A new sliding experience with Speedriding

Dreamt up in the 2000s in the Valfréjus resort by Valéry Montant and the pioneers of the sport, Frédéric Fugen, skydiving champion, Franck Coupat and Benjamin Reffet, speedriding combines the pleasure of skiing with the thrill of accessing slopes that are inaccessible to ordinary skiers.

In 2003, paragliders joined the movement and developed the equipment. The name of this new discipline was finally coined: "speedriding", meaning to ride "faster".

The youngest rider is 8 years old, while the oldest is 88. An extreme sport, certainly, but accessible.

It's a sport that's still on the fringes, but one that's gaining more and more fans, with two types of practice: very cool in wide open spaces, or more technical in small canyons and very steep slopes.

Speedriding is an extreme sport that you will experience solo, because unlike paragliding where you can make your first flight in tandem with an instructor. You will be skiing 60% of the time, the rest being flying and piloting.

You need to have a good level of skiing (class 3 in ski schools) and be able to ski parallel well. Good off-piste skiing experience is also necessary.

At first, it's not easy to control the glider, and it may take several attempts before you take off for the first time, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

For the first time, you'll be on wide terrain to learn how to handle the glider and you'll be able to start exploiting the terrain's topography as quickly as possible, with small jumps after just a few hours' practice. After a 2-day course, you can already make jumps of 10 to 20 metres.

Speedriding is a sliding sport that is only practised off-piste, so you need to be used to this type of activity and this extreme sport is not permitted in all ski resorts.

Les Arcs Speedriding School has been teaching since 2007, almost since the birth of the discipline.

Jerome Bes and Arnaud Baumy are pioneers of the discipline, with over 14 years' experience and almost twice that in free flight.

They offer half-day and full-day introductory sessions, group courses and private lessons to help you learn or improve your skills in this sport.

Prices :

For a discovery session: €120 per half day, €150 per day

Discovery course: €270 + €120 per additional day

For an introductory course: 390€ for 3 days, 600€ for 5 days

For an advanced course: €270 for 2 days, €390 for 3 days, €600 for 5 days

A few rules for experts:

If you are already self-sufficient, you must have aviation liability insurance (compulsory) and you must wear a helmet. You can use the ski lifts and use a rucksack if possible (to store your glider). All speedriding is done off-piste (take-off, gliding and landing), so it's best to carry an avalanche beacon with you. You can find all the rules for piloting and distancing on the Speedriding Scool website. If you respect the rules of conduct, speedriding will be able to continue in the resort, particularly in Les Arcs.

Where are the speedriding zones?

The "Lanchettes" zone, accessible by the Lanchettes chairlift from Arc 2000. The "KL" zone, accessible by the Varet gondola from Arc 2000.

Don't forget to check the weather forecast, as speedriding is a weather-dependent sport. You must have a minimum visibility of 1.5 km and stay clear of clouds. It's also forbidden to start your session at sunset.