The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and/or Italy.
At 4,808 metres (15,774 ft), Mont Blanc (Italian: Monte Bianco), on the French-Italian border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain.
Notable towns in the French Alps include Grenoble, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, Évian-les-Bains and Albertville.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Ranges and summitsEdit
French Alps Skiing Video
Ski areasEdit
The largest connected ski areas are:
- Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, La Tania, Brides-les-Bains, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Orelle): 338 slopes, 600 km of pistes.
- Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d'Aulps, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Abondance, Montriond, Swiss resorts): 288 slopes, 650 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Paradiski (La Plagne, Peisey-Vallandry, Les Arcs), Champagny-en-Vanoise: 239 slopes, 420 km of slopes.
- Via Lattea (Montgenèvre, Italian resorts): 214 slopes, 400 km of slopes.
- Évasion Mont-Blanc (Combloux, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines Monjoie): 183 slopes, 420 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Espace Killy (Tignes, Val-d'Isère): 137 slopes, 300 km of slopes.
- Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt): 134 slopes, 265 km of slopes.
- Les Aravis (La Clusaz, Manigod, La Croix Fry, Merdassier, Le Grand-Bornand): 133 slopes, 220 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Les Grandes Rousses (L'Alpe d'Huez, Vaujany, Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard-Reculas): 117 slopes, 236 km of slopes.
- Serre Chevalier: 111 slopes, 250 km of slopes.
- La Forêt Blanche (Risoul, Vars): 104 slopes, 180 km of slopes.
- Les Sybelles (Le Corbier, La Toussuire, Les Bottières, Saint-Jean-d'Arves, Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards): 96 slopes, 310 km of slopes.
- Valloire and Valmeinier: 83 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
- Grand Domaine (Valmorel, Saint-François-Longchamp): 82 slopes, 150 km of slopes
- Espace San Bernardo (La Rosière, La Thuile - Italy): 73 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
- Les Deux Alpes and La Grave: 69 slopes, 220 km of slopes.
The other large ski areas are:
- Le Val d'Arly (Praz-sur-Arly, Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Flumet): 150 km of slopes.
- L'Espace Cristal (Les Saisies, Crest-Voland): 80 km of slopes
- L'Espace Diamant is a combination of Espace Val d'Arly and Espace Cristal with 185 km of slopes
- Villard-de-Lans et Corrençon-en-Vercors: 125 km of slopes
- Valberg - Beuil les Launes: 90 km of slopes
- Espace Lumière (Pra-Loup, Val d'Allos): 170 km of slopes
- Superdévoluy - La Joue du Loup: 100 km of slopes
ActivitiesEdit
A range of winter and summer activities are available in the French Alps. In the winter, these include skiing and snowboarding as well as alternatives such as snowshoeing, sledging. There is a range of other activities that happen such as gliding which most happens during the summer months. Summer activities include hiking, mountaineering, biking and rock climbing.
GalleryEdit
See alsoEdit
- La Grande Odyssée
- 1924 Winter Olympics
- 1968 Winter Olympics
- 1992 Winter Olympics
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
- List of national parks in the Alps
- List of ski areas and resorts in Europe
ReferencesEdit
- Raoul Blanchard (1938-1956), Les Alpes Occidentales. Paris: Édition Arthaud. (French)
- Roger Frison-Roche (1964), Les montagnes de la terre. Paris: Flammarion. (French)
- Sergio Marazzi (2005), Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA. Pavone Canavese (TO): Priuli & Verlucca editori. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8 (Italian)
- Sergio Marazzi, La "Suddivisione orografica internazionale unificata del Sistema Alpino" (SOIUSA) - article with maps and illustrations, PDF (Italian)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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