If you’ve still got a few weeks to go before your holidays, now’s the time to organise your activities! An adrenaline junkie or just dying for some adventure, follow our tips for an unforgettable, action-packed holiday. We’ve assembled activities for every taste – get ready for a summer full of adrenaline with us.
Find your adrenaline on the mountain side
Mountain Biking
Image by Corentin Leray
Explore the slopes of the Valley of Chamonix on a downhill mountain bike for a whirlwind adventure; there are accessible tracks and trails for extreme sports lovers in the areas of Les Houches and Le Tour:
Les Houches 🚲
🔵 ALPAGES RESPECT
🔴 CHAMOIS
⚫ BOUQUETINS
Each 4 km long, with an altitude change of 640m from start to finish
Start: 1887m > Finish: 990
From the top of the Prarion cable car, several possible variants of different levels
Le Tour 🚲
🔵 LES MARMOTTES | Charamillon > Le Tour
Start 1850m > Finish 1462m
From the top of the Charamillon cable car to the village of Le Tour
🔵 CHEVREUILS | Col de Balme > Charamillon
Start: 2186m > Finish 1856m
From the left side of the Autannes chairlift.
🔴 LES CERFS | Charamillon > Le Tour
Start: 1850m > Finish 1462m
Beginning at the top of the Charamillon cable car, with an altitude change of 388m, with the optional bonus of your very own “Bike Movie”, filmed descent!
🔴 LA LOUVE | Vallorcine > Vallorcine Village
Start: 1935m > Finish: 1257m
Beginning from the top of the Vallorcine cable car
⚫ GRANDE OURSE | Vallorcine > Vallorcine Village
Start: 1900m > Finish: 1264m
Beginning from the top of the Vallorcine cable car
Choose between two ticket types:
🎟️ LE PASS – Mountain Bike (VTT)
1 area for €28.00 – Chamonix
1 area for €28.60 – Les Houches
🎟️ LE PASS – Mountain Bike (VTT)
Multi-area for €38.50 – Domaine de Balme, Les Houches & Les Grands Montets
No need to lug your equipment across the seas; you’ll find everything you need right here in town. Visit our partners around the centre ville, with discounts available to Chamonix All Year customers on all rental equipment and clothing at:
Sanglard (except Goretex clothing)
SkiLoc in Chamonix Sud
👋 If you’re a newbie, or just want to venture out tentatively, you can also hire your very own mountain bike guide! Choose between joining a group or hiring a private guide, depending on your level of madness.
Our partners at Evolution 2 offer a range of different packages – remember to tell them you came through Chamonix All Year.
Watch Out!
❗ Wearing a helmet & protection is STRONGLY recommended; as is having appropriate, working brakes.
❗ Some paths cross over with 4×4 tracks and pedestrian walking trails; stay alert.
❗ Pedestrianised paths are out of bounds for mountain bikes during July & August; stick to the bike chemin.
❗ Before setting off, check the mountain conditions on the Office de Haute-Montagne site, or by phone: 04 50 53 22 08, and the weather conditions.
Via Ferrata
Image courtesy of the Chamonix Tourist Office
The valley’s unmissable ‘iron roads’, climb crags and dangle over crevasses!
Clip yourself in for a sky-high experience of the Via Ferrata. You’ll need all your courage and more to follow the ‘cable trail’; a metal-led climbing trail along iron ladders, across bridges suspended over the abyss, and over cliffs frame the mountains. You’ll be sure to feel pretty proud of yourself after conquering this one.
Within Chamonix, explore the Passy trail or Les Evettes on the Domaine de la Flégère:
Les Evettes | € 75 pp | 4 hours | 13 yrs + | Beginner | Includes equipment + guide
Passy Ferrata de Curalla | € 89 pp | 3 hours | All levels | Includes equipment + guide
👋 At SkiLoc Chamonix you can rent Via Ferrata kits as well as climbing and alpine boots.
Watch Out!
❗ Not recommended if you suffer from vertigo, or if you’re under 1m50 height. For safety, opt for the guided option which includes transport, rental gear, and a jolly half day experience in the sun!
