ACTIVITIES

ROCK CLIMBING

The art and fun of moving over stone! Equipped with specialist safety equipment, students will scale sheer rock faces and learn to challenge themselves in this vertical arena. We teach bouldering, top roping, leading and multi pitch rock climbing. We can deliver to any level from an introduction to top-roping as part of a multi activity program session, to one of our specialist course’s where we can teach and coach you to reach that next level.

The Hautes Alpes, where we run all our courses, is famous for its rock climbing. We have six different rock types here and over 350 crag locations to choose from. This is definitely an activity not to miss teaching you the fun of balance, and moving over and across vertical obstacles where you have to think in 3D!

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VIA FERRATA

A Via Ferrata (Italian for "iron road") is a fully protected climbing route often found in the Alps. The origins of Via Ferrata date back to the First World War, when several were built in the Italian Dolomites to aid the movement of troops. Modern Via Ferratas comprise a steel cable which runs along the entire route and every few metres it is bolted to the rock. Using special equipment that includes a helmet, a harness and security leashes, our students, under careful supervision, secure themselves to the cable, so they are very safe. In addition to pulling on the actual cable, students use any in-situ aids such as iron rungs, pegs, carved steps and even ladders to make progress.

Via Ferratas allow students to scale difficult rock walls without the risks associated with unprotected scrambling and climbing. They offer inexperienced young people a means of enjoying dramatic positions and an amazing way to see remote or difficult-to-access mountains and cross breath-taking gorges, with alpine white water rivers surging past underneath. As such Via Ferratas are a fun and engaging way of pushing your mental as well as physical limits.

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TYROLEAN ZIP WIRES

Travel at up to 70km per hour, head first through the Southern French Alps! Located in the Durance Gorge, students take a zip wire that is 500m. long and over 200m. above swirling white water on a cable that stretches from one side of this impressive ravine to the other.

The views are incredible on your way across, but you probably won't have much time to take them in - the whole descent takes less than one minute. But don't worry, students are rewarded for their courage with a return trip back across the gorge and the ability to use their cameras and phones to capture this high adrenaline adventure. So all you need to do is strap into your safety harness, receive a full safety check by the ever-present security team, let go and fly..... across the gorge with breath taking views all around. Don’t forget to look down but don’t scream too loud.....!

The Durance Tyrolean zip-line is a major engineering success taking more than 10 years of design, trials and safety tests to bring it to fruition. It has been thoroughly tested and is regularly inspected by the local French authorities for safety and security.

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WHITE WATER RAFTING

The Hautes Alpes is the centre of white water rafting and kayaking in France, offering some of the most exciting rivers in Europe. The region has rivers of every grade so there is something for every group. Our team of highly experienced raft guides all work under the expert leadership of David King, one of the most highly respected guides in France. Our instructors encourage and train their students to navigate their inflatable bucking bronco through the thrills and spills of the Durance’s turbulent rapids. A full-on rollercoaster of a ride!

Split into teams of seven, students are first equipped with wet suits, neoprene footwear and helmets, plus a rash top if conditions necessitate. Then a full safety brief from David and his team, before the off! It is always the most favoured activity and allows a ride not to be forgotten.

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MOUNTAIN TREKS

The Hautes Alpes, located in the Southern French Alps, where the AlpBase Academy courses are run, offer some of the best “undiscovered” alpine scenery in Europe. The region is literally a giant mountain playground, and encompasses an area just smaller than the combined total size of the UK’s Lakes District, The Peak District and the Snowdonia National Park. Yet it only experiences 2 million visitors a year compared to the combined 40 million visitors that the Lakes, Peaks and Snowdonia receive annually!

The Hautes Alpes really are the alps as they used to be. The mountain treks and hikes offer our students the opportunity to enjoy breath taking views with zero people pollution in a dry mountainous region that benefits from 300 days of sunshine per annum. It is a stunning part of the world and walking through this alpine landscape our groups come face to face with “real” nature. Here they can enjoy some of the most spectacular alpine walking anywhere in Europe complete with stunning peaks, huge glacial mazes, deep cut valleys, alpine pasture land, sub alpine woodlands and deep-filled mountain tarns.

