Les 2 Alpes in the southern French Alps has been named European Resort of the Year. The announcement was made yesterday at the World Snow Awards ceremony, which took place at the London Ski and Snowboard Show.

 

The team at FSN were not surprised at the choice.  We love Les 2 Alpes. It’s an extensive resort with a good variety of terrain to ski, with 220km of pistes split over two valleys (hence the name Les Deux-Alpes) and glacier skiing (open also in summer) up to an altitude of 3,200metres.

We particularly like the easy greens and cruisy blues high up the mountain, which are great for beginners as they all too rarely get to experience high altitude snow conditions. After all, the nursery slopes are usually at the bottom of most resorts.

At the other end of the scale, Les 2 Alpes offers some of Europe’s finest off-piste skiing to be had at the top of the resort in the unpisted powder bowls of La Grave (we advise that only highly-experienced skiers or boarders should ski here, and only when accompanied by a qualified guide and when carrying transceivers, shovels and probes).

Les 2 Alpes is also something of a snowboard Mecca for its freeriding and terrain parks, especially in summer months when the glacier’s open.  In resort, there’s a huge airbag to practice tricks… with a nice soft landing!

Nightlife is lively with atmospheric bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets, and there are also plenty of other après ski activities including the ice rink and swimming pool, which are both included within your lift pass. There’s a nursery (6months-2 years) and a kindergarten (2-6 years) and a number of chalet-based facilities run by tour operators, including Club Med and Crystal.

Our verdict: a good all-round ski resort, reliable for snow, and especially popular for off-piste and for summer skiing on the glacier. There’s something here to please all the family!

You can read about some of the other winners of this year’s World Snow Awards including Les Menuires, another French resort HERE – they won the award for Best Family Resort; and Chemmy Alcott, featured HERE, who clinched the most coveted award of the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Here’s a full list of World Snow Award winners for 2015:
Resort awards
European Resort of the Year Les 2 Alpes
Highly Commended – Les Arcs
North American Resort of the Year Park City
Family Resort of the Year Les Menuires

Travel awards
Best UK Chalet Company – Public vote Treeline Chalets
Best UK Snowsports Tour Operator – Public vote Nonstop Ski & Snowboard
Specialist Travel Agent Independent Ski Links

Retail, clothing and equipment awards
Best UK Snowsports Retailer – Public vote Snow+Rock
Best Clothing Manufacturer Peak Performance
Highly Commended – Helly Hansen
Best Technological Innovation Atomic Backland ski boots
Best Safety Kit Manufacturer The North Face
Best Goggle Manufacturer DRAGON
Highly Commended – Julbo

Food and drink awards
Best Mountain Restaurant – Public vote Le Signal, Val d’Isère
Best Après Ski Bar – Public vote La Folie Douce, Val d’Isère

Hardware awards
Best Ski Fischer Motive 86Ti
Best Women’s Ski Scott Luna
Best Ski Manufacturer Rossignol
Best Snowboard Yes Pick Your Line
Best Women’s Snowboard Burton Lip-Stick
Best Snowboard Manufacturer Bataleon

Lifetime Achievement Award Chemmy Alcott

 

Other related posts:
New awards for skiing and boarding
Bell brothers win World Snow Award
Val Thorens voted world’s best ski resort
Avoriaz wins ‘best family resort’ award
Les Menuires is Best Family Resort for 2015
Chemmy Alcott wins Lifetime Achievement Award 
Les Deux Alpes voted European resort of the Year
Valmorel goes virtual
Family-friendly French resorts
New family-friendly five star hotel in Val Thorens