LES ARCS
Think the French Alps slow down in summer? Mike MacEacheran and his family hit thrill-a-minute Les Arcs and found nothing could be further from the truth MOUNTAINS TO THE MAX
L ooking over the cliff edge, directly beneath me, some 1800ft down, was a steeply- pitched slope of boulders, all gneiss and granite grey and enough to terrify anyone silly. A few metres away, a man in a harness was attached to a wobbly cable, goggles on, and about to rocket over this jagged landscape. On the face of it, his decision seemed crazy, especially when considering he’d hit speeds of 80mph. But somehow — let’s put it down to the top pester-power tactics of children — my wife and I had been talked into taking the same wild leap of faith. Moments later, we were screaming in tandem. With our kids, on the sidelines, squealing with delight. We were in Les Arcs, a purpose-built, 60s-era mountain resort in Savoie, France, and the Aiguille Rouge Zipline (the most fun 70 seconds I can write about here) is a gripping ride from the top of the Varet cable car, and yet, it’s only one of
dozens of outdoorsy thrills families can experience in this Alpine destination every summer. In winter, the four traffic-free, ski-in- ski-out villages (so-named after their altitudes, 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000) turn into snow globes of all-out ski activity, but when the thaw hits, the resort really comes into its own; for all ages, all abilities, and all interests. My kids (aged 7 and 4) were too young for the eye-popping zipline (riders have to be 25kg minimum), but there was so much more to keep them entertained, on and above the ground. With sheer ingenuity, the slopes and base lift stations surrender to circus tents for acrobat workshops and grand prix circuits for quad bike races. Bungee jumps for tots pop up beside high ropes courses, and, along with the zipline, swimming pools, hiking routes, mountain biking trails, obstacle courses and chairlift rides, they consume the village. This is, as one of the
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