Alpe d'Huez Activity Review: 10th August 2010
The mountain resort of Alpe d'Huez is becoming an increasingly popular summer holiday destination, offering a multitude of sports and outdoor activities to entertain all ages. But there's more to the resort than it's cycling, MTB and hiking trails. Last month I promised readers a look at Alpe d'Huez's cultural and historical side.
Information in English is pretty hard to find but the Tourist Office does have a few leaflets. Evidence shows the first settlers came to the area as early as 300 BC, living on the present site of Huez village, just below the resort. They farmed and kept crops, living a sustainable life in the summer months and retreating down the mountain in the winter.
In 1200AD villagers discovered a seam of silver lead and created a mine near the present day Altiport. The village, called Argenteria de Brandis was supported by the French Dauphin. The village grew and by the 17th Century there was a small fort and a church on the site, the excavated and developed foundations of which are open to the public during the summer months.
Mining continued in Alpe d'Huez until the 20th Century, as locals mined a seam of anthracite (a high quality variety of mineral coal) which supported a population of 300. The mine was finally closed in 1950 when an avalanche destroyed the miners' bunkhouse. Without their main source of income, the locals returned to small scale farming and the growing tourism industry.
The first hotel was opened in Alpe d'Huez in 1911 but it wasn't until the main road was built in 1926 – with a width of just four metres – that winter tourism became a practical and profitable pursuit. In 1935 the world's first disengaging ski lift was built in the resort, carrying skiers up to 50m on the Piste des Idiots, which still exists today.
More and more hotels were built and the ski school opened in 1937. By 1939 the resort had 16 hotels and 3 ski lifts, with 70% of clients coming from Paris. But World War II put a stop to the resort's growth and instead became a place of refuge for the French Resistance fighters of the official FFI (French Forces of the Interior) and guerilla band, the Maquis.
There are various placards in resort and on the mountain that mark historical sites from WWII, and it's possible to link these together in a hiking route, the Sentier Historique. However it's worth noting that the entire route is very long and winding, so it's advisable to break it down by using the roads and lift system, or tackling one section at a time. The staff at the Tourist Office will be able to advise you.
Possibly the most notable event during the war was the American bomber that crash landed in 1944 thinking it was on neutral Swiss territory, rather than occupied France. The 11-strong crew were guided north to Alpe d'Huez by the Maquis but were stranded when German troops encircled the Oisans region. They remained in Alpe d'Huez for the rest of the war, helping the staff at the mountain hospital based at l'Alpette.
Just seven years after the end of the war, Alpe d'Huez was back to building a solid reputation as a sporting resort. The Tour de France first passed through the resort in 1952, and Alpe d'Huez hosted the Bobsleigh World Championship in 1951 and the Bobsleigh run for the 1968 Olympic Games. In 1970 the resort's stunning church, the Notre-Dame des Neiges was consecrated, replacing the wooden structure that had stood on the spot since 1940. Free concerts are held weekly throughout the summer and winter seasons, making the most of the church's huge and beautiful modern organ.
Today it's snowsports that bring the biggest crowds to the resort's 240km of runs but summer sports are growing and with an interesting history, it's easy to find something to occupy your mind as well as your body in Alpe d'Huez.
Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Alpe d'Huez!
