BEST OF OUR SUMMER STAYS IN SAVOIE
You probably know the charm of the mountains in winter. Do you know that of summer mountain vacation ?
Our clients Pointe de sel tested our all-inclusive stays last summer and share with you here their most beautiful memories of their summer holidays in Savoie and the discovery of unusual activities.
Would you imagine yourself in their place and let yourself be tempted next summer in the French Alps?
Summer mountain holiday experience n°1: The magic of the sunrise in the mountains
In the ranking of life-changing experiences, watching the sunrise from the top of a mountain ranks very high. It is quite simply the best memory of a summer mountain vacation of Thomas's family, who came to Savoie for the first time last summer.
To be honest, the show is somewhat deserved, especially if the early morning awakenings in vacation in summer are not your habits. Nicolas, our mountain guide met the family in front of the chalet with a thermos of tea and coffee and accompanied them to the start of the hike at dawn. With a few warm-ups, the warm-up at dawn was quickly forgotten. Very quickly, Thomas was able to appreciate the variety of color nuances of the mountain in the early morning.
The early hour also allowed him to observe the animals in complete serenity, before they were disturbed by the more numerous walkers: marmots of course and also relatively shy species such as a horde of ibexes followed for a few minutes at The twin.
The children did well with the motivation to arrive first in the race with the sun! Arrived at the top, the path crisscrosses along the ridges and offered them a breathtaking view.
Thomas literally felt "true fullness" during that striking moment when the sun pierced the horizon. The opportunity to do some stretching or, why not, some yoga movements at altitude.
Then, after a good breakfast, the hike continued quietly along the ridges to finally reach their chalet in La Plagne, all delighted and proud to share their experience and superb shots taken at the top.
Summer mountain vacation experience n°2: A trapper bivouac with the family
Those who have it know that teenagers are often more willing to play on their cell phones than to go outdoors. During their mountain vacation last summer in La Plagne, Hugo offered his family an unusual outing in trapper mode.
Their mountain guide Guillaume took them to an idyllic clearing, with a small stream in the middle and a wooden cabin which immediately transported the holidaymakers to another universe.
Guillaume, then introduced them to the preparation of the fire in the middle of the forest. Search for lichens and small, well-dried wood, positioning of the wood to build the brazier, ignition with a stone fire and competition for the most beautiful blaze. To close it all, the roasted marshmallows reminded some of the scout outings and made those summer mountain vacation unforgettable.
Summer mountain holiday experience n°3: Along the peaks on a via ferrata
Héloïse is 8 years old and for her first mountain vacation in summer, she tried climbing and via ferrata with her parents.
The advantage of the via ferrata in Peisey-Nancroy is to have several sections of increasing levels of difficulty, from easy and accessible to children, to more difficult, with loopholes at each end of the section with the possibility of descending into the valley.
Do you believe that Héloïse was satisfied with the 1st section? Well no ! With great confidence, she impressed her parents with her ability to ignore emptiness. What was moreover less natural to make for certain adults.
When summer mountain vacation rhymes with pride !
Summer mountain vacation experience n°4: A descent full of adrenaline in combined mountain biking – rafting
When you can do an extraordinary activity, it's good. When you can combine 2, it's even better! This is what we tested Pauline and Christophe, great fans of nature sports and adrenaline, and fans of summer mountain vacation.
Departing from their chalet in Les Arcs on a downhill mountain bike, they took small natural trails between forest and mountain pastures to reach the valley, with a cumulative drop of almost 1100 m in altitude. A mountain bike descent full of sensation, which they each did at their own pace with their guide.
Arrival in the valley, change of scenery and outfit! Pauline and Christophe put on their wetsuits, grabbed their paddles and after a short briefing, boarded their inflatable boat to continue their sporty descent on the Isère, one of the most beautiful rivers in France.
The Isère in summer has a good steady flow and the course is suitable for families with children. After a quiet start to familiarize yourself with the codes of navigation and maneuvers, rafting slowly increases in power. It takes the passage of the very prestigious rapids of Aime, for a very playful moment and full of freshness in the middle of unspoiled nature.
Halfway, their guide stopped the boat to surprise them… He made them climb the bank and offered them (without obligation of course) to jump into the basin of water below… 5 meters away! Pauline hesitated, and finally let herself be convinced and didn't regret it as the moment was strong! They then had to climb aboard the raft, which would have been a small ordeal in itself if it had not been fortunately facilitated by their guide who lifted them by firmly grabbing their life jackets.
The descent then continued through the magnificent Centron gorges, the narrowest and steepest passage of which impresses. “An invigorating and fun experience! »
Summer mountain holiday experience n°5: An unforgettable night in a mountain hut
When " summer mountain vacation " rhymes with disconnected… When Miriam asked her family to choose the activities for her all-inclusive stay at Pointe de sel, the night in a refuge was immediately acclaimed. And they were not disappointed!
Their guide accompanied them to the gates of the Vanoise National Park at the Lac de la Plagne refuge. A grandiose place that gives the impression of being alone in the world.
The superb hike starting from the Cirque de Rosuel in Peisey-Vallandry takes them through pastures, scree and forest before reaching the plateau at the edge of Lac de la Plagne. Accompanied by fascinating discussions with their mountain guide on the fauna, flora and history, the climb goes quickly.
The discovery of the refuge where they settle for the night enchants them. Before a good, well-deserved Savoyard dinner, he takes advantage of the last moments of the setting sun for an improvised stretching session all together. Doing good in a sublime place, there is nothing like it!
The night at the refuge is objectively not the greatest luxury, especially after leaving the comfort of his cozy chalet. Nevertheless it is an unforgettable experience and the mountain view upon waking up is fantastic. And sharing this experience as a family was a source of intense wonder.
And you, what was or will be your best summer mountain holiday experience?
Do any of these experiences appeal to you? Know that at Pointe de sel, everyone can find mountain activities to their liking and practice them at their own pace.
And once seduced by the benefits of summer mountain vacation, do not miss on our blog our advice to prepare your suitcases.
See you soon for your next summer mountain vacation!
PS: don’t also miss the recommendations of our customers Pointe de sel on Tripadvisor
