Overnight in a refuge at 2,080 meters, climbed on a sled, melted under a tipi or using a telescope on the terrace: ten stations and providers from the Northern Alps, Southern Alps, the Pyrenees and the Swiss Valais detail their offers to extend the day after the lifts close, from 22 to 135 euros.
It is 6 p.m. at the foot of the Sétaz cable car, in Valloire. The skiers have returned; the ladies are leaving.
A handful of holidaymakers climb into the heated cabin of one of them to follow the driver to the top of Cornafond, hot wine or chocolate in hand, and watch the sunset before descending back to the village at 8pm. Boarding is open from the age of 2 (62 € per adult, 42 € per child).
The same principle applies in the Pyrenees, with a dinner at the end of the trip: at Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000, The shuttle takes its passengers, headlights on in a desert landscape, to the restaurant La Gallina, at 2,217 meters (from €80 with the meal).
Sleeping up there
For those who want to see the day rise high in the mountains, three refuges remain open in winter. Above Naves, near Valmorel, The Nant du Beurre is ideal for hiking, cross-country skiing or skiing, and has 38 beds spread over eight dormitories at 2,080 meters, facing the Lauzière (52 € per adult half-board).
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Visit switzerland, The Mont Fort cabin, which this year celebrates its centenary, is located along the Gentianes trail above Verbier; Audrey and Fabien cook bread and pastries on site for 58 beds in double and family rooms from early December to mid-May (Swiss franc 135 per adult half-board, 50 for children under 12).
In the Hautes-Alpes, the Pas du Loup refuge, at 1,530 meters above Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières, adds a telescope to its terrace: an observation session of the sky, dinner with local products, then ski or hiking trips starting in the morning (overnight from €22, half-board from €48 to €68).
Fondue under a tipi, tartiflette by the moonlight
The evening outings almost always end with a dish that clings to the body. Orcières, A one-hour walk to the front of the campsite leads to a tipi erected in a clearing of larch trees, where a cheese fondue from the Ebrard cheese factory awaits (65 € per adult, 55 € per child, from 7 years old).
À Saint-Lary, The 18-hour loop, with some hundred meters of elevation gain, ends with a tartiflette in a high-altitude village (67 €). Flaine, A hand-built igloo welcomes you, for a choice of an aperitif or a complete Savoyard meal, including fondue and genepi, after a guided tour at sunset (adults from €38, children from €30).
In Chartreuse, no forced march: «Mysterious Chartreuse» sets its guests around a brazier in a clearing, with butternut velouté, croziflette, chocolate mousse and a bottle of red wine, starting at 7 pm (120 € for two, 35 € per additional person).
À Vaujany, Manon Labeye Voisin takes the hikers on snowshoes at dusk, with no other program than the calm and the colors of the end of the day on the ridges. Price not communicated.
Find out more
- Refuge du Nant du Beurre, Valmorel: refugedunantdubeurre.fr.
- Ladies' night out, Valloire: SEM Valloire, 04 79 59 03 90, reservations at the points of sale.
- Mysterious Chartreuse: cabaneschartreuse-insolite.fr.
- Igloo, Flaine: 06 59 58 09 91, igloo.raquettes@gmail.com.
- Cabane Mont Fort, Verbier: cabanemontfort.com.
- Rackets at sunset, Vaujany: 06 50 84 41 06.
- Pas du Loup Observatory Refuge, Pays des Écrins: pasduloup.develogi.com.
- Tipi and fondue, Orcières: marcorandos.com, 06 50 66 34 30.
- La Gallina, Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000: altiservice.com.
- Rackets and tartiflette, Saint-Lary: Office of Mountain Sports, 05 62 39 42 92.