For active types who love natural scenery, mountain resorts can be the healthiest and most exciting places to own a second home. Here’s why the French Alps should be on your radar, even if you’re a non-skier…

Tourism and property in the Alps no longer focus solely around winter sports and the length of the ski season. These days, both tourists and second homeowners visit mountain resorts just as much to enjoy the activities and healthy lifestyle available in the warmer months. Here we list five activities that make the French Alps especially fun to visit outside the colder ski season!

Cycling
The challenge of climbing steep mountainsides followed by the thrill of flying down them make the Alpine stages of the world’s most famous cycle race, the Tour de France, the most exciting part of the event – and are testament to the area’s appeal to serious cyclists.

But it’s not just speed freaks on razor thin road bikes that can get their kicks whizzing up and down steep valleys – mountain-bikers are just as spoilt there. The Portes du Soleil area, which straddles France and Switzerland is famed for both types of cycling. There, the resort of Châtel boasts 15 chairlifts able to accommodate mountain bikes in the summer and offers 600 kilometres of tracks, 19 trails and a bike park.

Golf
For stunning scenery while you tee off, few destinations in Europe can match one of the dozen or so courses concentrated in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie départements in the French Alps. Most of the courses there are of championship standard and thanks to their location, incorporate a diverse range of natural obstacles, from gullies and streams to lakes and pine woods.

Just don’t let the glorious views put you off your shot! Resorts with courses include Chamonix – where the Robert Trent Jones Sr course sits below Mont Blanc, Avoriaz, Megève – home to a Henry Cotton course, Lac de Tignes in Tignes (the highest course in Europe), Les Gets, Courchevel and Les Arcs – with a 27-hole course. Most have academies with a driving range, some even have access to simulators (Les Arcs and Tignes).

Tennis
Public tennis facilities, both indoor and outdoor, are common in most Alpine resorts, but serious followers of the game will know that Courchevel, with its own prestigious club, is an international tennis hub, where professional tournaments are hosted year-round. Flaine, part of the Grand Massif, is another popular resort with facilities a cut above the average, which are used for tennis camps during the summer.

Others to consider include: Les Gets, where there are several courts near the centre of the resort; Tignes, with its courts in a scenic spot next to the lake in Tignes le Lac; Val d’Isère, where the courts form part of the Aquasportif sports complex; and Morzine, where the nine courts form part of the sports complex located below the Super Morzine bubble. Meanwhile, nestled beneath the peaks of Savoie is the charming city of Annecy, popular for its summer tennis camps next to the famous Lake Annecy.

Paragliding
The French Alps is home to some of Europe’s best paragliding sites, with the Chamonix Valley, in the shadow of Mont Blanc, being the epicentre and a particular favourite with thrill-seekers from around the world. It’s a good place for beginners as well as experienced flyers, thanks to the selection of flying schools and range of high and low altitude take-off and landing points. Other bases to try it include Morzine, Bourg-Saint-Maurice or Mieussy.

Rafting and canyoning
Canyoning – navigating rivers and gullies in a wetsuit – and rafting are two of the most exhilarating ways to experience the natural beauty of the French Alps. There are some fantastic rivers in the Haute Savoie suitable for both activities, including L’Isère, the source of which is near the similarly named Val d’Isère, and the Dranse, which is only 30 minutes from the Châtel ski resort. Naturally, this type of activity is seasonal.