Top 8 spots for an introduction to biathlon in the French Southern Alps!

Try your hand at an Olympic sport in the Verdon

The most motivated among you will just love the Centre Nordique Ratery 1700, not far from the village of Colmars-les-Alpes. This vast ski area comprises 4 cross-country skiing itineraries for all levels and is the ideal place for your first biathlon training session on 20 km of marked trails. On the spot, with the Allos Le Seignus École du Ski Français, assess your levels of skiing and shooting with a laser rifle alongside beginners and confirmed sportsmen from age 8. Supervised by specialised instructors, you’ll need to concentrate and push your limits during the lessons which last from 1½ to 3 hours.

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Get professional-style training in the Champsaur

Head for the resort of Ancelle in the Champsaur, for a 2-hour private lesson with a keen instructor who knows all there is to know about the ski area and for whom biathlon holds no secrets. On the 18 kilometres of cross-country skiing trails and the 4 loops for all levels, you’ll get the sort of professional-style training that the best biathletes have… But before setting your sights on the Olympics, it’s going to mean some heavy training and proving your worth at laser or lead rifle shooting. So good luck to all you shooter-skiers!

Become a biathlon champion in Saint Martin Vésubie

Just 1½ hours from the Mediterranean coast, between heavenly waters and snow-covered peaks, the Centre Nordique du Boréon awaits you in Saint-Martin Vésubie. Get an invigorating boost of adrenaline on the 20 km of double track! Sign on for a biathlon course to emulate Martin Fourcade or Quentin Fillon-Maillet… The secret recipe: a solid dose of effort and a pinch of serenity to be able to reach the target and yell “Bullseye!”

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Discover a new passion in Val d’Oronaye

In the heart of the Mercantour National Park, the vast Nordic ski area of Val d’Oronaye – Larche has 40 cross-country ski trails. – elbow room for everyone! Head for the stadium on the La Croix trail which starts from the Nordic area to try your hand at biathlon. This is a favourite training ground for the regulars in the Alpes de Haute Provence and it’ll give you an introduction to the sport or allow you to do target shooting training with instructors, as you follow in the footsteps of the greatest biathlon champions.

Choose your winning formula in Crévoux

At the Domaine Nordique de Crévoux, get a private or group biathlon lesson in a good friendly atmosphere! At the Crévoux Ecole du Ski Français, there are several formulas suited to everyone’s whims and levels. Choose a 1-hour, 2-hour or 6-hour lesson and you’ll be unbeatable. On the La Chalp trails, learning or perfecting one’s shooting and skating is child’s play. And every year at the beginning of January, Les Noctambules du Biathlon invites you to share an athletic, festive and friendly evening with a children’s and adults’ relay race followed by a good hot meal.

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Become the king of target shooting in La Colmiane

At the gates of the Mercantour National Park in the resort of La Colmiane you’ll find the perfect base camp for biathlon lovers. Thanks to attentive instructors determined to help you progress, you’ll discover the techniques of Nordic skiing by alternating little races and a penalty course. Just what you need to up your level in no time at all! Do you want to assess your accuracy? A rifle shooting session is also included in the programme.

Concentration & fun around Briançon and Serre-Chevalier

A stone’s throw from the mythical Lautaret and Galibier cols, the resort of La Grave – La Meije guarantees a great discovery of biathlon under the peaks of the Massif des Écrins. Its relatively flat trails through the woods and along the bottom of the valley offer 3 cross-country ski loops as a warm-up! Your instructor will give you good advice on how to improve. Ready on your skis, steady, shoot! You’ll get addicted so fast that you’ll find it hard to leave the 10-metre shooting area in Névache.

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Shoot straight in Montclar

At the shooting area in the resort of Montclar, you’ll just love watching them train for the 50-metre shooting event in real biathlon conditions. And now, armed with your laser rifle, it’s your turn to try! You have to count your shots to get the best score, so concentration and rigour are all-important. Every Wednesday and Saturday, people of all ages come to let off steam and above all to train to shoot like professionals on this little course and it has their hearts racing!