often turned into a mogul field by lunchtime but this can easily be bypassed using the Chemin du Patre blue.
Those with more experience are not neglected in Villard Reculas as there is La Foret black run (non groomed) that descends from the Petit Prince lift in parallel to the high speed four-person chair TSD Le Villarais. There is also a non-groomed steep pitched red.
At the base of these runs, next to the TSD, La Bergerie mountain restaurant is an excellent place to go for a reviving hot drink.