The Sardières monolith, a tamed giant

Just like a champion
You don’t necessarily need to be a champion to discover the roads and mountain tops in the...

An introduction to the National Park in Vallouise
A visit to the Maison du Parc in the Ecrins National Park is essential to learn how to read its...

Slide sports in the Ecrins - guaranteed sunshine and a village atmosphere
Enjoy a true Mediterranean climate and the preserved environment in the Ecrins country's two...

A one of a kind underground laboratory in Modane
The Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (L.S.M.) dates from the beginning of the 80s....

Festival: artistic explosion in Montsapey
The strength of the arts lies in their capacity to relate to and unite with one another. It was...

Rafting adventures on the river Durance
Well before the joys of rafting were discovered, mountain dwellers used to float their timber...

Mountain guides of the Ecrins: passing on the torch
Raymond Peru was born in 1940, Sébastien Foissac in 1973. They are fired by the same passion for...

Glaciers in the Ecrins: from one global warming to the next
Profession: hydrogeologist. Bernard Bonhomme is the leading observer of the Ecrins glaciers. Torn...

The Maurienne forest : an outstanding ecological corridor
Covering a quarter of the entire area, the Maurienne forest boasts a remarkable diversity of...

Mountain guides in the Ecrins: the conquest of happiness
Mountaineers are sometimes seen as pursuing pointless victories. A touching chronicle of mountain...

Gastronomy - who's for a bite of "donkeys' ears"?
At the foot of the Puy Saint Vincent slopes, meet Jean-Louis Giraud, head chef of the Hotel...

A new seat for canon Sarkozy
One of the stalls in the cathedral of Saint Jean de Maurienne Cathedral is waiting to accommodate...

The ‘Aura’ of the Maurienne region
Come enhance the biggest Land’Art solidarity-based art creation in the world in Savoy.

Lucienne Zinant and the tales of bygone days
Lucienne Zinant lives in a delightfully restored farmhouse on the upper slopes of...

A reservoir for the Provence
Glaciers, melting snow, rain- and snowfall: in the Ecrins, energy in the form of water careers...

An overnight stay in Dormillouse, in the heart of the National Park
It is the last inhabited village before the eternity of the upper mountain reaches. It stretches...

The headstrong Waldensians
The Pyrenees had the Cathars, and the Alps the Waldensians. Forced to flee to the upper valleys...

Dôme des Ecrins: braving your first "4000er"
The splendour of the Alps at your feet and the elation of pushing yourself to the limit. Good...

Chalet de Lavis-Trafford, a secluded mountain paradise
In winter, you have to approach the “Lavis-Trafford” chalet on snowshoes or skis. The little...

How can a windmill work without sails?
For half a century, it was busy milling, sieving and sawing. We asked some older people to...

Bonneval and Ecot : two Alpine gems
Fall in love with one of the most beautiful villages in France, at an altitude of over...

The smile of the White Glacier
Don't let the marmots' mocking whistle deter you - there is a fine solid house waiting for you at...

Alpine mountaineering: 100 years of guides
The Ecrins Mountain Guide Bureau is celebrating its centenary. Attention all peak lovers!...

The Fournel mines - a vein of silver ore covered in blue gold
There is a thousand years of Ecrins history to be explored in the abandoned tunnels of the...

Fly fishing paradise
A fantastic range of first class lakes and rivers, teeming with wild trout - 43 lakes et...

The champion of micro water power
Olympic canoe champion in Atlanta in 1996, Frank Adisson today manages a company devoted to micro...

Mountain biking in Vallouise - a gentle approach to Les Ecrins
Trails designed for leisure mountain biking in the Alps will soon be completed.

La Juliane – an all-organic green guesthouse
At an altitude of 1,450 m, in this entirely self-sufficient green guesthouse, you will live...

White water thrills in the Ecrins
In the last century, it was skiing which changed the face of the mountains; now it's the turn of...

Ice Climbing: tackling the ice falls
Every winter, the Ecrins country becomes the Mecca of an extreme sport which combines physical...

L'Espace Alu, a unique museum
Now internationally recognised, l'Espace Alu today attracts both amateurs and experts from...

Mountain canals and the irrigation system
An irrigation system laid out in the Middle Ages is still in evidence on the mountainside in the...

Gardening at a height
This is where he grew up, and mountain agriculture has always been his passion. He is now living...

Mountain guides of the Ecrins: the first ascent of Le Pelvoux
1828-1830: the first ascents of the Pelvoux by a French officer also mark the beginnings of the...

Gilbert Planche, the father of hydroelectricity
In the centre of L’Argentière-la Bessée stands a bust with the finest pair of moustaches in...

Marcel Bantin: the soul of Termignon blue
This cheese varies according to the area of production, and enjoys an excellent reputation within...

Les Claux hydroelectric plant and the cult of water
High walls decorated with blind arcades, a grand nave crowned by a steeple… No, it's not a long...

The Ecrins in the running for the Winter Olympics 2018
No, it’s not a joke, it’s a serious proposition: Pelvoux, situated between the Northern and...

In Hannibal’s footsteps in the Ambin valley
Did the Carthiginian general’s elephants really pass through here? The Ambin valley runs...

The Ecrins - Lionel Daudet's base camp
"All I need to do is lift up my eyes to feel happy here", says Lionel Daudet, twice...