Summer Deals: From a Medieval Festival to a Night on a Cliff Face

Sleeping above Lake Annecy. Photo: © Inax Aventure.

Keep the mountain spirit alive this summer with some cycling or MTB, hiking, golf and myriad other activities – or just a bit of relaxation in the healthy mountain air. If you’re brave, you can even spend the night perched on the edge of a cliff.

Also see our advice on keeping fit between ski seasons and the best resorts for summer skiing for tips on where to go over the next few months.

Due to reader demand, we now have our ski holiday prices in euros (with the exchange rate correct at the time of writing), although you should contact tour operators direct for a quote that doesn’t include travel from the UK.

Summer in The Alps

Les Gets mountain biking for £409pp with Alpine Elements
On the week starting June 12 stay at Chalet Seigneurie in Les Gets for £409pp (528€) half board including London flights and resort transfers, free multi-activity pass, free active clubs for your kids, free pedestrian lift pass, jet wash, workshop and MTB Mechanic support, secure bike storage. As well as mountain biking there’s rafting among the 70 alpine activities. Les Gets and Morzine have the largest network of summer lifts in Europe, giving you miles of terrain to explore by bike or on foot. Bookings: Alpine Elements.

Val Cenis fortnight for £218pp with Peak Retreats
Stay 14 nights at the Chalets de Flambeau in Val Cenis for £218pp (281€) – saving £130pp (168€) – on the weeks of June 25; July 2, 9, 16 and 23; August 20. This prestige residence is located in a sunny setting mid-way between the village centres of Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard. Apartment prices are based on five people sharing and include transport. Accommodation-only holiday packages are also available. Ski packs, insurance and transfers are also bookable. Bookings: Peak Retreats.

Champoluc hiking for £599pp with Inghams
As one of the prettiest resorts in the Monte Rosa Alps, Champoluc is a great place for walkers to explore. Stay seven nights with chalet catering at Chalet Hotel Breithorn from £599pp (773€), which is a saving of £100pp (129€), and departing July 20. Price includes return flights from Gatwick to Munich and resort transfers. Bookings: Inghams.

St Johann easy walks from £239pp with Thomson Lakes
Spend a week half board at three-star Gasthof Mauth in the Medieval village of St Johann in Tirol. Walkers have over 200km of routes to choose from, ranging from the Wilder Kaiser Mountains to the Kitzbuheler Horn, and starting with some very easy hikes. The lifts will whisk you up so you can explore even further on foot and it’s an eight-minute train ride to cosmopolitan Kitzbuhel. The price is from £239 (308€) – save £270pp (348€) which is 53% – and the departure date is June 18. Flights are Gatwick to Salzburg with resort transfers included. Flights also available from all major UK departure airports. Bookings: Thomson Lakes.

St Johann in Tirol. Photo: © Kitzbuhler-alpen.com

Alpe d’Huez Medieval festival from £49pp with Madame Vacances
Alpe d’Huez offers a multitude of activities to suit families, such as a mountain-bike course at the MBK school, mountain golf at Alpe d’Huez golf course (minimum age is six years old), or the many hiking trails. Alternatively there’s X-Fly, an outdoor activity zone with zip wires, jumps and climbing walls (minimum age six years), or the vertical maze (ages three to six years). Or check out The Marmot Festival on August 1-5, with its creative workshops and shows based on a mediaeval theme. Les Chalets de L’Altiport contains self-catered chalets sleeping 12-16 people. A seven-night stay this summer costs from £49pp (63€) – which is £788 (1,016€) for 16 people – it was £869 (1,121€). Return flights from London to Geneva cost from £94pp (121€) with easyJet. Bookings: Madame Vacances.

Les Gets activities from £117 per night with VIP Chalets
Altitude Lodge is a nine-bedroom lodge-hotel which sleeps up to 29 people in a mix of double rooms and family rooms, some with balconies or terraces and three with private outdoor hot tubs. After a day of biking, hiking or enjoying the other summer alpine activities in Les Gets, you can relax in the outdoor hot tub or the ground floor wet suite with sauna. Altitude Lodge is 400m from Les Gets golf course with its glorious backdrop of snow-clad Mont Blanc. Stay here from £117 (151€) – down from £130 (168€), so a saving of 10% – per night based on two people sharing with half-board accommodation for a minimum of three nights. Bookings: VIP Chalets.

Overnight on a suspended portaledge above Lake Annecy for €370pp
A portaledge is a deployable hanging tent system designed for rock climbers who spend multiple days and nights on a big wall climb. Inax Aventure organises nights for brave people…in a suspended portaledge overlooking Lake Annecy, accompanied by a mountain guide. After three hours of hiking and a 100m abseil, you can then enjoy a traditional Savoyard dinner before falling asleep on the portaledge. After breakfast the following morning there is another 100m abseil for the return. It costs €370 (£287) for the night, plus €29 (£22) for the meal. Bookings: Inax Aventure.

UK Skiing

Ski or snowboard from £24.46 in Chelsea
Esprit Ski has teamed up with Chel-Ski, London’s newest and largest indoor ski centre, to offer their 2016-17 ski guests the opportunity to keep their ski legs active over the summer with a 30% discount on all the Chel-Ski prices. Chel-Ski is a fun environment where you can learn to ski or snowboard, as well as improve existing skills, with the speed and angle of the slopes adjusted to match ability. Single sessions for children cost £24.46 (32€) – usually £34.95 (45€) – and adults are £27.96 (36€) – usually £39.95, with further bulk discounts for six and ten sessions. The offer ends on October 1. Information: Chel-Ski/Esprit Ski.

Free skiing in Hemel Hempstead
There’s a special offer at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead during June. Refer a friend for a half-price beginner ski or snowboard lesson (two hours) and you can ski for free whilst your friends are on the slope. This is the perfect time to introduce other people to snowsports and get some practice time in yourself. Visit The Snow Centre website and use promo code SKI4FREE. Book by June 30 to ski or snowboard before July 31.