Lake Tahoe from the extremes

Skiing is fast, very fast, and freestyle is one of the attractions of the Mont Rose slopes.

For experienced skiers, the steepest slopes offer vertical drops of over 500 metres with passes of up to 55 degrees. A challenge that only the best skiers will be able to tackle. And as a bonus, there's a breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe and the city of Reno in the distance.

But there are plenty of great spots for extreme sports and boardsports around the lake, starting with two of its most popular resorts: Squaw Valley (Olympic Valley) and Alpine Meadows, which, with their steep and in places downright craggy slopes, offer the relief needed for thrilling, even acrobatic descents.

Heavenly, on the other hand, is for experienced snowboarders who will be taking on the famous Gunbarrel bumps or tumbling over steep drops more than 20 metres high.

Northstar California, at an altitude of 2,624 metres, also caters for snowboarders, with beautiful slopes with all the features required for a thrill ride. It is the only resort with a freestyle ski training centre, the Burton Progression Park.

Some gentle fools realised one day that between the moment you jump out of an aeroplane and the moment you hit the ground, there's a period of time when you don't have too much time to get bored, but during which you could still optimise your sensations! In the 15th century, a certain Leonardo da Vinci designed an empty pyramid-shaped structure connected to its owner by long ties: the ancestor of the parachute. As far as we know, he never made a prototype, unlike his man with bat-like wings, known as the glider or ornithopter, which probably never actually flew. Be that as it may, we have known since ancient times, thanks to the Chinese, that a sufficiently large kite can carry a man. And it was at the very end of the 18th century that the first real parachute saw the light of day, thanks to a French engineer.

There are two spots around the lake where you can fall out of the sky from a plane: in Minden, Nevada, and in Truckee, California. Both are called Skydive . So let's get straight to the point! Skydive Lake Tahoe or Skydive Center in Minden. And the Skydive Truckee Tahoe in Truckee.

Skydive Lake Tahoe will take you up in the air in a twin-engine aircraft if you weigh less than 250 pounds (113 kg). The weather is monitored by the team, who will advise you to fly as early as possible in the morning, before the strong winds threaten to pick up. Otherwise later in the afternoon. Beginners will fly in tandem.

Skydive Truckee Tahoe is a company with a long history of skydiving.

Skydive Truckee Tahoe Promo Reel

If this is your 1st time and you have no valid skydiving training, you will be jumping in tandem. This will be done with a highly experienced and qualified instructor. He'll explain the basics, the do's and don'ts, the positions in flight, how to get out of the plane and make you feel safe... And off you go! Happy flying!

As you'll no doubt have noticed from the video, Skydive Truckee Tahoe also takes extreme sports enthusiasts flying equipped with wingsuits- wingsuiters.

These suits deploy wings between their arms and sides, and a third between their legs. This allows them to glide at high speed while steering. Man has never been so close to the bird - or, to be more precise, the bird of prey - in its unique sensation of gliding at full speed.

Understandably, this technical and physical feat is only open to specialists in the discipline.

The flying man character was popularised in the 70s by the comic strip Nick Fury, a sort of daredevil James Bond always armed with crazy gadgets. At the time, it was thought to be nothing more than a psychedelic invention.

This was without knowing that the wingsuit is actually an invention dating back to 1935. At that time, the materials used did not make it possible to manufacture reliable equipment, and its inventor paid for it with his life, as did the half-dozen or so successors who paid the price until 1998, when the father of the modern wingsuit died in a wingsuit.

Over the last few years, technology has made it possible to develop new, exceptionally resistant materials that have given rise to a new generation of wingsuits, undeniably safer, and therefore of wingsuiters.

However, our man-glider is travelling at 160 kph, with points at 200 kph. So it's a very impressive discipline. The question of landing inevitably arises. The wingsuiter is a parachutist. They simply use their parachute to land. So there you have it!

Finally, two years ago, BMW manufactured a motor consisting of two 15 kW electric turbines to power our flying men!

While there are introductory diving courses at Sand Harbor, Incline, Nevada, which are undeniably nicer than the courses you can take in a swimming pool in the Paris region, some divers who enjoy unusual dives come to discover the depths of Lake Tahoe.

Divers are curious to discover what the lake has to offer in terms of new sensations. It has to be said that the lake, which is bordered by beaches and therefore has a relatively gentle gradient, is characterised by a bottom that falls away quickly because it is directly in line with the mountain.

You'll find yourself facing some impressive, even abyssal, depths into which the world's tallest skyscrapers would fit!

Never dive alone, and be accompanied by an instructor-guide who will not only explain the rules, but also take you to the spots you need to see. Also, watch out for boats and jet-skis when you come up, as you won't be in a protected swimming area. Your guide will be helpful here too.

Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe - Click here