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Try Out These New Winter Sports in the Southern Alps

Thanks to snowy summits that touch the bluest skies and a sun that shines often, the Southern Alps offer a dazzling brightness. With suncream on your nose, enjoy the charm of the high mountains and take on new challenges. Here’s where to find unforgettable thrills!

Take a Spin

Hurtle Down the Slopes on Two Wheels

Even if you have been hitting the slopes for years, you can’t always go for the usual routine. Try out the trending new activities at the resorts and treat yourself to a good dose of adrenaline. The Fatbike is a mountain bike with oversized tyres that grip the snow: 13.5 km of trails are open from Vars Sainte Catherine towards the Col de Vars. Guided rides are available to help you learn about this fun, new winter sport in the Alps. You should also consider the snowscoot. Accessible to everyone, you don’t need bindings or special shoes to ride this snow scooter. Plus, it’s perfectly suitable for ski lifts. The ideal resort to start: Pra Loup!

Cross the Slopes With Cross-Country Skiing

Nordic Activities and All-Day Outings at the Resorts

In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the Alpes-Maritimes, cross-country skiing has become an essential! Head to Val d’Oronay Larche, where you can exercise in the Espace Nordique, or Valberg, Castérino or Beuil, a charming little village. Ski-touring aficionados, for their part, meet at Le Sauze. Vars and Réallon, which also offer cross-country itineraries. Our favourite: the Vallée de la Clarée, starting from Névache. Here, you glide through the snow in a picture-postcard setting surrounded by little stone and wood houses with snowy roofs. Eager to test out something new? Try out the Yooner, an easy-to-handle contraption that is somewhere between a sled and a ski. Whoosh down the mountain 20 cm above the surface! Almost vintage, telemarking (skiing with a free heel) is back in fashion. This winter, try it out !

Hitch a Ride on the Snow

By Motor, Wind, or Horse

A week’s skiing is certainly not monotonous. Here are three ways to make sure it isn’t… At Le Val d’Allos, find out about speed-riding: skiing with a sail on gentle slopes and vales. To tour around the Montgenèvre and the Valberg resorts, choose a snowmobile and the extraordinary feeling of freedom it gives. You can slow the pace, at Superdevoluy for instance, with ski joëring: where a harnessed horse pulls you while on skis. After an outing, treat your horse to a few caresses – a just reward for this shared moment.

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Une publication partagée par Station de Chabanon Selonnet (@station_chabanon.selonnet)

Fun In The Snow At Every Hour

Snowboarding and Skiing Freestyle or at Night

Skiing is also about expressing your personality. At the snowparks, everyone goes for it and tries out the freestyle moves that inspire them, like in Serre Chevalier snowpark. As they say in this free-spirited sport, “Just send it!” Vars-Risoul has something for every mood, with six freestyle areas including a Girly Park for beginners and a Totem Park, the snowy version of the Far West. The main danger is that your teenagers won’t want to leave! Offer them the chance to end their day on skis with the Chabanon nighttime descent. The longest ski run in Europe offers a 3 km floodlit circuit.