Val Thorens Activities - Summer

Ever wanted to milk a goat?! At Chalet la Chasse, high up in the Val Thorens pastures you can help milk the cows and goats and learn how to make 'tomme' cheese, a Savoyard speciality. The chalet is open throughout the summer from 5am until 10pm, milking takes place at 3.30pm and cheese making at 4.30pm.

Val Thorens Sports Centre Website

In summer, there is an endless variety of choice for walkers. There are around 50 marked paths which add up to around 250km of trails. The summer scenery is beautiful; look out for mountain lakes, local wildlife such as marmots and ibex, alpine wildflowers and remote alpages.  Several of the lifts are open, so the casual walker can take the lift and enjoy the vast panoramas with little effort, while the keen hiker can scale the peaks and save their knees on the journey down!  Please see Val Thorens Summer Lift Passes for details of prices and opening/closing dates.

For the more experienced hiker it is possible to take a mountain guide for a half or full day expedition to climb the local peaks, or for longer periods to access the Vanoise National Park. These can include hikes on the glacier and nights in a ‘refuge’.

Below are a few descriptions of some walks in and around Val Thorens. For more walks in greater detail please see the walking guides published by Val Thorens Tourist Office; they can be bought at the Tourist Office, the Mountain Guides Office and at various shops throughout resort.

• One of our favourite hikes is up to Mont Perron in Vallée des Encombres.  It involves an early start with a car, setting off from St. Martin towards Le Chatelard, then onwards into the Vallée des Encombres, driving pretty much as far as you can go. Once you have parked up you simply follow the marked trail.  Watch out for temperature variations, it can be -2 degrees with patches of snow at the bottom and 30 degrees at the top! It is quite steep in places, but your average fit adult should be able to do this one. It’s about 4.5 hours up and 2.5 hours down.
• The second favourite hike can start either from St Martin or from Béranger and goes up to La Croix Jean-Claude.  If you start from St Martin the path takes you up the other side of the valley through Villarabout, Le Roux to Béranger. Alternatively you can drive up to Béranger, or take the télécabine from St Martin.  Béranger is a small traditional hamlet dating back to the 11th century.  From Béranger the circular trail up to La Croix Jean-Claude is well-signposted and a much gentler climb than the walk up from St Martin. Allow about 2 hours to get from Béranger to the ridge and around 4h30 to complete the whole circuit.
• For a short but picturesque walk set off from the Hotel la Marmotte in Val Thorens.  Follow the signs in the direction of la Combe de Thorens for a circuit walk that should take arounf half an hour with views of the lakes and mountains.
• A longer lake walk is the Circuit des Lacs de la Masse.  You take the Masse lifts 1 and 2 and then begin the descent down past Lac Longet, Lac Noir and Lac Crintalia.  It should take around 4 hours to reach the bottom of the Masse 1 lift station.  To turn it into a full day hike you could start at the bottom of the lift station and take the path to the left that takes you up to Pointe de la Masse, then follow the same descent as before to make a circular hike.  Bear in mind that the elevation of this walk is 1100m, so it is quite strenuous.

Interactive Hiking & Biking Trail Map
Three Valleys Summer Trail Map

In summer, the Belleville Valley has a different lift open every day for taking mountain bikes up to the top of the mountain. St Martin 1 and 2, and La Masse 1 and 2 are just two of the options. A summer map of the valley gives details of all the bike trails and sentiers for pedestrians. There are also a number of MTB events throughout the summer, such as the Maxiavalanche; have a look at our What’s On Calendar to find out what’s happening when. (NB: In French, mountain biking is called VTT (Vélo tout-terrain!)) ... see "Val Thorens Mountain Biking" for more

Didier Goujon offers flights with ‘Libre Envol’ on a 2-seater paraglider with qualified instructors. The instructor manoeuvres the parachute while the passenger enjoys the ride and fantastic views. Taking off is the only scary moment: once you have been equipped with a helmet and strapped to the instructor behind you in a rather intimate way, both of you simply point your skis (or board) downhill, and carry on getting faster and faster until the parachute lifts you into the air. One then peacefully glides above the pistes for ten to twenty minutes, aiming to catch thermals to keep you up for longer. Landing is very gentle and no more of an impact than jumping off a step. ... see "Val Thorens for Paragliding" for more

Val Thorens Sport Centre has an indoor climbing wall on which you can learn the basics, brush up your skills or simply practice on a rainy day. There is plenty of natural rock throughout the Three Valleys, for you to tackle under your own steam or under the watchful eye of a guide. The near proximity of the Vanoise National Park opens up a range of outdoor climbing possibilities. Maps and guides of local climbing routes can be found at the Tourist Office.

The open air pool in Les Menuires

Belleville Valley Sports Centres website

Val Thorens sports centre boasts 2 squash courts, 2 badminton courts, 11 outdoor tennis courts and 3 indoor multi-sport grounds that can be used for tennis, football or volleyball.

Les Menuires sports centre is just as well-equipped with 2 squash courts, 2 badminton courts, 13 outdoor tennis courts and 2 indoor multi-sport grounds.

Both centres are open from 30th June to 1st September and then they reopen for the winter towards the end of November. The opening hours are 9am-9pm. The Multi Leisure card costs 35€ per week for an adult and 24€ for a child and allows you discounted access to a wide range of sports facilties throughout the valley.