The Hautes Alpes also has abundant wildlife. Look out for eagles, chamois, Ibex, willow grouse, and the ubiquitous marmots – always a favorite with our children. In all there are 167 rare and valuable species of fauna and the flora is equally diverse with over 1,800 varieties. Away from the traditional lavender fields of Provence you might find blue thistles, lilies, and alpine orchids as well as high altitude plants such as androsace, and edelweiss.

All our treks are run by local International Mountain Leaders who will not only guide but educate about the area including its geology and geomorphology, and so help our students get the most out of this awesome mountain arena.

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HOT DOG KAYAKING

Hot dog kayaking or “Duckying” is for the adventurous ones who want to enjoy the white water in its purest form. Paired up in teams of twos or threes, our students are taught to navigate the white water in inflatable kayaks. Students are typically instructed in pairs, and always start out on flat water with a fully qualified instructor. He or she shows the teams how to control their boats and how the river flow works.

Then it’s onto the river for some fast pace watery dodgems as the crews navigate rapids and experience the thrill of white water close-up, with your instructors showing you were to paddle and how to control their craft. Plus, the techniques of how to get back to shore should they have a little swim.

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MOUNTAIN BIKING

The Hautes Alpes has literally thousands of kilometers of specialist lift-assisted downhill courses, all day All Mountain trails, multi-day X-Country itineraries and gentle family routes that take as little as 30 minutes! The variety of terrain is huge including high altitude trails, forest roads, and big fun descents.

Mountain biking is always one of our most popular activities. A typical day’s itinerary starts on the valley floor when our instructors teach the students the basics of the bikes – balance, brakes, and gears! Then the principles of riding off road, inspiring the students by giving them the skills to deal with steep descents, negotiating obstacles such as steams and fallen branches, and different terrain ranging from meadowland to rocky trails.

After a morning’s training, we take a coach up to a high mountain pass when students traverse alpine slopes to an amazing viewpoint. Then it’s time for some downhill fun, as students follow purpose-built trails and single track and descend the mountain side, before the transport pick-up back to base for well-deserved tea and medals!

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STAND UP PADDLE

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is a new and exciting paddle sport where students learn to paddle specially constructed floating boards, like giant surfboards, enjoying new skills and balance.

SUP is an offshoot of surfing that originated in Hawaii. Unlike traditional surfing where the rider sits until a wave comes, stand up paddle boarders stand upright on their boards and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. We use SUP to teach our eager students how to navigate open Lakeland waters; it’s a great way to quickly engage students as they learn to navigate and propel their 3-meter-long boards.

Our Stand-up paddlers wear wet suits and stand bare footed on the boards. They start from the shore kneeling on one leg and quickly learn to stand and turn. SUP is a fun sport and is quick to pick up with endless tricks and skills to learn and master. All our SUP courses are run at Serre Poncon. At 25km long, it is the biggest man-made lake in Western Europe. Our SUP base makes full use of a small protected inlet, where students learn to paddle the boards and try out some of the many tricks, complete with lots of falling in and ubiquitous laughter!

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SAILING

Based at Serre Poncon, the biggest manmade lake in western Europe, comprising of 3,000 acres of navigable water. The lake is ideal for sailing as it has guaranteed mountain wind; due to its unique location, the warm air rising off the lake is continually sucked up into the surrounding mountains. As such Serre Poncon presents a great place to learn to sail our Hobby Cat catamarans.

In the morning, students learn the basics of sailing and how to navigate and control their crafts as they glide around the lake under the watchful eye of our motor launch instructors. Then after lunch, students are set a course and new skills are put to the test in a sailing race.

