Weather at Alpe d'Huez

The ski area runs from 1,125 to 3,330 m above sea level - a 2,205 m vertical. In January the daytime average is 4 °C at the base and -11 °C at the summit. Plan for that 14 °C gap: what feels right at the base will be cold up top. Midwinter days at the base run above freezing, so the lower runs soften by midday and the morning snow lasts longer higher up.

Average daytime highs at the summit stay below freezing from November through May. Last season brought 478 cm of snow here. The snowiest month was January: 106 cm over 9 days with snowfall. The snowpack was deepest in March, at roughly 137 cm. These are observations from a single season, not a long-term norm: a snowy year here can be twice a lean one.

Snowmaking covers 35% of the runs, so the start of the season barely depends on when natural snow arrives. The season usually runs from 5 December to 18 April.

By May the base is around 14 °C while the summit still holds 0 °C: on days like that, start early and stay high. Based on monthly averages and the resort elevations. For the coming days, see the forecast above.