The French Alps are already famous for being home to some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the winter months and hiking, trekking and rock climbing in the summer. Add to this, the excellent food, exceptional wines, cultural and historical events and sites to see and visit and you couldn’t ask for much more to make the perfect winter or summer holiday. If water sports are your thing, but you want to to get away from the crowded beaches this summer, or you just want to try something new, then the French Alps are the best place to get a taste of white water rafting, canyoning, canoeing and kayaking and much more …
There are so many places in the French Alps to take part in water sports activities that it’s impossible to mention them because where there are mountains, there is snow in the winter, where there is snow, in the spring and summer there is a LOT of water and where there is water, there is fun to be had for the whole family ! However, I’d like to mention Les 2 Alpes and Samoens. These 2 popular ski resorts are particularly worth highlighting as the conditions for practising river water sports are often perfect. In both resorts you can have a go at rafting, hydrospeed and canyoning. In these resorts a half day session of any of these water sports will cost around 35€ per person.
Hydrospeed or riverboarding consists of holding onto a small float and going down rivers headfirst ! This might sound rather painful but you are kitted out in a thick wetsuit and helmet and you wear fins to provide the thrust to navigate in river currents and avoid rocks ! If you are planning a route in more extreme white, or particularly shallow waters, you should ask for shin guards, gloves, knee pads, thigh pads, and elbow pads for extra protection from underwater obstacles. This is a new, fun and exhilerating sport that will get you hooked straight away !
This unique water sport is a mix of swimming, climbing, wading and sliding! Equipped with a wetsuit (often with special extra protection for the bottom), helmet and climbing harness, you swim or wade, slip or slide, dive or jump, climb or even abseil from one pool to another through canyons and stunning gorges following the river as it makes its way down the valley. If this sounds terrifying, don’t worry, there are plenty of different routes for all levels from complete beginner to extreme nutter and you are always with a trained guide who will explain exactly what to do and what not to do!
If the idea of white water rafting, hydrospeeding or canyoning gives you the fear, don’t be put off as there are plenty of other more leisurely water activities like kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, fishing and swimming in crystal-clear mountain lakes… Kayaking, in particular, is a great water sport for family holidays with older children who need to be kept occupied. From relaxed lake kayaking to the more extreme whitewater river kayaking, you can find the right place whatever your level. Lake kayaking is particularly popular on the Lac De Serre Poncon, a spectacular mountain lake with amazing, crystal-clear, blue water and fantastic surrounding scenery. Whitewater kayaking is for the more adventurous among you ! Mountain lakes are also the perfect place to learn to windsurf as there is something very reassuring about being able to see the other side ! The winds are rarely that strong and the waves are often just gentle ripples making the conditions safe and ideal for youngsters who want to practice and gain confidence at this water sport.
I hope I’ve given you a taster of what’s on offer – now it’s just up to you to get surfing – on the net of course ! Leave a comment or join us on Facebook and tell us if you’ve ever tried any of these great water sports.
The French Alps are already famous for being home to some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the winter months and hiking, trekking and rock climbing in the summer. Add to this, the excellent food, exceptional wines, cultural and historical events and sites to see and visit and you couldn’t ask for much more to make the perfect winter or summer holiday. If water sports are your thing, but you want to to get away from the crowded beaches this summer, or you just want to try something new, then the French Alps are the best place to get a taste of white water rafting, canyoning, canoeing and kayaking and much more …
There are so many places in the French Alps to take part in water sports activities that it’s impossible to mention them because where there are mountains, there is snow in the winter, where there is snow, in the spring and summer there is a LOT of water and where there is water, there is fun to be had for the whole family ! However, I’d like to mention Les 2 Alpes and Samoens. These 2 popular ski resorts are particularly worth highlighting as the conditions for practising river water sports are often perfect. In both resorts you can have a go at rafting, hydrospeed and canyoning. In these resorts a half day session of any of these water sports will cost around 35€ per person.
Hydrospeed or riverboarding consists of holding onto a small float and going down rivers headfirst ! This might sound rather painful but you are kitted out in a thick wetsuit and helmet and you wear fins to provide the thrust to navigate in river currents and avoid rocks ! If you are planning a route in more extreme white, or particularly shallow waters, you should ask for shin guards, gloves, knee pads, thigh pads, and elbow pads for extra protection from underwater obstacles. This is a new, fun and exhilerating sport that will get you hooked straight away !
This unique water sport is a mix of swimming, climbing, wading and sliding! Equipped with a wetsuit (often with special extra protection for the bottom), helmet and climbing harness, you swim or wade, slip or slide, dive or jump, climb or even abseil from one pool to another through canyons and stunning gorges following the river as it makes its way down the valley. If this sounds terrifying, don’t worry, there are plenty of different routes for all levels from complete beginner to extreme nutter and you are always with a trained guide who will explain exactly what to do and what not to do!
If the idea of white water rafting, hydrospeeding or canyoning gives you the fear, don’t be put off as there are plenty of other more leisurely water activities like kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, fishing and swimming in crystal-clear mountain lakes… Kayaking, in particular, is a great water sport for family holidays with older children who need to be kept occupied. From relaxed lake kayaking to the more extreme whitewater river kayaking, you can find the right place whatever your level. Lake kayaking is particularly popular on the Lac De Serre Poncon, a spectacular mountain lake with amazing, crystal-clear, blue water and fantastic surrounding scenery. Whitewater kayaking is for the more adventurous among you ! Mountain lakes are also the perfect place to learn to windsurf as there is something very reassuring about being able to see the other side ! The winds are rarely that strong and the waves are often just gentle ripples making the conditions safe and ideal for youngsters who want to practice and gain confidence at this water sport.
I hope I’ve given you a taster of what’s on offer – now it’s just up to you to get surfing – on the net of course ! Leave a comment or join us on Facebook and tell us if you’ve ever tried any of these great water sports.
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
