Ailefroide

With its 400m. high rock walls and even larger mountain massifs that surround it, Ailefroide is first and foremost a Mecca for rock climbers, boulderers and alpinists. But if you love hiking, you have a young family, or even just like picnics in tranquil mountain locations this valley really is hard to beat, whatever the time of year.

Ailefroide comprises just three hotels, a few bars and bistros and assorted food and equipment stores. It is only inhabited (mostly by campers) during the Spring and Summer months (June to early September). In the autumn you can walk and hike wherever you wish and witness the amazing red and gold colours that proliferate, but you will be on your own. And then in November the winter snows arrive and the access road is closed to all except ski mountaineers, ice climbers and the dedicated snowshoer.

Despite its size, Ailefroide village is France’s second centre of Alpinism after Chamonix. The reasons are many: It has all of the advantages of a high alpine region offering easy access to mountains up to 4,000m. and lies amidst spectacular scenery including glaciers, alpine meadows and huge waterfalls. In summer the climate is generally hot and sunny with cool nights, which makes it almost a perfect venue for climbing or walking holidays whether you are a family, a club group, or a tribe of crag warriors on a mission.