Mar 22, 2018 / TRAVEL

A guide to summer activities across ski resorts

Skiing isn’t the only thing to do in the mountains!

In the ski property game, there are two magic words that have a major impact when it comes to investment in, or near a ski resort, Those magic words are: dual seasonality, and we use them quite a lot here at SnowOnly!

Across resorts with a smaller range of summer month activities, owners may find their properties have less rental potential in turn. It’s worth bearing in mind this downtime and reduced income when looking for resorts to invest in.

However, many resorts have caught on to the fact that they need to be offering versatile options for the summer tourists as well as the winter ones, so infrastructure developments are not limited to skiing facilities but also cater to summer activities. This translates to a steady stream of people visiting (and spending money), all year round!

We’ve created a guide to the sorts of summer activities you can find at various ski resorts which will make for a fantastic active summer holiday, if you’re bored of the same of beach break every year!

Mountain Biking

The French call it VTT – which stands for ‘vélo tout terrains’ (all terrain biking) and of course cycling is an immensely popular sport in France (merci, Tour de France) and all over Europe. Most alpine resorts are equipped with top notch mountain bike hire and incomparable tracks through stunning mountainous scenery. For some resorts mountain biking is basically the summer version of skiing – including package deals for lift passes and equipment hire, etc.

Many skiers tend to love mountain biking too because it means they can still actively enjoy the setting even when there is little or no snow. They can continue to travel up into the clouds on ski lifts and feel those adrenaline rushes as they work their way back down on state-of the art mountain bikes. There are lots of options for family holidays too with tracks and trails for varying abilities. Below is a list of some fantastic European mountain biking spots across ski resorts:

Hiking


Who said you needed any heavy sporting equipment to enjoy a mountainous region to the full? How about just a good pair of hiking boots and stamina?

Hiking is brilliant exercise and is a fantastic way to explore an area and all its interesting terrains and enjoy breath-taking scenery. A summer holiday in the mountains is hardly complete without a few good hikes, and luckily, again most ski resorts also cater to hikers- even in the winter months.

For example, Val d’Isère has a celebrated range of summer holiday activities to keep tourists and locals busy and happy in the warmer months. If you go hiking and trekking in Val d’Isère during July and August (this is the duration of school summer holidays in France), you will have access to the ski lifts free of charge! There’s also a children’s play area open in the summer, so it’s an ideal location for a family holiday.

Another popular summer hiking destination which doubles as a popular ski location in winter is Wider Kaiser in Austria. This is a gorgeous place which has so much to offer all year round – with many summer activities for the whole family, such as climbing, wild swimming, cycling and golf. The resort’s hikes are legendary however, so well worth a visit in the summer if you are keen on an active summer holiday somewhere astoundingly beautiful…

These ski resorts also offer incredible hiking opportunities in the summer:

Lake Swimming

There’s nothing quite as idyllic as spending a warm summer swimming in alpine lakes with the stunning backdrop of the mountains, is there?

Clear mountain air and cool water to refresh you in the summer sun – bliss.

Here are recommended spots for a bit of wild swimming in the summertime;

If swimming pools are more your thing, then check out this list of the 12 most amazing swimming pools at ski resorts

Tobogganing

Aside from skiing and snowboarding, tobogganing is potentially the most fun you can have sliding down a mountain. This is a big hit with kids and adults alike – and some resorts offer tobogganing as a proper spring/summer attraction, so you don’t have to rely on snow!

Picture ski lifts to the top or halfway up a mountain, where you get off with your sled (or ‘luge, if you’re in France)– then you take your place at the top of a concrete track, you’re told how to accelerate and how to slow down, then off you go! Shooting down the mountain along the narrow track, travelling at high speed, feeling the adrenaline course through you and the wind in your hair. This addictive sport can see you while away days literally having the ride of your life and wondering where the time went.

Here are some top tobogganing destinations:

These are but a few of the summer activities that can keep you occupied and diverted during your summer holiday in the mountains – there are many more besides.

Top ski resorts like Val Thorens have comprehensive summer programmes with a lot to offer tourists so as other resorts follow suit, investors in ski property won’t have to worry about the seasonality of the resort. Here at SnowOnly, we can help you find the right people to talk to about your ski property needs, so get in touch today.