Live the Dream Dogsledding in France’s Haute Maurienne Vanoise
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
One of the world’s toughest dog sledding races in the world, La Grande Odyssée is being raced again in France this January and holiday makers skiing in the beautiful landscape of the Haute Maurienne Vanoise have the chance to see the race if they’re in resort when it passes through, or to try dog sledding themselves throughout the season.
La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc (www.grandeodyssee.com) is staged between January 16th and 21st 2010, with 375km and 12,500m of vertical ascent through the Haute Maurienne Vanoise‘s leg. 25 mushers with a total of 350 dogs will compete.
The wide wild area at Mont Cenis pass and the end of the valley covered by trees make an ideal terrain to practice this activity that originated in the Canadian Far North.
More and more people come every year to support competitors at the departure and arrival points, which are located in the heart of villages from the Haute Maurienne Vanoise, the best known of which for UK based skiers is Val Cenis. The six other villages in the Valley are Termignon, Bonneval sur Arc, Bessans, Bramans Val d’Ambin,Sollières and Sardières.
Visitors throughout most of the season can sign up for a Far North package offered by Destination Haute Maurienne (www.dhm73.com) which includes a half day of ‘Far North’ activities including building an igloo, looking for animal tracks, learning how to start a fire on the snow and setting animal traps. A dinner in a tent or an igloo heated and decorated as in the Canadian arctic are also included, as well as snowshoeing by night with an introduction to astronomy and snowshoeing by night with dogs for 150 Euros per person.
Alternatively you can try dog sledding for yourself and discover the adrenaline rush with Stéphane Caron (+33 (0)6 70 80 72 78), a professional musher, who takes first timers looking for some adventure, all winter long. A half day (two hours) costs 95 Euros per person, a full day 150 Euros per person.
Or you can live the dream with a full weekend package living far away from any civilization on two day trips with three dogs are available all winter which allows to establish a real connection with the dogs who must be encouraged, guided and looked after. These unique packages include driving lessons, picnics and a night in a refuge and costs 360 Euros per person.