Trail Running
Image by the Chamonix Tourist Office
Chamonix is home to some of the most awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping sights, all to be enjoyed at a jogging pace – or a slower hike, with a pair of binoculars to spy the goats if that’s what you’re after. We have summaries on our blog of our recommended walks to do in Chamonix.
And if you’re looking for something a little more tailor-made, the best guide on how to get up and down our valley to some stunning waterfalls, placid lakes, windy summits, gorgeous hamlets and cosiest refuges, you can find 2024’s Ultimate Guide to Chamonix Trail Running on Chamonix 360’s site.
Phil, Chief Trail Officer, has created an interactive map which you can toggle to specify what type of hike or trail you’re looking for, and where you’re hoping to end up, be it a breathtaking view or Savoyard lunch spot.
Check out our Summer 2024 Events blog to explore all the trail running competitions and events happening around the forested tracks this summer. If you need more visual stimulation to get inspired, there is a Chamonix360 Youtube page which summarises a few of the most popular hikes, including necessary info and tips on how to best prepare for your day.
Watch Out!
❗ Always check the weather before heading out as conditions can change fast.
❗ Make sure you tell someone where you are planning on going, and take enough water as well as a mobile phone. Chamonix 360 has a page of Useful Contacts should you find yourself in need of emergency services.
Find your adrenaline in the water
Rafting
Photo by Yucca Films
In good weather or bad (or a heatwave!), rafting is the ideal way to spend a wild day battling the rapids to top up your adrenaline, and cool down. You can embark on your inflatable for a journey that takes you along the Dora Baltea, the highest rated rafting river in Italy (III-IV), or here in Chamonix. Solo or with a team of fellow adventurists, you can book your outing with transportation and a guide included as well as gear … and don’t forget your swimsuit!
This excursion is available to all good swimmers.
👋 For the littler ones – enjoy the thrill of rafting along the slightly more tame Arve river of Chamonix!
Chamonix | € 50 pp | 1 hour | 12 yrs + | Beginner | Includes equipment + guide
Passy | € 45 pp | 1.5 hours | 7 yrs + | Very easy | Includes equipment + guide
Aosta, Italy | € 70 pp | 2 hours | 16 yrs + | Includes equipment + guide
Hydro Speed – Riverboarding
Grab your wetsuit & flippers! Prepare for the onslaught of waves and icy rapids of the river Arve before leaping into the adrenaline-fuelled riverboarding activity. You’ll taste the glacier-fresh water straight off the mountains’ peaks, all whilst winding along the path of the river, floating on just a hydro-glider, all cosy in your wetsuit!
You can book individual or group excursions, including a guide, river-gear and transport there and back, starting from the rafting base in Chamonix.
The descent is open to young’uns from 12 years and over, and all good swimmers willing to dive in!
It is compulsory to be comfortable in the water for this activity.
Passy | € 55 pp | 2 hours | 11 yrs + | Intermediate | Includes equipment + guide
Chamonix | € 55 pp | 1.15 hrs | 14 yrs + | Intermediate | Includes equipment + guide
Canyoning
Definitely one for the bucket list, a truly unique aquatic experience. In the valley this summer, try Canyoning; after a short hike you’ll find yourself abseiling down waterfalls, diving into fresh water pools, and gliding down nature’s water slides, followed by a whole lot of adrenaline. Take part in a half day at the Canyon de Barberine on the Swiss border, or a full-day excursion in Italy, where you’ll experience the highest jumps and the most dizzying abseils!
All you need is a towel and your cozzie – don’t forget, the towels from your rental property must remain in the properties, please.
You’ll be provided with a wetsuit, a harness, and a helmet. You’ll need some trainers with a non-slip sole, that you don’t mind getting wet of course!
Canyon de Barberine | € 75 pp | Half day | 10 yrs + | Beginner | Includes equipment + guide + transportation
👋 You can also contact the Compagnie des Guides for other canyoning experiences, group or private.
Watch Out!
❗ Canyoning is available to everyone; children must be 14 years or older to partake in the group day.
