Dog sledding: live a unique experience in the mountains

Taking a dog sled ride in the mountains is a guarantee of an unforgettable experience, both gentle and full of emotions. Guided by a team and a musher, you venture onto trails often inaccessible by ski, far from crowded slopes. Nature then reveals itself from a unique angle: silent forests, immaculate plateaus, and magnificent panoramas.

Beyond the beauty of the landscapes, this activity mainly allows you to share a privileged moment with the sled dogs, who are both energetic and endearing. The time spent preparing them, petting them, or simply observing their complicity enhances the magic of the moment.

And for thrill-seekers, dog sledding also offers some adrenaline rushes, especially on descents or tight turns.

Dog sledding is therefore an ideal activity to do with family, as a couple, or with friends, unique in its kind, and which will leave you with lasting memories of your mountain stay!

Mushers, who raise and guide the dogs, sometimes offer several services with their animals.

The most common is the dog sledding first ride, generally lasting 20 to 45 minutes. Alone or with several people (number of participants depending on the capacity of the team and the sled), you let yourself be driven by the pack of dogs and the musher. This is the best option to fully enjoy the landscapes.

Other providers also organizesled driving learning sessions. Here, you guide the dogs: a fun experience that puts you in the musher's shoes and allows you to forge a stronger bond with the pack.

Finally, in the absence of sufficient snow or for those who prefer hiking and running, there are also canicross activities with sled dogs. Each participant is harnessed to a dog, which gently pulls them for a hike on snowy trails. It's a more athletic activity, during which you can develop a true bond with the animal.

Do you absolutely want to experience the polar adventure of sled dogs during your holidays? Here is a non-exhaustive selection of resorts where you can enjoy a magical ride!

DOG SLEDDING IN THE ALPS

In the Alps, it is quite easy to find a resort where mushers share their passion with holidaymakers.

You can notably go dog sledding in Chamrousse, by visiting the Nordic Park of Chamrousse 1600. The activity lasts one hour: 20 minutes of briefing, 20 minutes of riding, and 20 minutes of time with the dogs.

Another essential place for dog sled rides is the valley of Chamonix. Here, you will find several providers for a dog sledding first ride, sometimes even for team driving (Huskydalen, Evolution 2, Evasion Nordique 74, etc.), and always in breathtaking scenery.

But don't worry if you prefer other Alpine destinations for your holidays, because you can also have a first ride or an initiation in Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Serre-Chevalier, in the Oisans valley, in Vars, in the resorts of the Champsaur Valgaudemar valleys, in the wild setting of Queyras, etc.

DOG SLEDDING OUTINGS IN THE PYRENEES

Do you want to head to the Pyrenees ? There too, there are a multitude of winter sports resorts that allow you to live the Great North experience with sled dogs.

Go for example to Barèges, where L'Appel Sauvage offers many packages to enjoy a unique moment with the animals: team rides, driving, cani-snowshoeing and cani-hiking, visit to the dog kennel, and even private lessons to become a true musher.

In Font-Romeu, the passionate team ofAlaskan Team also welcomes you for a discovery ride or an introduction to driving, and even offers special sessions for children aged 5 to 11, with adapted sleds.

The list obviously doesn't stop there, and many other mushers offer their services in the Pyrenees: in Gourette, La Mongie, La Pierre Saint-Martin, Cambre d'Aze, etc.

DOG SLEDDING FIRST RIDES IN THE JURA

Renowned for its Nordic sports, its magical forests, and its open plateaus, the Jura is therefore an ideal place for discovering sled dogs.

Near the resort of Les Rousses, sled rides are organized on the Bois d'Amont Nordic site by Cani Aventure et Loisirs (first rides and sled driving from 5 years old) and in Lamoura with Sentiers Nordiques (first rides, driving, but also cani-snowshoeing, ski-joëring with a dog, visit to the dog park, multi-day outings, etc.).

In Morbier, activities around sled dogs are also varied: Free Sled offers sled outings and on foot or snowshoes, as well as "sled kids" sessions to introduce children to team driving.

In Mijoux, another emblematic Jura resort, Aventure Qimmiq has developed an offer that includes discovery first rides, beginner driving lessons and driving initiations for the youngest (3-5 years old).

Elsewhere in the Jura, you can also experience this in Foncine-Le-Haut, Le Crouzet, La Pesse, Les Fourgs, etc.

SLED HIKES IN THE MASSIF CENTRAL

If you opt for a stay in Auvergne, you will also have the opportunity to experience an unforgettable moment with sled dogs, particularly in the Sancy resorts : Murol near Mont-Dore, Super-Besse, Chastreix, La Bourboule, Murat-le-Quaire, etc.

More south of the massif, this type of Nordic activity is also offered in Saint-Alyre-ès-Montagne, Chavagnac or Claux.

The services are just as varied and allow you to choose the activity that suits you: sled dog initiation, cani-hiking, kart initiation in case of lack of snow, "trapper" packages for half a day, a day or several days, etc.

DOG SLEDDING ACTIVITIES IN THE VOSGES

Even if there is less snow than in the other massifs, The Vosges offer an ideal playground for sled dogs.

In the Munster valley for example, L'Appel Sauvage offers discovery outings, but also longer hikes and a nighttime dog sled ride, for a truly unique experience. Other providers are also present in this sector of the Vosges, as well as on the side of La Bresse, and further south at Ballon d'Alsace.