Summer sledding or rail sledding: a family activity in the mountains
Are you looking for out-of-the-ordinary activity ideas for your mountain vacation ? Would you like to vary the pleasures and not just do alpine skiing, Nordic skiing or snowshoeing?
So, discover summer sledding, an activity to practice in all seasons, and which makes children and adults happy!
In summary
Looking for a fun and accessible activity for the whole family during your mountain vacation? Rail sledding (or summer sledding) offers unique thrills in complete safety, winter and summer alike. Discover how this popular attraction works, the good reasons to try it with your children, and the list of the main French resorts (Alps, Pyrenees, Vosges, Jura, Massif Central) equipped with a rail sledding track to spice up your stay.
What is rail sledding?
Rail sledding is a fun sliding activity that combines the thrills of traditional sledding and the safe, smooth aspect of an amusement park ride.
Seated in a small vehicle fixed to rails, you speed down a long descent, solo or in pairs. The course is punctuated by banked turns, fast curves, tunnels, small bumps and sometimes twists, to experience great thrills, in complete safety.
Thanks to the manual braking system, everyone controls their speed as they wish: you can quietly enjoy the landscape or, on the contrary, seek more thrills.
Accessible in all seasons, it's an opportunity to have a fun time with family and rediscover the pleasures of sliding without depending on snow.
Depending on the resorts, the duration of the descent varies, but the tracks are generally between 800 m and 2 km long, with varying degrees of elevation.
Good reasons to try summer sledding during the holidays
Don't know if summer sledding is for you? Discover why this leisure activity is a must for family mountain holidays!
Another way to enjoy mountain landscapes
The location of rail sleds generally allows you to discover areas inaccessible by ski or snowshoe, whether in the middle of snowy forests or on clear plateaus.
Its elevated structure often allows you to enjoy exceptional panoramas, which you might not have seen elsewhere in the area.
Rail sledding for fun all year round
Designed to operate in all seasons, rail sledding is an ideal entertainment in winter, when conditions are not optimal for skiing or snowboarding. No snow needed to enjoy the pleasures of sliding!
And in summer too, this sled is perfect for getting a thrill and is one of the must-do activities for families.
Some resorts offer evening openings for night descents, thus enjoying a unique experience, with illuminated villages as a backdrop.
An activity accessible to children from 5 years old
Providers impose a minimum age or height to go summer sledding, for safety reasons. Most often, it is accessible from 5 years old and/or from 1m10 or 1m20 (sometimes less). In this case, the child must be accompanied by an adult: perfect for a great family experience!
The solo summer sled descent can generally be done from 10 years old and/or 1m30 or 1m40.
And of course, it's also an activity that adults can enjoy, whether with or without children!
A leisure activity adapted to small budgets
Summer sledding has the advantage of being inexpensive compared to other activities: the descent, alone or in pairs, is offered at prices ranging from 7 to 10 euros. Preferential rates are also offered if you opt for a package of several descents or during certain special operations.
In some resorts, there are also holiday passes, which allow you to save money on sports activities, services, leisure activities, etc. Find out if your destination offers this type of pass, and if rail sledding is included.
Which resort to go rail sledding?
To cope with the lack of snow in winter and to diversify leisure activities in summer, resorts are increasingly developing multi-season sledding. It can be found in all French mountain ranges: mainly in the Alps, but also in the Pyrenees, the Jura, the Vosges and the Massif Central.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of ski resorts that have a summer sled and their prices for the 2025/2026 season:
Monts Jura, in the resort of Mijoux, with a 522-meter course for a 90 m drop - €9 per descent.
La Mine aux Menuires, with a 1000-meter long rail - €9 per ticket.
The Happy Luge ofAlpe d'Huez, 1000 meters long - €7 per descent (supplement for virtual reality mask).
Les Carroz, offering an 850-meter course for a total duration of 6 minutes - €7.50 per descent.
The Verdon Express at Val d'Allos La Foux, with 665 meters of track - €6.50 per adult and €3.80 per child.
The Lou Bac Mountain at Les Angles, with a long 2 km track for a 430 m negative elevation - €9 for 5-11 year olds and €16.50 from 12 years old.
The Caribou sled at Vars, whose course is just over one kilometer for a 123-meter drop - €8 per ride for children and €10 for adults.
La Schlitte Mountain at La Bresse-Hohneck, with a total 900-meter sled track - €8.50 per descent.
The Norma Loops 4-season sled, whose track is also 900 meters - €8 per descent.
The resort of La Rosière and its X-Treme sled of 700 meters long - €10 per ticket.
The Mountain Twister at Les Saisies, with an 800-meter course with 540° twists - €8 per descent.
The Luge Dévale of Risoul 1850, over 1.2 km with a speed reaching 30 km/h - €6.50 for one person and €10 for two.
Les Orres with theOrrian Express, a track of about 700 meters, with 3 twists - €5 per ride for one person.
The Wiz Luge of 7 Laux Prapoutel, with 700 meters to speed down for a little over 100 m of elevation - €7 per descent.
The Guzet Express rail sled, offering 1.5 km of descent for more than 350 m of elevation - €13 per adult and €11 per child.
The Super Coaster of Super-Besse, whose course is 1.3 km and has 20 turns - €8.50 per ride per person.
For most resorts, your ticket can be booked online. Otherwise, head to the tourist office or the ski lift ticket offices for more information and to buy a ticket or a package of several descents.
