WAKE UP TO LES DEUX ALPES

A lively town with high-altitude slopes on Europe’s biggest skiable glacier – Les Deux Alpes takes some beating

Winter is almost here. And after 18 months of no skiing, finally you can allow yourself to get excited. The lifts will turn. You WILL ski.

All those things you have dreamed about over the last year and a half… soon they will be real once more. The early morning hoon on perfect corduroy. The first dip into that much-earned fondue. The look on your little one’s face after conquering a tricky red run. The chairlift chats, the ski school stories, the snowy strolls through town. This is the beauty of a ski holiday – it is the culmination of all these unique moments that make it so, well, magical.

If there is one resort that puts a little extra dollop of magic into a ski trip, it is Les Deux Alpes.

Located just over an hour from Grenoble, in the heart of the beautiful Écrins massif, the resort has a lofty top elevation of 3600m, with a vast vertical drop of 2300m, and boasts Europe’s biggest skiable glacier.

Skiing doesn’t get more snowsure: you can expect top-quality snow conditions from December all the way through to April.

Don’t you just love a snow guarantee?

SKIING FOR ALL

Whether you’re a first timer or a seasoned pro, a holiday to Les Deux Alpes with Crystal Ski Holidays is for you; it is one of those resorts that really does have skiing for everyone.

While beginners can find their feet on the 16km of linked blues, that weave down from the top of the glacier to the
Resort base, intermediates can enjoy fast cruising on the wide open reds.

There is a good smattering of blacks for experts, and the off-piste is extensive – head to the Fée/Pierre Grosse sector, a locals’ favourite, and you can expect to find fresh powder days after the last snowfall.

The park, meanwhile, is world class, with lines for families, newbies, intermediates and experts.

Phew – that is a lot of skiing…

For those who still have energy to burn, there are plenty of off-slope activities to get stuck into.

Choose from the more traditional ones, like snow shoeing and dog sledding, or ones with more of a unique twist, such as snow e-mountain biking and rubber ring tobogganing – fits of laughter guaranteed.

Every good ski day ends with a good après-ski tipple, and Les Deux Alpes has some of the liveliest après-ski this side of Austria.

On the mountain, it’s all about the Pano Bar, at the mid-station of the Jandri Express – it’s like being in an open-air nightclub surrounded by a myriad of pubs, clubs and sports bars line the 2km main street, many with live music.

Best of all, once it’s time to retreat to your hotel or apartment, you won’t have far to go. Pretty much all the accommodation is within a few minutes’ walk of the village centre (and the ski lifts, too).

Les Deux Alpes boasts excellent restaurants (hello Le P’tit Polyte, the highest altitude Michelin-starred restaurant in the Isère region). But for visitors looking for the ease of catered accommodation, there are plenty of good-value half-board hotels.

In fact, if value is one of your biggest considerations when planning your ski trip this winter, read on…

BOOK AND TRAVEL WITH CONFIDENCE

What if we told you that you don’t need to spend hours searching the internet looking for deals – that if you book a package holiday with Crystal you could actually save money – and that they will do all the hard work for you?

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well, actually, it’s not.

All of Crystal’s holiday packages include flights, transfers and accommodation in one neat and affordable bundle.

You can also add lift passes, equipment hire and ski school to your booking, so everything’s ready when you arrive in resort. Simples.

And with three ways to book (online, via phone or in one of Crystal’s hubs), getting your dream trip nailed down is easy.

Considering these uncertain times, you would be forgiven for feeling apprehensive about booking a holiday.

But you needn’t: Crystal has rolled out its Crystal Holiday Promise, so you can book and travel with confidence.

If your holiday can’t go ahead for reasons related to Covid-19 – like changes to the FCDO advice – you’ll be able to change your booking to another date fee-free or receive a full refund.

You’ll also be able to change your booking to another date fee-free if someone in your party is diagnosed with Covid-19 or is officially required to self-isolate at the time of your trip.

If you book a package holiday, you’re protected under the package holiday refund guarantee, too.

This means that if Crystal needs to cancel your holiday, for whatever reason, you’ll be able to change your booking to another Crystal holiday fee-free, or you can opt for a full refund.

And of course, your holiday will be protected by ABTA and ATOL, too.

You’ll get expert service every step of the way and, so you know what to expect when you arrive, Crystal’s free Ski Explorer app has snow reports, resort info and more.

So seize the day and start planning that next trip. After all, the lifts will turn. You WILL ski. Let’s get back to the mountains.

crystalski.co.uk