All our sailing instructors have the French status "Educateur Sportif". Plus, they are fully licensed as they each have qualified Carte Professionnelles. Their French Sports Educator status ensures that they respect the following quality criteria: a personalized welcome, qualified and graduate supervision, an evaluation of all students’ level, suitable equipment and in good condition, and an appropriate motorised safety boat. The benefit of this status is our students can learn quickly and always in a very safe and secure environment.

The bay area where our sailing centre is located, is very central to the lake, allowing quick access to the boats and provides a magical setting; from the beach, you have a magnificent view over the lake against a backdrop of stunning alpine peaks. The beach is managed and life-guarded and ideal for instructing children.

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YURT LIVING

Yurts are Mongolian style nomad accommodation, and have been used for thousands of years by the nomads of Central Asia. They are constructed using a circular wooden frame covered with layers of felt with a waterproof outer canvas. Yurts are designed to be transportable, but are also strong enough to stay in one place for a good length of time and withstand cold and hot temperatures, strong winds and the demands of a family! Inside you have a proper bed and furniture but no electricity so candles and lamps are used. There is a wood burning stove which is used for cooking and keeping the accommodation warm in winter.

Yurt living is one of our more mellow activities. Our instructors live in these nomadic dwellings year-round, and they are keen to show a different way of life and teach students about the environment, and how to live with and from it. Our courses are typically half day sessions, or they can be combined with trekking with donkeys and provide a unique and memorable overnight stay in the mountains

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LAND ART

Land art, or Earth art, is an art form in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked. It is an art form that is created from nature, using natural materials such as soil, rock (boulders, stones etc.), and organic media (logs, branches, leaves). Sculptures are not placed in the landscape, rather the landscape is the means of their creation.

Using fully qualified “Land Art” teachers, our courses allow students to fully engage with their natural surroundings. This is an ideal chance for children age 10 and upwards to get creative, working alongside and inspired by our artists, using only natural materials that students often find by foraging. They learn to create three dimensional sculptures, and create art from materials they find in the forests and mountain terrain that surround them. Land art provides the perfect environment for learning about nature and represents one of our more relaxed activities, sometimes used as a welcome chance to use their mental skills, at the end of a super charged week of physical activities

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TREKKING WITH DONKEYS

Q: What’s better than trekking in the Alps?
A: Takings your four-legged friend with you!

Our teams assemble above the shores of Lake Serre Poncon on a beautiful section of alpine pasture, where you meet the Donkeys, learn their names and give them a brush and oil up their hides ready for the pack frames. Donkeys love being brushed and it is all part of the bonding process as the students start to take responsibility for their animals. Then we teach them how to fit saddles and equipment for the day’s adventure. Working in teams of 3 we teach the students how to lead them and how to get the donkeys to move! Once equipped our donkey teams are off and out onto a local mountain trail. Their journey has begun, as our pupils learn how to look after and encourage their new friends. If successful, some of the students may even get the opportunity to ride them!

Our Donkey treks are always interesting with a bit of a 'trapper' feel about them, as we negotiate larch forests, negotiate little rocky paths and trot through alpine meadows spraying butterflies and flowers everywhere! And for those who fancy a real adventure, you can ride out in the afternoon to a tee-pee camp, make your fire and BBQ, and sleep out under canvas, ready to ride back out again in the morning. American Indians in the Alps!

Our donkey treks also offer a unique opportunity to learn about this amazing area of the alps. As the trek proceeds our guides introduce the students to the local flora and fauna, as well as the social history and geography of the alpine regions of Europe. Horses and donkeys were the original means of transport in the Alps, as their stamina and agility far outdid any means of wheeled transport for some time!! Donkeys and ponies are still used today for transporting supplies up to some of the region’s mountain refuges, including hamlets like Dormillouse, which are not accessible by cars. So all supplies are carried on the backs of pack animals.

All the guides we use are fully licensed and the instructors are all qualified monitors with years of experience and love for these mountain animals. The donkeys are all very fit and healthy and well cared for.

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KAYAKING

Kayak's are individual boats first paddled by the Eskimo’s great for fun and adventure on lakes and rivers. The Hautes Alpes is the centre of white water rafting and kayaking in France, offering some of the most exciting rivers in Europe, such as the Durance and the Guil. The region has rivers of every grade so there is something for every group.

As well as alpine rivers, we have flat water at Serre Poncon, the biggest manmade lake in western Europe and a range of smaller lakes within the Durance Valley. Our team of highly experienced kayak guides and coaches always plan a great session with lots of games and learning. Courses range from how to paddle and steer a kayak on a lake, through to students controlling their own boats on white water. Kayaking can form part of a multi activity trip or as a specialist course.

Students are first equipped with wet suits, neoprene footwear and safety wear, fitted out in a kayak to suit their size and given a fully safety brief. Then it's on to the water for fun and games, and maybe the odd bit of falling in.

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ICE CLIMBING

Whether this is in summer being lowered in to the bowls of a glacier and climbing back out, or as part of one of our winter courses, climbing the many ice falls that proliferate the Hautes Alpes, this activity always delivers true excitement and adrenaline. You will feel like a real ice warrior with crampons or ice claws strapped to your boots, a helmet on your head and an ice axe in each gloved hand! This activity is perfect for students who want to challenge themselves physically and mentally, and explore some of the hidden corners of our pristine winter wonderland.

The Southern French Alps has some of the best and varied ice in the Alps which attracts ice climbers from all over the world. However, our students don't need to be extreme climbers to enjoy this fun and exciting activity. Our specialist courses offer a range of gullies, canyons and frozen waterfalls all at differing levels. This is a progressive week course where you will learn the basics of ice safety and security and essential ice climbing techniques such as placing and removing ice screws, creating Abalakov threads, and using the different belaying systems.

We also offer ice climbing as part of a multi-activity programme designed to challenge our students as they journey through the mountains. Our overnight programmes start by hiking up to our local glacier, then ice climbing in its myriad of safe, flat-bottom crevasses. Then we climb up to the nights’ accommodation in time for a well-earned hot chocolate and a wedge of cake. We stay in a famous Ecrins mountain refuge, over 2,500m.in altitude, eating exactly the same food as the mountaineers who populate this hut throughout the summer season. A full-on alpine experience that our young people always love and fully engage with.

For all our ice climbing activities, we use fully qualified IFMGA mountain guides, all hand-picked for their professionalism, local knowledge and expertise. Our childrens’ safety is always our first priority whilst making sure everyone, staff and students alike, have a great time.

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GLACIER TRAVEL

The AlpBase Academy is situated at the gateway to the mountains of Les Hautes Alpes, so called because the region has the largest number of high mountains between 3,000-4,000m. in altitude in the whole of France. Consequently, there are many glaciers here where we take our groups of students to enjoy the amazing alpine glacial scenery.

Glacial travel is literally as it sounds. Under the careful supervision of fully qualified IFMGA mountain guides our groups explore the various formations on and around a glacier. Our local guides instruct techniques such as ice climbing, ice axe arrest, and safe movement fully roped up over technical terrain using crampons, ski poles and ice axes. Students learn about avalanche awareness and rope techniques such as crevasse rescue and belaying on snow and ice. They are also taught about how glaciers are formed, the geology of this high-altitude range, and the history of the Ecrins Massif.

The Hautes Alpes are well known amongst mountaineers and alpinists for their dramatic peaks. The mountaineering elite have frequented this area since the beginning of the 19th century when the famous British Alpinist, Edward Whymper, together with local French Guides Croz and Almer, made the first ascent of the highest peak in this range, La Barre des Écrins (4,102m.) on June 25, 1864.

In addition to La Barre there many famous mountains here including La Meije, Mt Pelvoux and Mt. Ailefroide but there are also lots of lesser known peaks and summits complete with interesting glaciated terrain. In short, our glacier travel activity is very popular with both teachers and pupils.

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CANYONING

A canyon is a natural gorge, that has been gauged out of the mountain side by flowing water. They can be deep, with steep cliff walls on each side and generally consist of a series of waterfalls that flow into large pools. Canyoning is the art of descending these canyons, an exhilarating journey that is very accessible and great fun, as students jump, slide and abseil down spectacular waterfalls or narrow gorges. It's another cool way for young people to appreciate the diversity and fun of the Hautes Alpes.

Our guides are very experienced, fully qualified IFMGA high mountain guides who specialise in this aquatic mountain sport, and who know the canyons in this region extremely well. They will choose the best canyon for each group, taking into account the conditions and the ages and abilities of the students. The guides job is to ensure our young people are well looked after, operate safely at all times, and have tons of fun!

Under ever-careful supervision, our Canyoning guides first kit out the group with specialist wetsuits, helmets, harnesses and neoprene boots. Then they instruct on the safety aspects of this adventurous activity including the techniques that the students will need to employ, such as abseiling and negotiating various canyon obstacles. Students are then encouraged to challenge themselves physically and mentally as they abseil gushing waterfalls, toboggan down a series of natural water slides and steel themselves to jump into the natural plunge pools of a mountain canyon. Your adrenaline, not just the water around you will be in full flow!

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MOUNTAINEERING

Mountaineering is a very diverse and physical activity that offers many valuable technical and “life” skills that young people learn to apply in their everyday lives. Mountaineering is all about passion and commitment, overcoming challenges and at the same time simply immersing oneself in the beauty of a remote landscape.

Mountaineering involves finding a safe and accessible route to a mountain summit, and then coming back down safely. Our full qualified IMGA mountain guides will teach their students all the basics including what equipment to use, navigation, mountain safety (avalanche awareness and crevasse rescue), nutrition, and technical skills such as ice, rock and mixed climbing. During our courses students learn and practice essential rope and safety techniques for moving together and climbing in the high mountains and across glaciers, with opportunities to learn more advanced techniques. Students also gain an understanding of alpine flora and fauna and various geomorphological features such as drumlins and glacial erratics!

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SKI TOURING

This activity is all about moving safely on skis across mountainous, often glaciated terrain. Our courses are all based on progressive ski touring programs, where participants are introduced to, and practice the essential technical skills for back country skiing. Students also learn and revise their mountain safety skills such as avalanche search and rescue.

This is one of our specialist courses designed for groups that have already done some skiing, and ideal for a school that has a ski trip every year and would like to progress to the next level. Our ski touring courses are aimed at students who have enjoyed a basic school ski course and can ski competently on Red runs or higher.

Our courses are based in resort for the first 2 days, with instructors and IFMGA mountain guides, who teach the skills needed to ski off-piste. After that its off into the mountains where we use skins to access off-piste powder and then ski descents down the best lines and snow available at that time in our huge alpine region. The Hautes Alpes is a perfect ski arena for learning the basics of ski touring. There is a great variety of easy day tours with the possibility to choose slightly more technical routes if required.

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SNOW SHOEING

Ever fancied getting away for the ski resorts into the mountains in winter? Snow shoeing is a great way to do this using IFMGA mountain guides and “local knowledge” trails and routes, to find the most breath-taking mountain vistas, the best places to build igloos or just to go sledging!

Equipped with winter clothing, mountain boots, snowshoes, ski poles, and safety equipment, snowshoeing offers a quiet and natural way to discover the flora and fauna of the alps in winter. Our guides are fully trained to deliver a fascinating and physical presentation of the mountains of The Hautes Alpes in winter.

Because of their International mountain leader’s status, the highest mountain walking qualification obtainable, our snow shoeing guides are able to choose the best trail for the group according to their strengths and abilities, the aims of the programme and the weather and snow conditions at the time.

During a day’s snowshoe pupils discover for themselves one of the most dramatic and beautiful national parks in the Alps - the Ecrins National Park. They learn about winter survival techniques and how to track animals such as chamois, ibex, deer, wolves, and wild boar. And they are taught how these animals live in this extreme but beautiful season.

