The first winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 sparked a passion for winter sports.
Skiing exploded in France in the 1930s when the first ski resorts were created.
In 1932, Rodolphe TESSA built a mountain refuge on Alpe de Mont de Lans.
1934
The MOUNIER family opened an inn on Alpe de Venosc. The first skiers reached the plateau on foot with their equipment carried on the backs of mules…
1936
The GRAVIER and CHALVIN families built the Hôtel des Glaciers. The first road link was built between Mont de Lans village and the Alpe, with completion taking place the day before World War II was declared. The pioneers felt that these mountains had everything required to be the perfect tourist destination: the landscape’s natural beauty, the configuration of the plateau, and an exceptional ski area.
1938
Jean KEMLER, an engineer from Lyon who was holidaying in the area, decided to turn a dream into a reality and install the first ski lift on the slopes of Les Cloûtets. He was unsuccessful, and the war put a temporary halt to development in the area.
1945
Jean de ROODENBECKE, a priest from Belgium, built the Foyer St Benoît with local workers from the plateau.
1946
The “resort” concept was born. The first button lift went into operation around Christmas 1946 on the Pied Moûtet ski area. That winter, on the 20th of December, Louis CARREL opened the first ski school: La Meije ski club, with Auguste CARREL, Hyppolite MOUNIER, Germaine CARREL, Louis GUIGNARD and Joseph MARTIN. The latter transformed his family alpine pasture chalet into a café-delicatessen-restaurant in the summer of 1947. Father de RODENBECKE went on to run the events committee.
1947
The GRAVIER brothers and Edouard CHALVIN installed La Morte button lift.
1950
The GRAVIER brothers, Edouard CHALVIN and Joseph Martin each acquired one third shares in the Pied Moûtet button lift, which kickstarted the whole ski lift adventure. More and more shops began to pop up.
1951
Etienne MARTIN began construction of Le Diable gondola lift and one of the largest hotels on the Alpe.
1955
Joseph MARTIN sold the first skipass at a cost of 2.50 Francs. The same year, the resort was officially named Les 2 Alpes.
1957
René FAURE was given the role of resort manager, assisted by Joseph MARTIN and Edouard CHALVIN from the ski lift company, as well as Louis CARREL from the ski school. Tourism was gathering pace and an extensive action plan was launched: organisation of sporting events, activities and entertainment, accommodation and the creation of a ski patrol and rescue service.
1972
3,000 metre goal! The glacier was reached with the installation of the Jandri 3 gondola lift. Venosc was linked to LES 2 ALPES by gondola lift.
1973
Summer skiing began!
1975
The conquest of the glacier continued, and the Dôme de Puy Salié was reached at 3,421 metres.
1980
A new era began for the resort, which was now attracting an international clientele. There was an increase in property development, with the construction of the Clos de Fonds village, and the addition of the Orion and Soleil residences to the Place de Venosc. In summer, the resort’s transalpine reputation was cemented with the arrival of premier Italian ski clubs.The resort reached a welcome capacity of 22,000 tourist beds and the ski area then had 160 kilometres of ski runs.
1984
A lift was installed at Le Dôme de la Lauze at 3,568 metres, providing access to the Vallons de la Meije.
1985
The Maison des 2 Alpes was opened, housing the Tourist Office, the ESF French Ski School, the Central Bookings Office and Radio 2 Alpes. At Christmas, the POMAGALSKI company erected the Jandri Express, which took a total of 30 minutes in two stints to climb the 1,550 metres separating the resort from the glacier (with capacity to transport 1,800 passengers an hour).
1989
The resort opened the highest altitude funicular lift in France: Le Dôme Express. It linked the bottom of the glacier to Dôme de Puy Salié at 3,421 metres. Funicular lift opening images: http://fresques.ina.fr/montagnes/fiche-media/Montag00005/l-ouverture-du-funiculaire-des-deux-alpes.html
1990
The snowsports era began with the first “surf trials”, born from the dedication of two shopkeepers André LEPLUS and Lina HUAN. By 1993 these trials had turned into an unmissable event: the MONDIAL DU SNOWBOARD. 5 years later, 1998 saw the addition of the MONDIAL DU SKI. The resort rode on the crest of this new wave, leading to the creation of the snowpark in the summer of 1994, which has since become one of the best parks in Europe.
1993
A new concession agreement was signed between the three communes of Venosc, Mont de Lans and Saint Christophe. Two new high-speed detachable chair lifts were installed. A ski run was covered in artificial snow, allowing skiers to ski straight back to the resort. A new ski run was installed between 3,200 and 2,600 metres. The “skier itinerary” between Les Gours and Le Thuit was created.
1999
The Choucas Bikers launched the legendary Mountain of Hell mountain bike race.
2000
The Petite Aiguille went into operation, creating a link between the Vallée Blanche and the Glacier sector.
A fire destroyed the Jandri 3 lift and a slopeside restaurant in the summer of 2000.
2004
The resort took on a new dimension by hosting the first ever Mondial VTT. The Alpine mountain biking trend sparked a new enthusiasm for the summer season. Ski lifts were adapted to the new discipline and mountain biking trails were created to provide 105 kilometres of itineraries to date on the summer ski area.
2008
The hands-free skipass was launched.
2012
A new detachable chair lift was installed to replace Le Diable gondola lift (red eggs), providing access from the lower part of Les 2 Alpes to the (upper) sector of Les Crêtes. It was named Le DIABLE chair lift. Les Crêtes button lift (for beginners) at 2,100 metres was replaced by the “SUNKID” covered magic carpet.
2016
The “return route” blue run was completed. Intermediate skiers could now ski back to their accommodation, which reduced the strain on the Jandri 1 gondola lift (white eggs) and the chair lifts on the lower part of the slopes.
2017
The resort of Les 2 Alpes entered a new era with the creation of the new Les 2 Alpes commune merging the 2 communes that originally made up the resort: Mont de Lans and Venosc. Ski touring became all the rage and its very own dedicated runs were created on the Vallée Blanche and Le Diable sector. Pedestrians and skiers could enjoy unmissable views at 3,400 metres, thanks to the new Écrins viewing point… A skywalk platform on which to drink in the view and take selfies to your heart’s content!
2018
As the land of freestyle, Les 2 Alpes needed a skatepark worthy of the name! Job done thanks to the creation of the 2 Alpes Skatepark in association with Les 2 Alpes town council. Anecdote of the year: the speed record for mountain biking on the glacier was beaten during the Mountain of Hell event. Cyclist Tim Bratschi clocked up 127 kilometres an hour. A new 8-seater detachable chair lift was installed on La Toura sector (2,600 metres) to replace the Toura and Lac Noir chair lifts. This new chair lift led to an increase in passenger numbers.
2019
A new 8-seater detachable chair lift was also installed on Les Crêtes sector, replacing the 4-seater chair lift, also helping to increase passenger flow.
2020
The big news of this winter was the Pierre Grosse gondola lift. An 8-seater gondola lift linking La Fée sector (2,221 metres) to the glacier (3,175 metres / 954-metre vertical climb / 2,400 people an hour). On the 1st of December 2020, responsibility for the management of its ski area was handed over to a new public service delegation (it had been the responsibility of Compagnie des Alpes since 2009): the SAEM, Alpe d’Huez tourist association (SATA).
Stop off in this little mountain village and take the time to discover its rich heritage.
Renowned for its arts and crafts and its architecture, discover the authentic charm of this little village set at the foot of the Ecrins National Park.
