Sportif Winter Multi Activity Itinerary
Explore the winter wilderness on snowshoes, scale frozen waterfalls, sled through the alpine snow meadows with a team of huskies, discover the underwater world of a frozen high altitude lake or fly over the snowy mountains in a paraglider!
This is a full on winter adventure activity itinerary for adventurers who want to do something a bit different to the standard skiing holiday.
No experience of any of the activities is necessary but a reasonable level of fitness and general positive attitude is recommended for maximum enjoyment!
All the guides and instructors we use are local to the area, experienced and fully qualified in their field. They will look after your safety as their utmost priority whilst ensuring you have a good time and make the most of the area.
If you like the idea of an alpine winter adventure in the Southern French Alps but would like to do a different combination of
activities just
let us know - we can mix and match virtually anything and
tailor make your perfect winter multi activity holiday.
This is an example itinerary and is dependent on weather and conditions, but wherever possible we do try to fit in all the scheduled activities.
Arrive and settle into accommodation.
We will come and meet you to welcome you to the area, go through the week and give you any vouchers, ski passes or equipment you will need.
If you are self driving we will give you all the maps and directions you need and go through them with you.
To start your week you have a choice ...
explore the underwater world of a frozen high altitude lake ... or
fly above the snowy mountains in a paraglider and take in the views!
Both activities are based in the ski resort and will take about an hour and a half so for the rest of the morning you can either ski or snowboard or relax in one of the high altitude cafes. You will have skis and a ski pass for the day.
For
ice diving you will be one on one with an instructor (unless you are an experienced diver) who will take you down through a hole in the ice to explore the lake. You are under water for a maximum of about 20 minutes - it is a very surreal and humbling experience - definitely one of those to put on your 'must do before you are X years old' tick list!
You wear a full dry suit with fleecy body suit and scuba diving kit, which the instructor will explain and show you how to use.
For
paragliding you are strapped to the front of an experienced paragliding instructor with your skis on and literally ski off the side of the mountain! You will be in the air for about 15 minutes gently flying with the air currents taking in the views! A very awe inspiring experience!
In the afternoon you will meet up on the Rocherouse plateaux to meet your team of
huskies.
Your instructor will give you instruction on how to drive the sled and control your team of huskies and then you are off and away. There are various routes to choose from taking you away from the resort into the snowy wilderness of the alpine winter! Great fun!
This morning you will have a go at mastering the snowscoot!
This is a unique sport and consists of a non-motorized scooter type contraption with a surf board instead of wheels. It is actually very easy to master and you'll be surprised how quickly you progress on to blue and maybe even red runs!
It is all in the technique - so listen carefully to your instructor!
After your lesson you will have nearly the whole afternoon free as snow mountain biking happens right at the end of the day. If you would like to keep your snowscoot to perfect your technique we can exchange it for your skis for the afternoon!
Just before the last lift up you will meet up with your
snow mountain biking instructor who will give you your bikes. Then you take the last lift up!
As you go up in the lift you'll see the last skiers on their way down, clearing the way for you! You will have the full network of glorious empty pistes to choose from for your descent! And depending on the time of year you are here - you'll be biking down as the sun sets - a truly beautiful view!
This is essentially a free day for you to do what you like.
So you can either attack the pistes on your skis or snowboards or if you don't fancy that you can use it as a rest day - go to the pool or have a go at ice skating (you have a free pass to the pool and ice skating with your package)
If you would like to have a skiing or snowboarding lesson as an extra, we can easily organise one for you.
If you like the snowy winter alpine scenery you'll love cross country skiing. Ski through snow meadows, along half melted rivers with magnificent waterfalls frozen in mid flow as they cascade down the mountain and take in the quiet calm of the Alps in winter.
It's a little bit tricky to master if you have never skied before but you can take your time as there aren't any steep slopes to navigate your way down. Your instructor will give you tips and instruction to help you perfect the basics and make the most out of the area.
For the more experienced skiers, you can try skating or go off on one of the longer routes for a blast - give your lungs and legs a bit of work to do!
Have a look at our
cross country skiing page for more information on the sport.
Cross country skiing is pretty aerobic so after a morning lesson you will probably be ready for a big lunch and a relaxing afternoon doing not much! However, you have your skis and passes for the day so if you fancy a second go you can go off on your own after lunch.
Discover the magical world of icicles, ice sheets and other weird and wonderful ice formations.
Ice Climbing is technically the most difficult of all the activities but you don't need to have had any climbing experience to do it as we have a full range of waterfall grades in the valley. So you can cut your teeth on short easy falls or if you have already got experience and want a challenge we can find one for you!
You will be with a high mountain guide and the ratio is a maximum six people to one guide and less for more experienced climbers (2 or 3 per guide) so larger groups will have two guides.
All technical equipment is provided except boots but it is possible to hire crampon compatible boots if you don't have any.
You will need warm clothing and good gloves though as it can be cold while you are waiting for other climbers in the middle of a frozen waterfall!
After the adrenalin of yesterday, a nice peaceful day out
snowshoeing will be a welcome relief! But don't get too complacent - jumps, toboganning and other little tricks can be practiced on snowshoes if you feel the need for more adventure!
Snowshoeing is one of the most popular winter activities in Champsaur and Valgaudemar. It's very easy to do and is great fun for all ages and abilities.
You strap racket shaped attachments to your walking boots and once you've mastered the technique (levelling your weight over the shoes), pristine winter wonderlands become accessible to all - perfect for escaping the hubbub of the ski stations.
If you like walking and would like to see the Alps in winter then you will love snowshoeing
This is the sad day when we say goodbye!
