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7 Reasons to Visit Vaujany

By Felice Hardy | on February 22, 2019 | 6 Comments
Where To Ski

1. It’s the quiet back door into the giant Alpe d’Huez ski area

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Photo: © L.Salino/OT Vaujany.

It’s a relaxing start to the morning when you have a choice of cable-car and gondola, which both set off from the same place in Vaujany’s village centre. The ski school meeting place is here as well, which suits parents dropping off kids. Whether you stay right at the top or down at the bottom of the village, convenient escalators and funiculars whisk you here.

The long, long runs

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Photo: © L.Salino/OT Vaujany.

The ski area has 250km of piste including the 16km Sarenne in neighbouring Alpe d’Huez which is world-famous, but it’s the steep Tunnel run that provides the bigger challenge. It drops straight down the front face from the Pic Blanc and, together with Les Rousses and La Fare – a testing black run that ends in the hamlet of L’Enversin d’Oz below Vaujany – it makes up the 2200m Champagne Run. For something a little easier, the Vaujaniat is an intermediate cruise down from Vaujany’s own ski area, with a gondola bringing you back up to the cable-car station. In a good snow week, advanced and expert skiers will have a ball here.
 


 

The best chalet food in the Alps

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Chalet Saskia. Photo: (c) Ski Peak.

Chalet Saskia is a comfortable but by no means OTT chalet, conveniently situated for both the village and mountain access. It sleeps ten in each of two-mirror image segments – and they can be taken separately or as a whole. The chef for both, working from his glass-walled kitchen between the two, is New Zealander Marcus Cull, who has been resident here for over 20 years. His creations never fail to stun and surprise guests and they are all based around locally sourced ingredients.

Be prepared for nine or even ten little courses – starter, main, a cleansing sorbet, pre-dessert and dessert punctuated by a host of incredibly creative amuse-bouches. In our opinion, you won’t eat better in a Michelin-starred restaurant. However, if you don’t fancy a week of gourmet food, you can also self-cater or go half board in one of the chalets in the outlying hamlet of La Villette.

Interesting mountain restaurants abound

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Chalet du Lac Besson. Photo: © Welove2ski.

There are more than 20 mountain eateries in the Alpe d’Huez and Vaujany area, including Le Chalet du Lac Besson (+33 476 80 65 37) on the area’s cross-country track, well away from the piste. If you want something a little different, try the new La Fruitiere (table-service) and Folie Douce (self-service) – part of the chain of Val d’Isere fame, albeit slightly cheaper than the original.

Closer to Vaujany is Les Airelles – at the top of the Montfrais nursery slope, with a pleasant sun terrace and wholesome mountain dishes. La Forêt de Maronne near Auris serves imaginative local cuisine that is excellent value, and on sunny days you can eat on the terrace.

 

The village reinvests in its facilities each year

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Photo: (c) Ski Peak.

In the late 1980s, the little village of Vaujany unexpectedly hit the jackpot when it sold land to France’s largest hydro-electric scheme. The villagers used the money to convert their cowsheds into chalets and built a 160-person cable-car that links into the Alpe d’Huez ski area. Since then they added a vast creche and improved the beginner ski area.

The family amenities are second to none

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Photo: (c) Ski Peak.

This is the third home to the Vaujany garderie, for children aged six months to 11 years – the older ones can mix skiing with other activities down at the kindergarten. The building relocated a few years ago into a purpose-built edifice below Chalet Saskia. There’s also a swimming-pool complete with waterslides and a paddling pool, a bowling alley, a skating/ice-hockey stadium and a restaurant. The complex is accessed by a funicular from the cable-car station.

On the snow, the ski school runs English-speaking classes during the school holidays to cater for the many British families who stay in the resort. Children aged three years and over can join group lessons. The ski school is based at Montfrais at the top of the gondola; the nursery slopes are also up here, accessed by a moving carpet inside a protective glass tunnel.

The prices are lower than in mainstream French resorts

Vaujany Reasons | Welove2ski

Inside the Folie Douce. Photo: © Welove2ski.

Expect to pay about 5€ for a beer in Vaujany and 3€ for a soft drink. A beer in Val d’Isere is roughly 9€ and a soft drink 5€. On the mountain above Vaujany you’ll pay between 30€ and 45€ for a meal for two people, including with wine, water and coffee.

You can book a chalet holiday here with Vaujany-specialist Ski Peak. Other tour operators to the resort include Erna Low, Powder Beds and Peak Retreats. Also see our post on Eating on the Go in the Alps (Vaujany)

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Author Description

Felice Hardy

Felice is one of the three editors at Welove2ski and contributes on skiing to a range of publications, including The Evening Standard, The Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller, Tatler, Harpers Bazaar, Country Life, BA Highlife and House & Garden. She started skiing at the age of three. She also enjoys hiking with her dogs and mountain biking in the Alps.

6 Responses to “7 Reasons to Visit Vaujany”

  1. Avatar

    February 18, 2014

    @welove2ski Reply

    Here are 7 Reasons to Visit Vaujany: https://t.co/C4Ihfoe6lJ

  2. Avatar

    February 19, 2014

    @gavin_cib Reply

    7 reasons to visit Vaujany https://t.co/cQsNKIzniZ https://t.co/7czsP7IkQ2

  3. Avatar

    February 19, 2014

    @SkiPeak Reply

    Another brilliant write up about Ski Peak and Vaujany – evidently the hottest place to go skiing! Ring to book… https://t.co/kK5p2QDNQC

  4. Avatar

    February 20, 2014

    Rob Reply

    great review! an alternative option for accommodation if you are after quality self catered apartments and chalets is Vaujany Ski Company at http://www.vaujanyapartments.co.uk

  5. Avatar

    April 4, 2017

    Edna Reply

    This is an amazing article about Vaujany. Thanks!
    Depending on my mood, I choose between Vaujany and Val d’lsere. Each resort has its own personality and I think that everyone could enjoy at one of these.
    Felice gave us a lot of info about Vaujany, and it’s undoubtedly one wonderful resort.
    Val d’Isere, on the other hand, is a crowded, large purpose-built ski resort on the French-Italian border.
    I suggest you to check out another great article and it would be more clear what I’m talking about – https://www.skipeak.net/blog/vaujany-vs-val-d-lsere-boutique-or-big-name-for-your-next-ski-holiday

    • Felice Hardy

      April 7, 2017

      Felice Hardy Reply

      Hi Edna,
      We love both those resorts too!

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