01.03
2012 Mountain activities

Covered or open-air, natural or artificial, real or synthetic ice…nearly all the French ski resorts have a skating rink, where you can skate, dance, play hockey, discover curling, and more. So go on, lace up your skates!

Covered or open-air, natural or artificial, real or synthetic ice…nearly all the French ski resorts have a skating rink, where you can skate, dance, play hockey, discover curling, and more. So go on, lace up your skates!

Thick fog and high winds…we have all experienced inclement weather in the resorts, which makes skiing impossible or just unappealing. On days like this, the skating rink is the perfect place to satisfy your desire for a fun physical activity! Depending on the resort, the rink may be indoor or open-air. Some resorts offer a 100% natural skating experience on a frozen lake or pond. This is the case in Métabief-les Fourgs, in the Jura, where guests can skate on the Lac de Saint-Point – a 400-hectare winter playground! Lac de Tignes, in the Savoie region, also offers excellent skating. Parents can take a romantic promenade on the 300-metre ice trail, while kids enjoy the 2000 m² recreational surface that includes a games area, a hockey rink and a fun square. Plus, access to the lake is free, excluding the cost of skate rental.

In some French ski resorts, access to the skating rink is free if you hold a ski pass for several days. Although the majority of skating rinks are natural ice, some resorts, such as Saint-Lary-Soulan (Hautes-Pyrénées) have synthetic ice rinks.

Kids welcome

If you are worried about your children falling on the ice, note that specially adapted equipment is available for kids from the age of 2. In Pralognan-la-Vanoise (Savoie), you can rent a “safety kit” which includes an initiation sledge, a helmet, and elbow and knee pads. In Val d’Allos (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), you can use equipment such as chairs and scooters just for the little ones. The resort of Les Orres (Hautes-Alpes) provides stabilising devices in the shape of animals to reassure children as they find their balance. Here, like at many skating rinks, you will find an “ice garden”, inspired by the “snow gardens” for skiers. These fun, safe spaces are great places for kids to learn to skate, with bridges, turns, etc.

A range of activities

A trip to the ice-rink doesn’t necessarily mean skating around and around in circles and crashing into the boards in order to stop. Skating rinks in resorts offer a multitude of entertaining activities, such as the classic dance soirée, where you can perfect your technique to music! Some resorts, like La Clusaz, offer figure skating courses, so you can dance even during the day! Team sports enthusiasts can try ice hockey or the lesser-known curling, in 2-hour initiation sessions (EUR 9 per person.) Kids up to 9 years old with a taste for the unusual, will love driving on ice in Lioran (Auvergne), where they can take the wheel of a mini 4x4 (EUR 2 for a 10-minute session.)

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