Snowshoe hikes: to enjoy the fresh air with complete peace of mind
With a small budget and a minimum of equipment (telescopic poles, snowshoes, hiking shoes, thin fleece, ski pants ...), we can spend sports holidays and tread with pleasure the powder. Like running, swimming or cross-country skiing, snowshoes are an excellent endurance sport for the heart . The alternation of steps allows to "rustle" the pelvis and lumbar. You get muscle smoothly and tones your buttocks, back and abdominals. Finally, thanks to the sticks, the muscles of the arms and shoulders are fortified too.
Where to inquire: On www.rando-neige.com
Dog sled rides: for lovers of white stretches
Winter variant of the carriage ride, the dog sled carries young and old in the footsteps of the Inuit. Stuck on a wooden seat, under a blanket, one slips slowly into a magical world, in the wake of six to eight magnificent Alaskan huskies. But you can also learn how to drive a team. Not always easy. You have to know how to lead a pack of dogs if you want to be a musher. We learn to talk to the dogs, to put on their harness and to guide the sled . Very quickly, we become familiar with the anchor that we plant in the snow as soon as the hitch is stopped, the foot brake or the braking belt for slowdowns smoothly. C
Where to find information: European Canine Training Center in Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales): 06 78 98 12 86; Les Saisies (Savoie), 04 79 38 90 40; Avoriaz (Hte-Savoie), 04 50 74 08 50; Puy-Saint-Vincent (Htes-Alpes), 04 92 23 35 80.
Ski-joering: for riding enthusiasts
Alpine ski slope, we stand 1 m behind the horse, hands on a flexible frame hung on the chest of the animal. Then we let ourselves be towed while holding the frame firmly. Trotting, the crew is very handy and allows you to walk quietly in the forest. In competition, this sport is practiced in the form of slalom. The tests judge the skill of the leader (who holds himself with one hand to his horse) to maintain his balance, while directing his horse with tact, precision and speed.
Where to find information: French Ski-Joering Association, 62, Grande-Rue, 73700 Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Website: www.skijoering.com
