New this summer

In Montalbert, children join activity leader Arnaud Duru to start their lesson in “cabanology”, or in other words, the art of building a wood cabin and its furniture (table, chairs, ladder, etc.). Not unlike scouting in some ways, this is an opportunity to become budding experts in lashing wood, a technique of using rope to assemble pieces of wood. Around the camp fire, the trapper village will grow and become more comfortable with each additional creation over the summer.

• From July 2023, for 9/16 year olds. From 25€ for a half day.
• Link to the website

Off we go in this electric all-terrain vehicle that looks a little like a mountain spider! Already proposed in touring mode around Montalbert, the Swincar is heading further afield with this new 2-day supervised escapade covering 40 kilometres. It shows its full potential here and becomes your passport for getting to the high-altitude refuges and hostels. With your hands on the wheel, hair blowing in the wind, it is a fun and comfortable alternative for roaming the mountain silently and potentially spotting the local fauna!

• 190€/person. Includes accommodation with half board and guiding.
• Book at Montalbert tourist office.
• Version solo driver (must be holder of a category B driving licence) or 2-seater with a passenger (minimum age 3 yrs). 
   

After 3 hours in the company of naturopath Yalikha Turmel, you will know a lot more about the local plants. The 3 hour outing combines a fun botanic part about the culinary and medicinal use of the local plants with lots of anecdotes and an open-air cookery workshop to prepare a recipe that uses the plants you have collected, such as a plantain fritter or a yarrow flower pancake.

• from April until the first frosts in autumn.
• 40€/person; 20€ for under 16s (recommended minimum age 6).
• 4 to 5 plants presented per outing, selected according to the period. They are all edible and are included in the “basics” that can be found everywhere in France.

Link to the website

Sports shop Belle Plagne Sports proposes a guided morning e-bike ride up the 21 hairpin bends on the road up to La Plagne. The aim is to make this 18 kilometre climb accessible and offer an opportunity to follow in the tracks of the riders on the Tour de France who last pedalled up here in 2002 or, more recently, the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.
After enjoying breakfast together in Aime in the valley, the group sets off to ride up along with their guide. Using the different levels of assistance makes the climb much easier and allows all the participants to ride at the same pace. 

• Thursday mornings from mid-July to the end of August, 75€ / ½ day.
• E-bike rental on other days from 55€ / ½ day

Link to the website

An unexpected location with an urban look, in the valley in Aime! Installed in a large loft-style space with a cosy, modern, industrial decor, La Maison des Curieux is a great place to work and relax. It’s the perfect location for the growing trend of “bleisure*” that consists of combining business travel and leisure tourism.
In terms of services, there are 2 meeting rooms, a large coworking space, a printer, computers, a calendar of regular theme events and, in particular, the possibility of eating on site with meals prepared near Albertville by “Le Local du BoCal”. 
And if you just want a hot drink and something sweet from Maison Rhubarbe, or a glass of wine in the evening, you can find that thanks to the slow café being open non-stop. It’s a great idea for travellers who have just arrived or are just leaving, since the train station is only 450 metres away!

• Open Monday - Wednesday 8.30am-8pm, Thursday and Friday 8.30am-1am, Saturday 2pm-1am

Link to Facebook
 

Teams of dogs and their masters will be using Montchavin-Les Coches as their playground for two events on 8 & 9 July 2023. A weekend organised by the Tourist Office and La Yaute canine club.

• Saturday 8/07: “La Drêt”, a vertical kilometre dog race, straight up the slope!
• Sunday 9/07: “La Belentro”, an 11 km endurance course.

All year round, during the production of Beaufort cheese, a very cumbersome residue is created: whey, which in volume represents more than 90% of the milk produced. The spreading of this by-product is prohibited. Various recycling solutions exist, but the Plan Pichu pastoral cooperative in Granier, on the Versant du Soleil, wanted to go further by thinking in terms of "recovery" whereby the waste is not simply recycled, but is transformed into energy. After an initial trial season in 2022, the transformation of whey into methane will provide near autonomy for heating the water and milk from this summer.

Plan Pichu Alpine pasture – Key figures

• 1,600 m to 2,600 m above sea level
• the bovine workforce: 430 cows, divided into 3 herds
• the human workforce: 2 cheese makers, 8 cowherds and 1 overseer
• between mid-June and the end of September: 55 tons of Beaufort cheese produced on site
• 550,000 litres of milk produced over the summer, producing 500,000 litres of whey
• around 1,000,000 € investment to create a tool that will last for the next 30 years.

Find out more