French Alps


The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy.
At, Mont Blanc, on the French-Italian border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain.
Notable towns in the French Alps include Grenoble, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, Évian-les-Bains and Albertville.

Ranges and summits

ChainRangeHighest summitElevation
Graian AlpsMont Blanc MassifMont Blanc
Graian AlpsBeaufortain MassifRoignais
Graian AlpsLauzière MassifGrand Pic de la Lauzière
Graian AlpsVanoise MassifGrande Casse
Graian AlpsGraian Alps central groupPointe de Charbonnel
Dauphiné AlpsBelledonne MassifGrand Pic de Belledonne
Dauphiné AlpsGrandes RoussesPic Bayle
Dauphiné AlpsArves MassifAiguilles d'Arves
Dauphiné AlpsTaillefer MassifLe Taillefer
Dauphiné AlpsÉcrins MassifBarre des Écrins
Cottian AlpsMassif du Mont-CenisPointe de Ronce
Cottian AlpsCerces MassifGrand Galibier
Cottian AlpsQueyras MassifRochebrune Peak
Cottian AlpsUbaye Massif Aiguille de Chambeyron
Maritime AlpsMercantour MassifCime du Gélas
Maritime AlpsPelat MassifMont Pelat
Maritime AlpsMassif des Trois-ÉvêchésTête de l'Estrop
Ligurian AlpsLigurian AlpsPunta Marguareis
Savoy PrealpsChablais AlpsHauts-Forts
Savoy PrealpsHaut-Giffre MassifHaute Cime
Savoy PrealpsAiguilles RougesAiguille du Belvédère
Savoy PrealpsBornesPointe Blanche
Savoy PrealpsAravis RangePointe Percée
Savoy PrealpsBaugesArcalod
Savoy PrealpsChartreuse MountainsChamechaude
Dauphiné PrealpsVercors MassifGrand Veymont
Dauphiné PrealpsDiois MountainsMont Jocou
Dauphiné PrealpsDévoluy MountainsGrande Tête de l'Obiou
Provence PrealpsBochaineMont Céüse
Provence PrealpsDigne PrealpsLes Monges
Provence PrealpsBaronniesMont Mare
Provence PrealpsVaucluse MountainsSignal de Saint-Pierre
Provence PrealpsLuberon MountainsMourre Nègre
Maritime PrealpsCastellan PrealpsPuy de Rent
Maritime PrealpsNice PrealpsPointe des Trois Communes

Ski areas

The largest connected ski areas are:
  1. Les Trois Vallées : 338 slopes, 600 km of pistes.
  2. Portes du Soleil : 288 slopes, 650 km of slopes not entirely connected.
  3. Paradiski, Champagny-en-Vanoise: 239 slopes, 420 km of slopes.
  4. Via Lattea : 214 slopes, 400 km of slopes.
  5. Évasion Mont-Blanc : 183 slopes, 420 km of slopes not entirely connected.
  6. Espace Killy : 137 slopes, 300 km of slopes.
  7. Grand Massif : 134 slopes, 265 km of slopes.
  8. Les Aravis : 133 slopes, 220 km of slopes not entirely connected.
  9. Les Grandes Rousses : 117 slopes, 236 km of slopes.
  10. Serre Chevalier: 111 slopes, 250 km of slopes.
  11. La Forêt Blanche : 104 slopes, 180 km of slopes.
  12. Les Sybelles : 96 slopes, 310 km of slopes.
  13. Valloire and Valmeinier: 83 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
  14. Grand Domaine : 82 slopes, 150 km of slopes
  15. Espace San Bernardo : 73 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
  16. Les Deux Alpes and La Grave: 69 slopes, 220 km of slopes.
The other large ski areas are:
A range of winter and summer activities are available in the French Alps. In the winter, these include skiing and snowboarding as well as alternatives such as snowshoeing, sledging. There is a range of other activities that happen such as gliding which most happens during the summer months. Summer activities include hiking, mountaineering, biking and rock climbing.

Gallery


Image:Mont Blanc oct 2004.JPG|Mont Blanc
Image:Aiguille du Dru 3.jpg|Aiguille du Dru
Image:Aiguille Verte ateabutnoe2.jpg|Aiguille Verte
Image:Mer de Glace, Aiguille du Géant et Grandes Jorasses.jpg|Mer de Glace, Dent du Géant and Grandes Jorasses in Chamonix
Image:00 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - TMB - JPG2.jpg|Tramway du Mont-Blanc, at Bellevue Station in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
Image:00 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - JPG1.jpg|Jacques Balmat at the side of Horace-Benedict de Saussure, "The Father of Alpinism", in a monument erected at Chamonix
Image:Grand Capucin, 2010 July.JPG|Grand Capucin and its 400-meter vertical face
Image:Vanoise.jpg|Vanoise National Park
Image:Olan Ecrins National Park.jpg|Écrins National Park
Image:Bouqetin male.jpg|Alpine ibex in Aussois, Savoie
Image:YvoireFlowers.JPG|Chalet in the medieval city of Yvoire
Image:Palais de l'Isle - prisons.jpg|Palais de l'Isle in Annecy