Best for beginners

Best Ski Resorts for Beginners in Les Deux Alpes

Les Deux Alpes is a better beginner resort than its reputation suggests, but only if you know where to point yourself: the gentle terrain sits high on the glacier, not in the village, where the home slopes are surprisingly steep. Learn on the broad green pistes at altitude, ride the lifts back down rather than skiing the lower black runs, and you have one of the most scenic places in France to start. If you want flatter, simpler learning closer to the village floor, neighbouring Alpe d'Huez and the quiet Oisans villages do it more gently. The apres in town, meanwhile, is among the liveliest in the French Alps.

Beginner skiing in Les Deux Alpes

By the Ski Resorts for Kings editorial team · Last reviewed May 2026

What matters

The honest truth about learning at Les Deux Alpes

Les Deux Alpes has an unusual layout for a beginner. Most resorts put their easy slopes at the bottom and the hard runs up top. Here it is inverted: the long, gentle, snow sure greens run across the upper mountain and the glacier, while the lower slopes back to the village are steep and often the preserve of stronger skiers. The famous descent from the glacier to town is a serious red and black run, not a beginner route home.

What this means in practice is simple. Beginners should base their week up high, taking lessons on the wide glacier pistes where the gradient is forgiving and the snow holds all season, then download by lift rather than attempting the drop to the village. Handled that way, the learning terrain is genuinely good and the views over the Ecrins are some of the best in France. Ignore the layout and you end up on slopes well above your level on day two.

Who should skip Les Deux Alpes as a first resort: nervous first timers and families who want the reassurance of an easy run straight back to the door. For them the gentler options below are a calmer start. For confident learners who do not mind riding lifts down, the high altitude greens and the buzzy evenings make it a fine choice.

The ranking

Where beginners should actually ski

Ranked for first and second week skiers on gentleness of terrain, ease of getting around, ski school quality and how reassuring the layout feels.

Les Deux Alpes, the upper mountain

The glacier greens | best on the mountain itself

Wide, gentle, snow sure learning pistes high above the village, with France's longest views thrown in.

The glacier and upper sectors of Les Deux Alpes are the best beginner terrain the resort offers, and far better than the village slopes lead newcomers to expect. The greens are broad and forgiving, the altitude guarantees snow from the first lessons of the season, and a good ski school will keep you up here all week. Treat the lift as your way back down and this is a confidence building base with a genuinely glamorous evening scene below.

It wins for anyone already comfortable with a chairlift and happy to learn at altitude. The honest catch is that complete first timers can feel exposed up high, and the run to the village is off limits until you are well past green.

Alpe d'Huez

The gentler neighbour | best for nervous learners

A sunnier, more conventional beginner layout twenty minutes across the valley.

Just over the valley, Alpe d'Huez has the classic beginner setup Les Deux Alpes lacks: large, easy nursery areas near the village, plenty of gentle greens that link back to the door, and one of the sunniest aspects in the Alps. For families and anxious first timers it is the more reassuring half of the Grand Domaine, with terrain to grow into once the basics click.

It is the better pick if an easy run home matters to you. The trade off is a less dramatic, less high altitude feel than the Les Deux Alpes glacier, and busier village pistes at peak times.

Auris en Oisans

The quiet one | the calm budget pick

A small, family run Oisans village on the edge of the Alpe d'Huez area.

Auris en Oisans is the low pressure alternative for true beginners who want space and calm. A compact balcony village with gentle, sunny slopes and short lift queues, it lets first timers find their feet without the crowds of the big names, while still sitting on the wider Alpe d'Huez ski area for when you progress. Prices are kinder than the marquee resorts too.

Strong skiers will find it limited on its own, which is the honest limit, but as a beginner base linked to a much bigger mountain it is a clever, quiet choice with easy access to the Oisans.

Compared at a glance

The beginner shortlist

Base	Best for	Easy run home	The verdict
Les Deux Alpes glacier	Confident learners, scenery, apres	No, download by lift	Excellent high greens, tricky layout below.
Alpe d'Huez	Nervous beginners, families	Yes	Conventional, sunny, room to grow.
Auris en Oisans	First timers wanting calm	Yes	Quiet, gentle, linked to a big area.

Book it well

How to book the beginner week

Fly to Grenoble for the shortest transfer, around an hour and a half, or to Lyon for more flight choice and roughly two hours by road. Book ski school before you travel and ask specifically for lessons based on the upper mountain if you are staying in Les Deux Alpes, so your instructor keeps you on the gentle glacier greens rather than the steep home runs. Stay central in the village to reach the main lift quickly, and budget for the lift to bring you back down each afternoon. January and March midweek give the calmest nursery slopes.

Book the extras and save

Lift passes, transfers, lessons and ski hire are where a trip quietly leaks money. For beginners the lesson booking is the one that matters most, so reserve it early.

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Keep planning

Related guides

Read the full Les Deux Alpes region guide for the wider picture, weigh it against the broader best beginner resorts in France, or see how the resort compares head to head in our Alpe d'Huez vs Les Deux Alpes piece. The full Les Deux Alpes review covers the rest of the mountain.

Questions worth asking

Beginner skiing at Les Deux Alpes FAQs

Is Les Deux Alpes good for beginners?

It is good for confident beginners who learn on the upper mountain, where the glacier greens are wide, gentle and snow sure. It is less suited to nervous first timers, because the slopes back down to the village are steep and there is no easy run home. The trick is to base your lessons high and ride the lift down.

Where are the beginner slopes at Les Deux Alpes?

The best beginner terrain sits high on the mountain and across the glacier, not at village level. The lower slopes back to town are graded red and black and are too steep for learners, so beginners should take lessons up high and download by lift rather than skiing all the way down.

Is Alpe d'Huez easier for beginners than Les Deux Alpes?

Yes, in layout. Alpe d'Huez has large, sunny nursery areas near the village and gentle greens that link back to the door, which makes it more reassuring for nervous first timers and families. Les Deux Alpes has excellent beginner snow but only high on the mountain.

Can you ski back to the village as a beginner at Les Deux Alpes?

Not safely. The runs from the upper mountain down to the resort are steep red and black pistes. Beginners should use the lifts to return to the village and keep their skiing to the gentle greens at altitude until they are well past green level.

When should beginners go to Les Deux Alpes?

January and March midweek give the quietest nursery slopes and good snow. Because the learning terrain is high on the glacier, snow reliability is strong across the whole season, and even early bookings are a safe bet for cover on the beginner pistes.

How do you get to Les Deux Alpes?

Fly to Grenoble for the shortest transfer at around an hour and a half, or to Lyon for more flights and roughly two hours by road. Both connect easily to the resort, and transfers can be booked ahead to time with your flights.

Have it arranged

Tell us the dates. We price the trip.

If you want this learning trip priced properly, the right base, beginner lessons on the gentle high pistes reserved, transfers timed to your flights, tell us your dates and budget and we will route your brief to the right operators. No fee to you, ever.

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