Everyone associates the Alps with winter; crisp winter mornings where your breath freezes in the air in front of a back drop of imposing mountains covered with snow, curling up in front of a crackling fire whilst icicles drop from the windows or shooting down steep slopes on two planks of wood. To many people, the Alps certainly hold some fantastic winter memories. However, the Alps is now fast becoming a hotbed of summer activity too; with mountain biking becoming an incredibly popular activity, many resorts are now opening for the summer months as well as the winter ones. So what’s there to do, and is it as exciting as the winter? Well, if you’re an adrenalin junkie there’s certainly no shortage of things to do, and if you can’t imagine visiting the alps without dropping in on one of a range of luxury chalets then you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that more and more properties are opening for the summer season as well and still providing all the trimmings. We’ve outlined below some of the activities on offer across the Alps which might tempt you to visit the alps again, and this time, leave the skis at home.
1. Mountain Biking
If you can’t imagine visiting the Alps and not hurtling down a mountain over various drops as fast as you can, then downhill biking is for you! Many resorts now open the lifts in summer to allow you to skip the effort of pedalling your bike up the hill, if like me you push your bike up and down hills then there are plenty of trails across the Alps which are relatively flat to allow you to enjoy the environment without getting out of breath. There’s plenty of road biking on offer and if that’s more your cup of tea, don’t miss the “1 jour 1 col” days held across the Alps which allows you to cycle up a variety of cols throughout the summer season which are closed to cars for the day.
2. Wellbeing Weeks
If cycling is far too much effort for you and you fancy a break to recover after a strenuous few months then these well being breaks might be for you- they are held at plenty of chalets throughout the Alps and include yoga, pilates, meditation and a variety of other well being exercises or treatments. Performing yoga on a yoga deck surrounded by mountains provides a perfect gentle break in an otherwise hectic life.
Copyright © 2014 by A Luxury Travel Blog. This article was written by Alexandra Howse and originally published at A Luxury Travel Blog
*Image of “mountain binking in the Alps“ via Shutterstock
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