About Les Deux Alpes

A Brief History of Les Deux Alpes

Built on the plateau between the villages of Mont de Lans and Venosc, the most obvious name for what has now become one of the most important ski resorts in the world was 'Les Deux Alpes' or 'The Two Alps'.

Pierre Balme, a native of Venosc, decided in the late 1870s to try and attract tourists in the summer months by opening the Balme Hostel, now known as the Chalet Mounier as an alternative to the local men going off travelling Europe selling local produce. Around 1929 the Gravier family had built l'Hôtel des Glacier, a luxury establishment designed to attract a more affluent clientele.

A young ski instructor from La Berarde decided to devote his energies to the development of Les Deux Alpes as a major winter sports resort. Like his father, the mountain guide Jean-Antoine Carrel, young Jules Carrel was passionate about mountains and, in the Spring of 1939, the first drag lift was put into operation.

The Pied Moutet Bas sector of the pistes were opened in the Christmas 1946 together with the launch of the Ecole du Ski, run by Louis Carrel with the aid of Germaine Carrel, Louis Guignard, Joseph Martin and Hyppolite Mounier. The following year saw the construction of the Morte lift during the summer and the resort’s first sports shop was opened by Annette Bocq in a purpose-built premises.

During the next few years, many new lifts were constructed including, in 1950, Maurice Carnino's Perce Neige lift, Pierre Gravier's ski lift in Bons and others in Côte Brune, Pied Moutet Haut and Les Clochettes. Etienne Martin built one of the biggest hotels in the resort and the Diable gondola in 1951 and, six years later, work was completed on the Petit Diable lift and the Diable piste was constructed, soon becoming famous as a black run.

The ski pass was invented by Joseph Martin, to help finance the development of Les Deux Alpes and the first passes cost two francs and fifty centimes to acquire.

By the mid-1970s, the Grand Nord chairlift, the third part of the Jandri lift, the Rouge chairlift and the Gentianne 1 drag lift had all been put into operation and chairlifts linked Venosc and Mont de Lans to Les Deux Alpes.
Almost a decade later, work was begun on the Jandri Express. The installation of a drag lift on the Come de la Lauze made it possible to reach the resort at La Grave via the Vallons de la Meije and five hamlets were developed in six hectares of land above the village of Venosc.

On the 29th of July 1989, the Dome Express started operating. The Village du Clos soon expanded and a new climbing wall was built. The following year saw the birth of what was to become the annual Mondial du Snowboard, with the first snowboard test and, in 1993, the ice cave was built in the Mont de Lans glacier. The Musée de la Montagne, exhibiting the flaura, fauna and geology of the region, was opened in 1997.

Today, Les Deux Alpes can accommodate around thirty-five thousand visitors and has a piste network of fifty-eight lifts. With the largest glacier in Europe, Les Deux Alpes is one of very few resorts able to offer winter and summer skiing, amongst other activities

TOURISM OFFICE
BP 7-38860 LES 2 ALPES
Phone: +33 (0) 4 76 79 22 00
Fax: +33 (0) 4 76 79 01 38
EMail: les2alp@les2alpes.com

INFORMATION CENTRES
Information centre of Mont de lans
Phone: +33 (0)4 76 79 25 00
Information centre of Venosc
Phone: +33 (0)4 76 79 26 41
Information centre of Les 2 Alpes 1800
Phone: +33 (0)4 76 79 53 60