Author: Romain Boisaubert

Paradiski, the ski area of La Plagne, is getting ready to open its doors on Saturday 16 December. To mark the occasion, the Savoyard resort has a whole host of activities in store. Here's the programme. Plagne Bellecôte - Saturday 16 December 2023 ALSO READ: La Plagne: The diary of must-see winter events Plagne Bellecôte - Sunday 17 December 2023 ALSO READ: La Plagne: inauguration, speed, cost... Everything you need to know about the new Glacier gondola lift

Following the announcement that Val d'Isère has been withdrawn as a venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics, the village's mayor gave his reaction on Thursday 7 December at a press conference organised ahead of the Critérium de la Première Neige. Following the announcement of the International Olympic Committee's intention to "narrow down the competition venues for the skiing events" and to exclude the resorts of Val d'Isère (Savoie) and Isola 2000 (Alpes-Maritimes), the mayor of the first municipality mentioned was keen to express his disappointment, pointing out that his resort was one of the pioneers in France. Val...

The legendary Place de Chantemerle in Serre Chevalier will be inaugurated on Saturday 30 December 2023. To mark the occasion, a number of events are planned for the evening. It's a symbol. On the very spot where it all began, in 1941, with the very first ski lift in the Serre Chevalier ski resort. After two years of work, the Place du Téléphérique is finally ready to reveal itself to the world. The heart of the resort has undergone a complete makeover Gone is the asphalt start to the pistes, surrounded by cars and devoid of greenery. The heart of the resort has now been transformed into a real square...

Exhibitions, openings, literary meetings, shows and festivals. Val d'Isère has a rich cultural season ahead, including the 30th anniversary of Classicaval and the birth of the Dimanches docu festival. 30 years of Classicaval (15 to 18 January & 11 to 14 March ) The 30th edition of this two-part classical music festival will be held from 15 to 18 January and 11 to 14 March 2024. Artistic Director Anne-Lise Gastaldi presents the programme for this special edition. "In this anniversary year, the three concerts in January will illustrate the indefectible link between Val d'Isère, the...

Olympic snowboardcross runner-up Chloé Trespeuch got her season off to the perfect start by winning the first stage of the World Cup at Les 2 Alpes on Sunday. I'm so happy, and it's not often that I win at home, and on top of that to win for a resort that went out of its way to put on a great World Cup stage is huge," she said after her victory in Les 2 Alpes. The public gave me the fire and support I needed and the French team staff gave me all the energy I needed. I...

Saturday 2 December sees the official launch of the winter season in Les 2 Alpes. The stage is set. With white peaks, groomed slopes and ski lifts ready to go, and the teams at Les 2 Alpes in the starting-blocks, everything is in place for a fantastic opening to the season in Les Écrins. And to kick off this new season in the best possible way, for the second year running, the destination is hosting the world's premier snowboard cross event: the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup (1-2 December 2023). All the world's greatest snowboarding champions will be gathered in...

L'Art au Sommet is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with works by the artist Jiménez Deredia. This season, eight monumental sculptures and photographic reproductions of the Costa Rican artist's works will adorn Courchevel, in iconic locations in the world's ski capital. Through his colossal marble and bronze sculptures, the artist expresses a singular vision, reincarnating the heritage of Costa Rican culture in a captivating artistic harmony. The sensual curves of these sculptures bring together the concepts of eternity, cosmos and fertility, evoking the timelessness of the universe... 8 spellbinding creations that invite visitors to explore their...

La Plagne is set to host a host of winter highlights, including the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup and the 72nd Challenge des Moniteurs. 25 November: Christmas Market The Aime Christmas Market celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. On the programme: shows, a brass band, exhibitors, traditional children's carols, a visit from Father Christmas... And to celebrate this 20th edition in style, Céleste, a luminous puppet, will be putting on a show at the end of the day. Admission to the market is free. 8-10 December: Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup Considered to be one of the...

The ski resort in the Southern Alps is once again promising a rich programme this year. Discover the highlights of the winter season in Serre Chevalier. 9 December: Opening of the ski area Serre Chevalier opens its ski area on Saturday 9 December, until Sunday 14 April. 9-10 December: Premières Glisses To celebrate the launch of its season and the opening of its slopes, Serre Chevalier is organising the Premières Glisses weekend, with a programme of free events, great ski deals and a big concert. 7 January: Alpi Serre Che by La Grande Trace Come and take part in 3 different...

Tignes, which is preparing to open the gates to its ski area from 18 November, has come up with a number of innovations this year. We have selected five of them. Here are some extracts. A fun trail with an animal theme A new trail is coming to Tignes. With a specific theme: mountain animals with fantastic powers! Located on the Boïu fun trail, in the Val Claret sector, the new area is entirely scripted. LIRE AUSSI: Tignes announces an early opening of its ski area It will be possible to come across marmots, bearded vultures and other wolves, for...

