Sun, 27 May 2012
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Winter ski-stations like Val d'Isère, Serre Chevalier, Meribel and Val Thorens propose numerous new ways to tackle runs from green to black once the snow has gone. Mountain biking, or VTT in French, is one of the most popular.
The cable cars provide transport for both you and your bike, and marked routes show you the way back down. As in the winter, the tracks are usually graded so you can make life as difficult or as easy as you want.
To hang-glide or paraglide you first need a lot of bottle, a big cliff to jump off and a sure and steady air-stream. No shortage of either of the latter in the mountains. The peaks around Annecy are particularly popular for the sport in the summer and they provide a great show for the pedestrian pedalos flapping around on the beautiful Annecy lake below.
Hang-gliding is not a solo sport for beginners. Either enjoy the experience gliding in tandem with a professional, or sign up for a course, available through many local agencies or organisations such as Club Med and UCPA.
Mountaineering, or rock climbing is a major sport in France. It may look scary, but if you've never tried it there are several resorts which offer lessons for beginners — as well as perfection courses for the experienced. Competitions take place throughout the summer, such as the Junior Open in Val d'Isère on 8-9 July.
Then there are the Via Ferratas. These are growing in popularity, mainly because they allow even those who aren't dedicated sporty types to experience the thrills of climbing. Basically you follow a cord, often several kilometres long, wherever it goes – and that might mean up a rock face. Some routes, though, can be extremely tricky and you have to take a guide along with you. Most will require you wearing a harness and safety helmet which can always be hired locally.
The mountains are full of rivers, providing an abundance of white water sports – just take your pick between canoeing, kayak or rafting. The levels of difficulty vary enormously so if you haven't tried this before it is strongly advised to take advice from the locals and remember, even if though the sun is blazing - the water will always be freezing cold!
If you go to an activities centre, such as Arc Aventures in Bourg St Maurice (73), you'll find they throw in transport to bring you back to the starting point.
But if you really fancy a challenge then try canyoning! The basic premise of this still fairly undeveloped sport is to follow the course of a mountain river as closely as possible. At times you will be doing no more than walking along the bank. But you will also find yourself swimming, rock climbing and abseiling – whatever it takes. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted but it is tremendously rewarding. Again the difficulty of each canyon varies and you should be realistic about your level of fitness before you set out.One word of warning: many mountain rivers are affected by hydro-electric power plants. This means the water levels can rise and fall very quickly. Organised canyoning guides are aware of this and they liaise closely with the stations to make sure there's no danger.
The canyon routes are equipped with the necessary apparatus for abseiling and climbing – trying to go "off piste" is a bad idea as you could easily find yourself stuck in a deep gorge with no way out.
That's a taster of what's available during the Alpine summer and there is of course much more – hiking through national parks such as La Vanoise in Savoie or even up to the summit of the Mont Blanc from Chamonix, walking races like that at Courchevel in July, all-summer horseback riding for an hour, a day or a week, four wheel drive pistes and activities including the Salon 4X4 at Val d'Isère on 11-19 August.
Oh - and there's skiing! High-altitude resorts like Tignes have snow-covered glaciers all year round. Do remember that the sun's UV rays are particularly strong at these altitudes - special creams, mountain sun-glasses and protective clothing is a must.
White water sports: www.eauxvives.org
Paragliding: www.parapente-fr.com www.pcht.forez.com
Canyoning: www.efcanyon.fr
Mountaineering: Fédération Francaise de la Montagne et de l'Escalade www.ffme.fr
VTT: www.multimania.com/jmourgue/vtt/guide.htm
Via Ferrata: www.chez.com/lesviaferrata/
Resorts – Chamonix: www.chamonix.com (summer details not yet available, better site is www.info.chamonix.com but temporarily unavailable)
Les Arcs: www.lesarcs.com
Serre Chevalier: www.serrechevalier.fr
Three Valleys: www.les3vallees.com (check out each resort, Courcheval, Val Thorens etc. from this site.)
Val d'Isère: www.valdisere.com
Multi activity sites – Arc Aventures (water and air sports, Bourg St. Maurice, 73) www.arc-aventures.fr
Activities around Annecy, 74: www.clubalpinannecy.com
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