Tim Hughes heads off-piste in the French Alps to fly, raft, mountain bike and ski – in the middle of summer

As sporting events go, they don’t come more extreme than this. On a snowy glacier, high in the French Alps, hundreds of mountain bikers, padded out with body armour are massing for the start of one of the world’s toughest contests – the Mountain of Hell.

From their positions on a starting grid, marked out in the snow, they hurtle down the ice in a deafening squeal of brakes. As they approach the first bend, three or four lose control, sliding across the course, and taking out a swathe of other cyclists. Then they are gone – bouncing off the glacier and on to precipitous slopes of bare rock and dry dirt, dropping from 3,400m to the village of Les 2 Alpes which shimmers in the pass below.

As the fallen lick their wounds and fix their bikes, the mountain returns to silence – the only sound being the gentle whooshing of skis and laughter from mountain-lovers enjoying the fine snow and blue skies of Europe’s largest skiable glacier.

I join them, following the bikers down the glacier, in an acrid fug of overheating brake discs, then take the lift to the solitude of the 3,568m-high Dome la Lauze, from where 100 hectares of slopes spread out below me – a largely unthreatening mix of blues, green and more interesting red runs. The mountain bikers are not the only thrill-seekers though. running down one side of the glacier is a 18- hectare snowpark, on which skiers and boarders show off their moves on an Olympic-sized super pipe and a series of tricky-looking hips, quarters whoops and rails.

While deliciously quiet compared to the crowded winter resorts most skiers are forced to put up with, word is getting out about this little piece of midsummer winteriness. When not pounded by cyclists, the slopes are home to Europe’s only summer professional freestyle competitions. Indeed, freestylers make up almost half of the 1,500 skiers and boarders who head to this heavenly stretch of Savoie, not far from Oxford’s twin town Grenoble, every day during summer. It may seem a lot, but it’s a fraction of the 10,000 who hit the slopes here during the winter.

Oxford Mail:

Adrenaline junkies aren’t the only ones having fun though. At the opposite end of the spectrum, probably the world’s most enjoyable ski schools — with all the attractions of a major resort, but with glorious sunny weather. Just don’t forget your sun cream.

While the pistes are fun, it was wheels not skis which drew me to Les 2 Alpes (the place takes its name from the two villages at each end of the pass on which it is situated).

So, accompanied by a mountain guide, I saddled up, grabbed my lift pass and took to the slopes, not on the Mountain of Hell — but the more heavenly, but still exhilarating slopes (call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to ride on rock not ice). It’s the cycling equivalent of a theme park: a white knuckle hurtle, followed by a gentle ski lift ride back to the top. I wasn’t going to win any polka dot King of the Mountains jersey, but for sheer grin-worthy fun it was unbeatable.

Oxford Mail:
Paragliding above the Veneon River

That natural theme park vibe spills over into Les 2 Alpes’ other great attractions — flying, and getting wet.

At the end of the plateau, where the mountains give way to a steep-sided forested gorge, extreme sports fans get their kicks out of strapping themselves into a harness and getting airborne. It looks terrifying, but once you’re up there, circling with the eagles, it’s serene and very beautiful.

We flew for half an hour – hanging on thermals as we gazed down on the cliff-edged valley of the tumbling River Vénéon, down which white water-fans shoot in large rubber inflatable boats.

After gently touching down, we joined them, cooling off in the spray as we span and tumbled down a broad stream of deepest blue – and foaming froth.

Oxford Mail:

Back on the mountain I met British mountain biker Seb Ramsay, still caked in dirt after taking after competing in the morning’s Mountain of Hell. He looks in pain but flashes a wide toothy grin when I ask him why he is here.

“It’s an amazing place,” he says. “The race is mental, one of the hardest, but it’s great fun – which is why we do it.

“But the best thing is just being up in the mountains in one of the most beautiful places on earth. And you don’t need to be us mad as us to do that – it’s for everyone.”

I’m tempted to ride with him, but even in full body armour, I think better of it when he reels of a list of the injuries he has sustained over years of competing in top-class competitions.

Sure, the Mountain of Hell looks fun, but I prefer more divine descents.

Activities
Summer skiing/boarding:
Lift pass (including MTB pass)
1 day: €36/ 6-day: €180
Paragliding: From €60
parapente.2alpes@free.fr 
Mountain Biking Pass:
1 day: €23/ 6-day: €115
White Water Rafting:
€23 per person
www.les2alpes.com

Getting there:
By plane: Lyon airport is 160km away, with regular transfers to the resort. For Visit www.les2alpes.com 
By train: Paris to Grenoble takes just three hours, with regular transfers from Grenoble railway station, 70km away. Visit www.les2alpes.com
By car: Take the autoroute all the way to Grenoble, then national road N91.

Where to stay:
Budget: Two-star Hotel de la Valentin: This 27-bedroom hotel has a wellness centre, restaurant and terrace. From €42 per night for a double room with breakfast. www.les2alpesleisure.com 
Mid-range: Three-star hotel Le Cote Brune has 18 rooms, many with balcony. 
From €90 per night for a double room with breakfast.
www.hotel-cotebrune.com 
Luxury: Four-star hotel Chalet Mounier: Les 2 Alpes’ most upmarket hotel has a garden and large outdoor swimming pool. The 44 bedrooms are all decorated in Alpine style. From €150 per night for a double room with breakfast. www.chalet-mounier.com  

Where to eat:
Le Rustique: mountain food, salads and pizzas
Le Raisin d’Ours: gastronomic restaurant
Le Cellier: meat and mountain specialties
Le 3200: salads and galettes, on the glacier.

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