Did you miss the Kaizen phenomenon, youtuber Inoxtag's 2:28 documentary about his successful ascent of Mount Everest at just 22 years of age? Your children certainly didn't miss out on his incredible adventure on the roof of the world! Take the opportunity to earn points: include in your vacation program one, two or even three activities that will make them exclaim in turn: "chui bieeen!".
1: Ice climbing: more accessible than it sounds!
Like Inoxtag, your children will don mountaineering crampons and climb up a frozen waterfall, ice axes in hand, securely strapped into their harnesses. All under the watchful eye, not of Mathis (the Inox' guide), but of Damien, Champagny-en-Vanoise's mountain guide and ice climbing enthusiast.
His playground? A structure unique in Europe: an ice tower a 22 m-high, three-legged ice tower, equipped for safe climbing (known as a moulinette: climbers are secured by a rope attached to their harness, which holds them at the top, making it impossible to fall!)
📍 Where? At the Champagny-le-Haut ice tower. Access by free shuttle bus from the village of Champagny-en-Vanoise. Also by car, 15 minutes from the princely village. Free parking.
🧒 From age 10 (shoes/clogs available in sizes 37 to 48).
💶 Price: €50/person all-inclusive (supervision + equipment hire); €45/person for groups of 4 or more; ideal for families!
📅 To see the pros at work, come to the foot of Champagny-en-Vanoise's ice tower at the end of January! Local champions (and champions in their own right) Louna and Tristan Ladevant will be on hand to put on a show (and defend their titles of world n°1 and n°3 respectively) at the only French stop on the Ice Climbing World Cup.
2. snowshoeing: adventure in the great outdoors
The main message of the Inoxtag documentary ? Get out there! Get some fresh air! And what better way to get some fresh air than a stroll through the forest, following in the footsteps of its four-legged inhabitants? In the distance, Mont Blanc rises out of a clearing. All around you, the peaks and glaciers of the Vanoise stand majestically tall. No need to go to the other side of the world to be moved by the beauty of nature ♥
📍 Where? We recommend these 5 marked itineraries from Montalbert, Montchavin - Les Coches and Champagny-en-Vanoise, particularly suitable for children
🧒 From age 5/6, depending on the level and motivation of your budding adventurer.
💶 Marked trails are accessible free of charge (you'll just have to hire equipment if you don't have any). Do they enjoy the discipline? Call on the services of a mountain guide to discover even wilder landscapes!
3. Live 3000: the thrill of altitude (in complete safety)
On this panoramic terrace at an altitude of 3,080 mthe view of the Vanoise glaciers is breathtaking. It's a great way to get close to the peaks (like Inoxtag), without having to hike for days or carry oxygen tanks (unlike Inoxtag)!
A few minutes by gondola is all it takes to reach this sensational space, equipped with orientation tables, picnic tables, and even a café-restaurant(the Sixième Ciel) to warm up with a hot drink and regain strength at any time of day (quiches, croque-monsieur, paninis, soup, cookies, muffins...).
📍 Where? At the top of the Glacier gondola (check out the webcam up there!).
🧒 No age limit - but ask your pediatrician for advice before taking your little ones up to altitude (3,080 m is high for young bodies...).
💶 Price: included in their La Plagne or Paradiski ski pass. Your kids don't ski? Opt for the Live 3000 1-day pedestrian pass (€25 for 5-12 year-olds; €31 for 13-64 year-olds / 2024/2025 rates) to access Live 3000's panoramic terrace via two gondolas departing from Belle Plagne (Roche de Mio gondola then Glaciers gondola).