❗ Children from the age of 6 and upwards can participate in private guided excursions.
❗ Not recommended if you are a sufferer of vertigo.
Take to the skies!
Paragliding in tandem
Photo by Kjell Rosenlind
Run off the side of the mountain for a view you can’t get anywhere else, among the clouds! If you want to get some real altitude real fast, and feel the wind beneath your feet, hop into a paragliding tandem flight for a breath of fresh air.
Taking off from Brévent, Grand Montets, or even l’Aiguille du Midi, enjoy the views of the forests, the length of the valley, it’s snow-capped peaks and maybe spy a chamois from above.
Brévent (Planpraz lift) | from € 110
Flégère (Index lift) | from € 110
Les Houches (Prarion lift) | € 130
Les Grands Montets | € 180
L’Aiguille du Midi | Crampon across the ridge & fly over the Vallée Blanche | € 369
Plan de l’Aiguille | from € 160
Kids flight | 4-12 yrs | from € 110
👋 You can also film the experience for an extra € 20. These prices do not include the lift up. Buy the Chamonix MultiPass to include any of these trips to the take-off location.
Learn to paraglide yourself with courses in Chamonix in less than 5 days!
Watch Out!
❗ Paragliding is an extreme sport and must be approached with caution.
❗ Flight availability is completely dependent on weather conditions and cannot be guaranteed until the day of. There may be a maximum weight limit & you will need a helmet & to be in good physical condition (be able to run a little bit ahead of takeoff).
Helicopter rides
A Chamonix classic, take the opportunity to hop on board a chopper for a one-of-a-kind experience with a smooth take off; count the peaks from the window of one of the helicopters of the valley of Chamonix.
Choose from 4 different itineraries for a special occasion and scenery that will certainly leave you breathless:
Aiguille Verte | 10 minutes
Grandes Jorasses | 15 minutes
Mont Blanc Peak | 3 Peaks | 20 minutes
Mont Blanc Massif | 30 minutes
To book | € 115 pp – 6 pax minimum | 10 yrs + | Dependent on weather conditions
Thrills minus the chills
If you’re looking for something fun to do that doesn’t feel death-defying, or if you’ve got young’uns, there is still a plethora of things to explore …
Summer Luge
Try out the summer luge from the centre of Chamonix village, twisting and turning down 1300m of track. The ride is located in the Attraction Park opposite the Montenvers station, right at the entrance to Chamonix. Keep hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times!
Gaillands Adventure Park
For a more acrobatic experience, launch yourself (harnessed) through the trees at the Gaillands Accro’ Park.
On the banks of Lake Gaillands, just a 20-minute walk from Chamonix town centre, the eco-adventure park winds through the forest with rope walks, scramble nets, bungee jumps and giant ziplines, ranging according to the level of height (and fear) you want, you can explore the woodland with anything from a green high-jump to a black course zip-line.
It’s ideal for the whole family with 5 different courses; start on the ‘Pitchoun’ course, while the taller and more adept can continue onto the blue, red and black courses – for the real thrill-seekers! By the end of the day you’ll have defied zip lines, Tarzan swings and even the flying skateboard – all together, there are almost 70 obstacles to conquer.
Aiguille du Midi
Step into the void (metaphorically) in the heights of the Aiguille du Midi, to experience the peaks of the Valley of Chamonix from another perspective.
Take the cable car – the highest in Europe (!) – to the mid station, and then the lift to the top of the sky at 3824m high.
Caution – not a day trip for the light-headed, as the high altitude really can leave you feeling a little bit breathless. This is a great spot to watch the speed-skiers (paragliders with skis on) take off, and views of the Vallée Blanche, one of the best places for major off-piste free-skiing, spotted with crevasses and glaciers alike.
Image by Fabian Bodet
Best get booking!
Don’t miss your dream activity – you can get in touch with our in-resort team at Chamonix All Year for any questions and further information.
Call us on 04 81 68 01 04 or reach us via email at relax@chamonixallyear.com.
For more detailed and price-specific information, you can contact the Chamonix Tourist Office as well.
A tout a l’heure – we’ll see you in Chamonix!
