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Although small in dimensions, France has a diverse culture and particularly varied landscapes, promising a thrilling stay with the full range of sports activities available for the eccentric. Nearly everything and anything can be tried from paragliding and potholing to canyoning and rafting, etc. But that is not all: the winter season will fulfill your outdoor desires with sensational board sports (free ride skiing in Chamonix, etc.), speed riding and ice diving!
Summer activities: from hang-gliding to the Via Ferrata
Paragliding classes in Chamonix
Sandie Cochepain, an ex-paragliding world champion, offers paragliding classes at altitude on the magnificent slopes of the Mont Blanc!
For more Information: www.lesailesdumontblanc.com
Paragliding and mountaineering with Zeb Roche and Claire Bernier
Zeb, a mountain guide with a wealth of experience, is the son of a well known guide (himself an experienced leader in the Himalayas) and is also the youngest paraglider to have taken off from Mount Everest at just 17 years of age in tandem with his father. But he has even surpassed this achievement, having jumped off the world’s highest summit alongside his wife, Claire Bernier, an ex-paragliding world champion. This (young) adventurous couple, remaining faithful to the Savoyard Alps in the Haute-Maurienne, are keen to share their knowledge and deep understanding of this sport with you.
For more information: www.antipodeszeb.com
La Coupe Icare (the Icarus Cup): the world-class “free flight” must
Toward mid-September, in a village near Grenoble, enthusiasts from all over kick off the most important and amazing paragliding and hang-gliding event: unprecedented performances, thrilling displays, a festival and an eccentric “flying” dress-up competition ensure that the enormous crowd below experiences an awesome sight. So pencil in the 36th Coupe Icare event in your itinerary for your 2009 trip!
For more Information click here
Aven d’Orgnac: explore the cave and get ready for an extreme “potholing outing”
Hidden beneath the wild landscape of the Ardèche (in the Rhône Valley), is an exceptional underground network, and with two fascinating approaches at hand, it is just waiting to be explored. At first, certain works within an expansive cave make for an easy visit: large stairs, a lift dug to a depth of one hundred meters in the rock, and extravagant lighting of the geological formations. Or, following a qualified instructor for a day of potholing training will reveal a completely different side through the exploration of galleries unequipped for the general public. Spend three to eight hours at up to 150 meters deep. Your adventure includes: a picnic, a shower (to be expected at the end), equipment. Ages 14 and up. Also, climbing sessions of the high ceilings in the main cave are available!
For more Information: www.orgnac.com
La Via Ferrata: an original Franco-Italian experience
Invented by Italian soldiers in the First World War, not for enjoyment purposes but to reach the mountain tops, the idea of attaching metallic ladders to cliffs has been developed in the French Alps over the past 15 years (but also in the Dolomites and in Switzerland), geared towards making climbing more easily accessible. It is more than likely to bring on dizzy spells, especially for amateur climbers! It is essential though, to take part with the utmost caution: appropriate equipment, safety methods to be learned beforehand with a professional guide, studying the rock surfaces and checking the weather forecast are necessary, since bad weather increases risks. Under these conditions, the Via Ferrata promises a unique exploration of spectacular mountain landscapes in all of the massifs: Mont Blanc, Alpes du Sud, Pyrénées, etc. This sport is also “family-friendly,” with climbs adapted for children in Aussois and in the Savoie.
For more Information:
www.viaferrata.org
www.roc-aventure.com
www.aussois.com
Fantasticable: fly at 100 km/hr while attached to a cable
The French Alpinism term “tyrolienne” involves being attached to a harness, lying face down and connected to a pulley, sliding along a cable held at 15 or 150 meters above ground and of one kilometer in length…all to reach a thrilling speed of 100 km/hr! Undertake this hair-raising adventure in the Vosges, in the Ardennes and in the Alpes de Haute-Savoie (Châtel).
For more information: www.fantasticable.com
Le Swing, by A J Hackett
Located in various spots around the world in Australia, Asia and Europe and originally set up in New Zealand, the French Hackett center offers bungee jumping from a Viaduct in the heart of Normandy, but the latest sensation is the swing: a kind of giant group swing, always strapped in a harness and taking you into the void…!
For more Information: www.ajhackett.fr
Flying over Mont Blanc: in a Montgolfière (hot-air balloon)
An 18th-century French invention, the Mongolfière promises a spectacularly silent and slow ride over grandiose landscapes worldwide, but this high altitude trip over Mont Blanc, more than 4000 meters above ground, is a different experience altogether!
For more information click here
Flying over the Loire Valley Châteaux: in a Montgolfière
The sensational view of the Loire Valley from up above offers a thrillingly unique perspective of these monuments, listed as UNESCO worldwide heritage sites, and is an experience not to be missed.
Le Parc du Puy-du-Fou: spectacular shows on French history
Located in the Vendée, in the west of France and only two hours by TGV from Paris (with a shuttle bus from Angers station to the Parc available), Puy-du-Fou, in the idyllic setting of a castle, presents a series of shows with scenes from various eras such as Roman Antiquity and the middle Ages etc. and thousands of extras and innovative high-tech create the impression of being on the set of a blockbuster movie! Watch out though, as a spectator, you may be called upon to participate in a gladiator fighting scene!
For more information: www.puydufou.com
Winter activities: from ice climbing and ice diving to free-ride skiing
Mont Blanc Luxury: classes in ice climbing and free-ride skiing
Ice climbing is a “must do” in the French Alps and particularly so in Chamonix, already known as the free-ride skiing capital (with the Mont Blanc glaciers), but artificial walls have also been constructed, specifically frozen for practice purposes, at the heart of the resort of Courchevel. The renowned Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, a historic institution dating back to the conquest of the alpine summits in the 19th century, also offers numerous classes for all levels.
For more information click here
Ice diving, in frozen lakes at altitude
Discover the beauty of ice diving with classes open to amateurs…but let us get one thing clear: It does not take place in the sea! A number of little lakes in the Alps, hidden under mini ice flows, provide a fabulous playing field for an unusual activity with half an hour beginner’s classes plunging you into a new world of white and blue… Thankfully, the cold is not a problem with the right equipment and qualified instruction.
- Dive Extreme, in Chamrousse (near Grenoble)
www.divextreme.fr
- Tignes Plongée, in the Espace Killy ski domain
www.tignesplongee.com
- Oser, in Orcières 1850
www.oserplonger.com
Speed riding: where free-ride skiing and paragliding come together
If we thought the kite surfing on snow phase had taken winter sports to the extreme, well this latest trend has taken snow sports to yet another level: speed riding is suited to the incurable sportsman since it involves hurtling down steep slopes at a shocking speed while sliding on snow, rebounding over tens of meters, adding a thrilling touch. This is a spectacular new sport, but only to be approached under the guidance of a qualified instructor.
Speedriding-School, in the Arcs
www.speedriding-school.com |