The Summer Months

The summer in the Alps is quite beautiful. It is an area where you can be as relaxed as you wish or as active. We have spent several summers in the area and each time we leave we still have a list of activities we want to do next visit.

Many telecabines and chair lifts are open in the summer and walking is very popular, as is mountain biking. The lifts are adapted in the summer to take bikes up the mountain, so all you have do is ride down!

There are several shops in Samoëns and Morillon where you can hire bikes, from the hour to the week. There are 400km of marked trails for mountain bikes and 450km for trekking.

Walking in the area can be taken at your own pace. There are longer walks along the valley or in the mountains to places, such as Lac de Gers, which can take all day or there are slightly easier walks in places such as Fer à Cheval.

There you can walk for several hours in the valley, or if you find walking a bit of a problem you can go in a horse drawn cart for part of the way, or parents can lead their children on a pony for half an hour+. It is easy to set off for walks directly from the chalet.

There are numerous water activities in the area, such as white water rafting and canoeing on the rivers Giffre, L’Arvel and Drance. There are different levels of white water rafting, children over eight, are allowed on some of the rivers and they just love the thrill of the ride – better than any theme park! The rivers can be swum in, as can several lakes.

For keen anglers there is both mountain stream or lake fishing available. Riding along the River Giffre or in the mountains is also popular. It is also possible to hire donkeys to take trekking in the mountains.

Parapenting is enormously popular; you can either go tandem with an instructor or spend a few days learning and go solo.

Adventure parks have become hugely popular in the area. Children (from about 8) and adults can spend hours climbing through trees, cargo nets, zip lines etc.

There are adventure parks in both Samoens and Morillon. Morillon has a special section for younger children from 4years of age. In nearby Les Gets there is a highly acclaimed golf course, go-karting and adventure park.

In Chamonix one can not only visit the glaciers but also spend a day on the summer toboggan run. Not quite the Cresta but another good day out.

There are many towns and villages nearby to visit. To the north there is Lac Leman with the medieval towns of Yvoire, Thonon and Evian. Not far to the south the old town of Annecy with its lake is a lovely trip. There are steamers on both lakes or you can take a pedalo out and swim from that, or just lie on the beach.

This is just a glimpse of life in the summer in the Giffre valley. Further information can be found on the Samoëns and Morillon websites: