Panorama of the upper Maurienne Valley in early summer. In the distance, a sea of clouds blankets the Po Valley in Italy. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
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Panorama of the upper Maurienne Valley in early summer. In the distance, a sea of clouds blankets the Po Valley in Italy. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Vanoise Massif viewed from the north with Grande Motte (3653m, in the distance left) and Grande Casse (3855m, in the distance left of middle). Grande Motte in Tignes is one the four ski resorts (as of 2023) in France where the altitude allows summer skiing. There are 20 kilometers of ski runs between 2724 et 3456 meters on the Grande Motte Glacier. With 732 meters, this is the most important vertical drop of the four ski resorts. In the summer, the ski lifts are operating from the morning until the early afternoon only. Champagny-en-Vanoise, Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
La Grande Casse viewed from the north is the most impressive with its 600-meter-high face. With an elevation of 3855 meters it is the highest peak in the Vanoise Massif and in the Vanoise National Park. The first ascent was made in 1860 via the southwest face and in 1933 via the north face. Champagny-en-Vanoise, Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
With its outstanding verticality and distinctive shape, Aiguille Dibona is one of the many iconic peaks in the Alps. Its has an elevation of 3131 meters and its generous 400-meter-high big wall makes it a favorite site for big wall rock climbers. The peak is named after Angelo Dibona, an Italian mountaineer who first climbed it in 1913. Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans, Écrins Massif, Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Tours Saint-Jacques are a geologic curiosity in the Bauges Massif. These limestone monoliths were detached by sliding from the main limestone cliffs of Fontanil located above. Allèves, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Once part of the Vercors Plateau, the relentless forces of erosion have separated and isolated this lofty limestone butte. The 2087-meter-high butte lies within the Vercors Regional Natural Park. This butte with its vertiginous big walls standing a good 1000 meters above the meadow was the site of the first recorded exploit in rock climbing. This historical first happened the same year Christopher Columbus discovered America (in 1492), quite a feat regarding the climbing gear of the time. Northeasten face of Mont Aiguille, Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Southeastern face of Mont Aiguille shrouded in early morning fog. Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Pont-en-Royans is a medieval village at the western gateway to the grandiose La Bourne Gorge and the equally grandiose Vercors Plateau. Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Ornon. Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Sixt-Fer-à-cheval, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The upper Giffre Valley ends abruptly in a spectacular amphitheater of vertiginous limestone cliffs. This site is called the “Cirque du Fer-à-cheval” which translate as the cirque of the horseshoe. On the right bank of the Giffre River, at an altitude of 843 meters, the hamlet of Nambride is dominated by peaks approaching 3000 meters. Sixt-Fer-à-cheval, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Sixt-Fer-à-cheval, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
With 227km of ski slopes, Les Deux Alpes is one of the largest ski resort in the Alps. The town, on its southern outskirts, stands on the edge of a precipitous cliff. Oisans, Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The upscale mountain resort of Megève (elevation: 1096m) looking north towards Tête du Colonney (elevation: 2692m). Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The center of Chamonix Mont-Blanc with the Arve River. Chamonix is a bustling city all year round, it is considered, and rightly so, the mountaineering capital of the world. A short five to ten-minute walk from the Church Square are the Aiguille du Midi cable car and the Montenvers cog train, both will take visitors, in less than half an hour, into another world made of granite and glaciers. Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The old town of Annecy stands on the banks of the Thiou River, an outlet of Lake Annecy. The picturesque and colorful medieval houses dominated by the imposing castle make the old town a prime destination for foreign visitors. Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Casino of Évian-les-Bains (the spa town with the famous mineral water) on the left bank of Lake Geneva. Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Medieval village of Yvoire on the left bank of Lake Geneva. Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Port Ripaille is a man-made marina in a wooded environment on the picturesque shore of Lake Geneva. All 550 apartments have a direct access to a mooring. Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Hamlet of Villarnet overlooking Lake Monteynard. Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.