The Savoyard resort of Les 3 Vallées, at an altitude of 2300 metres, has been crowned "best resort in the world" at the World Ski Awards. This is the eighth time in eleven years that Val Thorens has won the title. "This prize is the fruit of the labours of all those involved in the resort, and I would like to pay tribute to them for their commitment, their teamwork and their imagination," said Vincent Lalanne, Director of the Tourist Office, after the award ceremony. Val Thorens takes over from Verbier at the World Ski Awards Since 2013, the World Ski Awards have...

France has officially applied to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, with a project jointly led by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. With nine months to go until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, France is embarking on a new challenge: the bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics. The bid was not originally planned, but with Japan's withdrawal, the International Olympic Committee wanted to fall back on a candidate capable of being ready in a short space of time. LIRE AUSSI : 2 Alpes: prices, programme, access... Everything you need to know about the...

Following heavy snowfalls, with more than a metre of snow falling on the summits, Tignes is announcing an exceptional pre-opening of its ski area from Saturday 18 November. Thanks to the foresight of the slope and lift crews, mountain and snow lovers will be able to enjoy a preview of the 1,300 metre vertical drop linking the top of the Grande Motte cable car to the resort, with a return journey on skis. LIRE AUSSI: Opening dates for the 2023-2024 ski resorts: we take stock This pre-opening of skiing at Tignes marks the...

To celebrate the forthcoming opening of all our ski areas, Le Petit Montagnard is offering you an exceptional gift: 2 ski passes, valid in the resort of your choice. To take part in our competition, all you have to do is like our Facebook page and follow our Instagram page. All you have to do is leave a comment (on the Facebook or Instagram page) with the name of the person you'd like to spend the day on the slopes with. The result of our competition will be revealed on 25 November, the kick-off date of the ski season...

For several years now, Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) has been fully committed to supporting the only French manufacturer of snow groomers, CM DUPON, to launch several experimental projects aimed at developing a low-carbon snow groomer. Two series of tests on prototypes were carried out during the winters of 2021/2022 (La Plagne) and 2022/2023 (Tignes), with encouraging results. Performance in terms of autonomy and consumption proved conclusive, with a proven autonomy of 5h30/6 hours in real-life conditions. ALSO READ: Ski resort opening dates for 2023-2024: we take stock Thanks to the results of these first trials, the...

The ski season is fast approaching, with the first snowfalls having fallen recently. The first resort to open is Val Thorens, with La Grande Première on 25/11/2023. The Tignes-Val d'Isère ski area will also open at this time. Les 2 Alpes will follow on 02/12/2023. Find out all the opening dates for your resorts. Ski resorts opening dates in the Northern Alps ResortsOpening of the ski areaAlpe d'HuezAlpes du NordAlpe d'Huez Grand Domaine Ski from 02/12/2023 to 21/04/2024Arêches-BeaufortAlpes du Nord from 23/12/2023 to 01/04/2024Auris en...

If you're dreaming of a night under the stars in the heart of the mountains at a low price, Le Petit Montagnard has selected three trekking and bivouac tents for under 200 euros. Trekking dome tent - 2 places - MT500 Fresh & Black This model uses the Fresh & Black concept to give you comfortable nights in the cool and dark. Pre-assembled for ease of use, with two doors and two apses for added comfort. The benefits: Easy to transport: Total weight 3.1 kg. 11-litre compression bag....

Founded in 2006, this legendary triathlon race allows competitors to climb the 21 bends of the Alpe d'Huez in a festive atmosphere and exceptional setting. Discover the programme of the different triathlon events. The event is open to all triathletes and will be held from 23 to 26 July 2024. LIRE AUSSI: Tour de France 2024: The 7 mountain stages under the microscope Four races will be on offer: L (July 25, 200 euros) - 2.2km SWIM, 118km BIKE, 20km RUN M (July 26, 20 euros) - 1.2km SWIM, 28km BIKE, 6.7km RUN Duathlon (July 23,...

The highest ski resorts, such as Val Thorens, Courchevel, Tignes and Val d'Isère, all experienced significant snowfalls in early November. This is good news just a few days before the opening of the ski areas, when bookings for ski holidays are well under way. Here's a look back at the snow-covered landscapes.

The French sportswear brand of ski goggles, masks and helmets founded in 1888 is offering discounts on a selection of items. The ski season is fast approaching. With just a few weeks to go before the resorts open, it's time to get your gear out and dust off your winter wardrobes. And if you find that you're missing goggles, masks or helmets, Le Petit Montagnard has come up with one of its great deals for you. Around thirty Bollé products at -40% On the Bollé website, you can take advantage of discounts of up to -40%...