Thinking About Skiing? Try the French Alps!
Listen up you out-of-door enthusiasts. It is
time to put away your summer toys and start thinking serious. It is
time to starting thinking skiing. By now the first dusting of snow has
descended on the French Alps and for the next seven months or so you
will have an opportunity to enjoy some of the best skiing available
anywhere. But you should be warned, whether you ski alpin (downhill) or
ski de fond (cross-country), choosing a resort will be no easy task
because there are over 100 resorts throughout France.
The
Rhone-Alps region is where you will find some of the world's premier
skiing. It is often billed as the world's great ski park. This
south-eastern corner of France boasts 17 major ski areas spread over
3,750 square miles of slopes and cross-country trails. There are a
handful of resorts that offer state-of-the art facilities and
spectacular skiing.
Among them
are: L'Alpe d'Huez: Situated at 6,138 feet, with climbs up to 10,890
feet, it is Europe's longest sign posted trail (10 miles) runs, between
the glaciers of Sarenne and Alpe d'Huez. At the base of the resort is
the Huez a big and vibrant hamlet where shopping can be king and an
array of first-rate restaurants greet the hungry skiers. There are
numerous off-slope facilities including everything from aerobics to
sumo wrestling. This alpine retreat's reputation extends beyond skiing.
For years Alpe d'Huez has been the finish line of most difficult Tour
de France stages – a stage that often determines who will win the
yellow jersey. It is here, in July, that America's Lance Armstrong rode
a classic stage and took charge of this year's race and went on to win
his third consecutive tour.
Chamonix
Mont Blanc: Located at the base of Europe's highest mountain (15,771
foot Mont Blanc), Chamonix is perhaps the world's most famous ski
resort. In 1924 it was the site of the 1st Winter Olympics. Here you
will find the longest glacial decent in the world (12.5 miles) running
from Aiguille du Midi to Chamonix. If you are among the more timid,
fear not, there is plenty of terrain on which you can test your skills
or just enjoy a day of laid back skiing surrounded by incredible
scenery. For the non-skier, Chamonix offers an incredible array shops,
restaurants and off-slope activities. For lesser mortals, there are
plenty of en-piste kilometers to enjoy and a lift link over to Italy's
Aosta Valley, all dominated by the spectacular scenery of Mont Blanc.
Les
Trois Valées: This, undoubtedly, is the world's largest ski area with
372 miles of runs, over 200 lifts including 39 gondolas and two cable
cars. Overseeing all of this are more than 500-ski instructors.
Actually, as the name suggests, Les Trios Valées is the interconnection
of three main resorts which includes eight villages and three valleys.
The resorts are Vallée de Courchevel (Courchevel), Vallée de Méribel
(Méribel, Mottaret) and Vallée des Belleville (Les Menuires, Val
Thorens) Most ski enthusiasts will remember Les Trios Vallées as the
site of the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Les
Deux -Alpes: Site of the largest glacier in Europe enables Les
Deux-Alpes to cater to the hard-core skiers that enjoy the sport year
round. Located 43 miles southeast of Grenoble, this resort has
excellent snow from October until early May and then there is the
glacier for summer skiing. Billed as one of the continent's best
destination resorts, there are over 35,000 guest beds, more than 200
shops and 40 restaurants, Les 2 Alpes is one of the biggest and
liveliest resorts in the Alps. Night clubs stay open until dawn. Other
'things to do' include a climbing wall, ice climbing, paragliding,
snow-mobiling and snow shoeing.
Morzine:
One of the area's most family-friendly resorts, Morzine, located at
5,940 feet, it is the largest of the 13 interconnected ski resorts
which straddles France and Switzerland. An old market town, Morzine was
built long before downhill skiing was thought of. It's set in a lovely
wooded valley on the banks of the River Dranse, and built in the
traditional style. While there are dozens of hotels, this is very much
a chalet-holiday base for the traditional British market.
Tigues:
Tigues is another French Alps resort where skiing is a year around
activity. Located at the base of the glacier of the Grande Motte, even
during the summer Grande Motte offers a vertical drop of 3280 and more
than double that in winter. It is one of the favorite spots of extreme
skiers
Val d'Isere: Another of
the famous French ski resorts, Val d'Isere is nestled at the foot of
the mountains in a valley near the Italian border. Start with a huge
ski area–much of it at a high altitude–add world class lift
infrastructure, and a vast array of aprés ski activities and you have
the archetypal world class mountain resort. There are few resorts that
boast a more lively nightlife. As one of the favorite resorts of the
British, don't be surprised if you find yourself practicing your
stem-Christies next to British Royalty. Val d'Isere's most recent claim
to international fame was it was the site of most of the men's downhill
events for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics.
Megeve:
Megève is a traditional Savoyard village, rich in local tradition and
history. With Mont Blanc in the distance, the mountains rise from 1,000
to 2,500 meters, with meadows, wide fir and broad-leaved forests up to
1,850 meters, and alpine peaks above. Megève has about 80 active farms
active in haymaking, and in horse and cattle breeding during the
summer. During the winter the horses are used for sleigh rides around
the village. Skiing is considered by many as dangerous pastime, but the
only real danger one experiences from skiing the French Alps is the
passionate desire to return again and again. Bob's next article will
cover the ski resorts in the Pyrenees and the Vosage Mountains.
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