Alpe d'Huez

Q: Is the Sarenne really the longest black run in the world?

It is 16 km, and generally accepted as the longest black-graded piste anywhere. Worth knowing before you commit: most of it is not steep, but it is a long way from anywhere, the gorge section is cold and shaded, and it is a serious undertaking on tired legs. Doing it first with an instructor who knows where the flat sections are saves a lot of skating.

Oisans, IsèreSee it on the map

Region

Oisans, Isère

Country

France

Local time

Europe/Paris

Currency

EUR

Alpe d'Huez markets itself as 'the island in the sun' and, unusually for resort marketing, the claim holds up: it faces south-west on a broad plateau and gets around 300 days of sun a year. The catch is the other side of that coin — spring snow on the lower slopes goes soft early in the day.

The headline run is the Sarenne, at 16 km the longest black piste in the world, dropping from the Pic Blanc at 3,330 m into a deep gorge. It is less steep than its grading suggests for most of its length; what it is, is very long.

Underneath the famous stuff is a genuinely excellent beginner setup: a large, gentle, sunny area right by the village that is one of the best places in France to spend a first week.

Last reviewed 4 August 2026

Best suited to

Beginners
Families
Intermediates
Snowboarding

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Where lessons start

The beginner area sits right at the edge of the village on gentle, sunny ground, and it is big enough that lessons do not crowd each other. Ask about timing on spring days: the same sun that makes the resort pleasant turns the lower slopes heavy by mid-afternoon, and a morning lesson is worth more than an afternoon one in March.

Getting there

Grenoble is about an hour and a half and Lyon around two and a half. The final ascent is the famous 21 hairpins of the Tour de France climb, which is more entertaining in July than in a snowstorm.

See it on the map Official resort website

Qualifications required in France

Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in France is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Professional card (diplôme d'État de ski). Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.

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Alpe d'Huez: common questions

Is the Sarenne really the longest black run in the world?

It is 16 km, and generally accepted as the longest black-graded piste anywhere. Worth knowing before you commit: most of it is not steep, but it is a long way from anywhere, the gorge section is cold and shaded, and it is a serious undertaking on tired legs. Doing it first with an instructor who knows where the flat sections are saves a lot of skating.