Other French Alps Activities: Summer Skiing, Paragliding, Tennis and So Much More!

Apart from cycling, mountain biking and mountain walking, Vaujany, La Villette and the immediate area surrounding them offer such a palette of pleasure and activities to choose from you’ll be surprised, kept entertained and wishing you’d booked for longer. For activities in the Alps Vaujany is second to none. There is plenty to do for the whole family and all ages whether sporting or more leisurely activities. Check out our overview of just some of what awaits you...

Tennis

If you have rackets* - bring them! Even if you haven’t played for years or haven’t yet considered introducing a young one to the game, the beautifully surfaced courts at Le Collet, just above La Villette could not be more inspiring. The breathtaking views and the fact they are free to boot, is no less of an incentive. Tennis is perhaps not what one might associate with activities in the Alps – Vaujany will change that!
*some rackets available for hire at the courts themselves

Sailing, Windsurfing and Pedalos (Allemont 10 minutes away).

Thanks to the hydro-electric dam below the village maintaining the water level during the summer months, Vaujany is blessed with a great outdoor water sports venue. It’s a ten minute drive down to the dam with easy parking, access to a great little waterside eatery and bar and plenty options for a fun few hours; hire pedalos, try a windsurfing course or rent small sail boats. As French Alps activities go, sailing on a stunning lake, in glorious sunshine surrounded by Alps, is not bad.

Venosc and St Christophe En Oisans Adventure Park, Rafting and Via-Ferrata.

Try Adventure Parc only 45 minutes from Vaujany through Bourg d’Oisans, this all fun and thrills-packed park is becoming perhaps THE family French summer holiday favourite with summer guests. Spend the day flying through the treetops, climbing obstacles and generally defying gravity. The whole Venosc valley is a great destination for a day out, filled with great French Alps activities. Apart from the tree-top adventure, there is the beautiful Venosc village itself, with bars, restaurants and fantastic local arts and crafts, white water rafting (see below), access via bubble to Les Deux Alpes (the descent back to Venosc via parapent is unbelievable) and plenty of great walks.

St Christophe En Oisans White Water Rafting and Via-Ferrata

For rafting and canoeing please follow this link to Veneon Eaux Vives. For rock climbing on fixed cables take a look at Via-Ferrata. Please note you should hire specialist equipment for this; try the shop Montagne in Bourg d’Oisans (Pascal and Corinne Le Clech).

Briançon

For history buffs, shoppers, lovers of beautiful mountain drives and seekers of Kodak moments, Briançon has it all. This historic market town sits just inside the border with Italy and was laid out by Louis XIV’s chief military engineer Vauban to keep the Italians out. It no longer works as thousands of tourists flock across the border to stroll is beautiful cobbled streets, browse the many arts and craft shops and eat out in one of its many restaurants. The drive there over the Col du Lauteret is quite remarkable! This trip can easily be combined with a visit to the Jardin Alpin (a beautiful Alpine Garden and Research Centre perched high on the Col itself) or a real treat in the fantastic Spa of Monetier Les Bains.

Summer Sledging Luge (Alpe d’Heuz)

The fun sport of sledging (or ‘luge’) isn’t just confined to the snowy winter slopes. Alpe d’Huez has a summer toboggan run at the Piste de l'Eclose, which can be reached via a chair-lift. Including the price of the chair-lift ride it costs €13.50 for an adult and €7 for a child.

Alpe d’Huez

Firstly, choose one of the many scenic options for getting there - walking across the mountains, cycling the ‘scary road’ from Villard Reculas or driving up the famous 21 hairpin bends from the valley below. Then decide which of the several French Alps activities on offer to enjoy; minigolf, the MTB freeride park, the open air swimming pool or the perhaps the best of all - the brilliantly good fun luge track. Buy a multi-ride card and use the chair lift to the top of the track - will you choose the hair of the tortoise option? Best of all, at the end of a fabulous day out, you get to return to the beautiful, unspoilt, non-resort like bliss of Vaujany.

Climbing, Mountaineering and Via-Ferrata

If you are into rock-climbing and mountaineering you have come to the right place, the Southern French Alps with the Ecrins National Park just a stone’s throw away. The local climber’s Mecca is La Berarde: The Aiguille Dibona, a granite pinnacle, climbed from the Refuge Soreiller is a local Classic and for the truly accomplished the Traversée de La Meije is a lifetime’s achievement, climbed from the Promontoire Hut to the Aigle. There are an infinite number of wonderful, spectacular mountaineering routes in the area. Enough to keep you coming back for decades! The The Pilatte hut provides a superb range of routes, try the Gioberney for an easier day’s climb or Les Bans for a challenge. And perhaps Pic Coolidge on the way back via the Temple Ecrins hut.

If you have not tried rock climbing yet but love to scramble then you might like to try Via-Ferrata; rock climbing on fixed cables to which you secure yourself with harness, rope and karabiners (you must hire specialist equipment).

There are many good Via-Ferrata in the area: Notably near St Christophe by the river rafting and canoeing centre or for the aficionados the Aiguillette du Lauzet 2726m approached from the Pont de L’Alpe just before Serre Chevalier, a full day out.

Flying – Parapenting, Hang Gliding, Small Planes and Microlights

Ever imagined soaring high over the Alps or dropping low into the beautiful valleys between them? A Ski Peak summer holiday offers plenty of opportunities to do so. The small flying school based at the Altiport in Alpe d’Huez offers incredible small plane flights tailor-made to your preference; peaks, glaciers or lakes. There is a good chance of spotting marmottes, chamois and other wildlife as you fly overhead. Or try your hand at hang gliding or parapenting, both available out of Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes (famous for Les Deux Alps summer skiing), both amazing, both affordable and both unforgettable! So get yourself to the Altiport in Alpe d’Huez and get strapped on for some amazing paragliding in the French Alps.

Vaujany Swimming and Leisure Centre*

This is truly a top-notch facility and pride of the village. The pool is large, clean and underused. Great for swimming for the adults, fun for the little ones and everyone just loves the water slide! In addition you might take advantage of the jacuzzi, steam room or sauna, gym, sports hall, sun terrace or the aquagym classes laid on.
*Please note by French law, speedos are now obligatory. This is not a joke

Fishing

For anglers there is great fishing in the EDF dam, just ten minutes drive below Vaujany. In addition several of the mountain lakes have fish in them. The Tourist Information can suggest the best places to drop your line and the choice of dam, lakes or fast flowing mountain streams provides and week-long challenge.

Culture

There are 2 small but excellent museums in Vaujany and several others within less than an hours’ drive. The local community also puts on a plethora of weekly events and French Alps activities so it is always worth checking upon arrival what’s going on in the week. For 2011 some of the events planned are: Himalayan photo exhibition, Alpine cheese tasting sessions, several concerts with music from around the world, Vaujany’s first international chess festival, fantastic firework displays, Vaujany Village Market and Fair, Classic Car Rally and much much more!

Vaujany - a village and so much more!