Making tracks in virgin snow away from the commercialised world, students trek on snowshoes through forests, around frozen lakes, across open snow meadows, over mountain cols, and along ridges with beautiful snowy mountains, ice gullies and cliffs all around them. An activity that teaches so much and is not one to be missed.

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TREE TOP ADVENTURES

If you fancy being a Tarzan or Jane and swing through the trees, this activity is perfect for you! Essentially elaborate obstacle courses set high up in the trees, students can hurtle down zip wires, climb up a spider net, negotiate the wobbly log staircase, or carefully tip toe across the tightrope wire to move around the tree tops. As such these adventure courses are designed to challenge a student vertically, horizontally and mentally!

Students are equipped with a climbing harness with special leashes which secure the participant directly to the network of safety wires that run throughout the course. This security feature ensures that students cannot fall off, as they navigate their way around the forest. The safety system uses two 'intelligent carabiners' so that it is impossible for students to detach both at the same time. Before starting the course, students are given a thorough safety briefing, and the trained instructors will be continuously checking that pupils are moving safely once on the course.

There is a wide range of different high ropes adventure courses set up around the Hautes Alpes, and we know and use them all. Each one is fully supervised by a qualified instructor or IFMGA mountain guide.

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MOUNTAIN REFUGE

This activity is all about experiencing how mountaineers and alpinists eat and sleep in the high mountains. Our students trek in to one of the many high mountain refuges here in the Hautes Alpes, and spend a night in the high mountains - an amazing experience for young people getting back to basics in amazing settings.

The day begins with a full equipment and safety check, followed by an alpine hike. Under the strict supervision of our qualified IFMGA Mountain Guides, the students go and explore the snow and ice features of local glaciers, which can involve ice climbing and practicing crevasse rescue if desired. Then we climb up to the nights’ accommodation. We stay in a famous Ecrins mountain refuge, over 2,500m.in altitude, eating the same food as the mountaineers who populate this hut throughout the climbing season. After a night in the refuge, there are further opportunities for mountaineering and alpine hikes the next day. A full-on alpine experience that our young people always love and fully engage with.

For all of our mountain activities, we use fully qualified IFMGA mountain guides, all hand-picked for their professionalism, local knowledge and expertise. Our children’s’ safety is always our first priority whilst making sure everyone, staff and students alike, have a great time.

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BIVOUACKING

This the art of outdoor survival without a tent! Students are given lessons in knots and dwelling designs, then it’s off to the bivouac sight for the group to build their shelters. These need to be well constructed as the students will spend the night in them! After their evening meal including toasted marshmallows and a few “not too scary” stories, our students sleep in their home-made homes. The following morning students take down their shelters and head back to base, ready for the next activity.

Bivouacking is an essential mountaineering and/or mountain survival technique. Maintaining warmth, staying dry, and creating a comfortable sleeping platform are essential elements. Once mastered, a truly memorable experience ensues, as pupils sleep outdoors on a high alpine plateau above 2,000m. under a stunning star-lit sky.

Under the watchful eyes of our fully qualified outdoor instructors and mountain guide, students prepare their bivouacs with sleeping bags and insulated foam mats, and cook their food using either gas stoves or open fires. Then we will go for a short walk with our guides to watch the sun set and check out the various constellations using night lasers and astronomy apps on our phones! The stars here in the Hautes Alpes, where we enjoy zero light pollution, offer a magnificent spectacle almost equivalent to the Aurora Borealis! If there is a full moon it is normally light enough to read a book by!

In the morning, students are woken up with hot drinks and brekkie, to enjoy a real alpine dawn, something they will never forget!

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EVENING ACTIVITIES

We don’t stop after the daytime activities! Instead, after a hot or cold drink and some snacks, we provide our students with a wide range of evening activities including Award nights, Disco’s, Camp fires, Talks and presentations, Team building challenges, Town challenges, night walks and star gazing to name but a few.

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