The use of snow shoes for hiking during the winter period is becoming more and more popular in the Alpes de Haute-Provence.
The hikes start from cross-country ski centres and downhill resorts. Mountain guides who have become "snow shoe specialists" offer to take their customers on new routes, to observe the fauna and flora during this period. Safety is guaranteed and protection of the environment is priority number one. Peaceful co-existence of snow-shoe hikers and cross-country skiers is made possible with a little effort on both sides. This is a great opportunity for the whole family to get a huge breath of fresh air together.

The use of sledge dogs for winter trekking has grown enormously over the last twelve years in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, especially on the routes starting at the La-Colle-Saint-Michel resort, in the marvellous setting of the Champlatte and Courradour plateaux.
Sledging enthusiasts will also be able to indulge themselves at the Annot-Colle Basse centre and in the Ubaye area in the narrow valley leading to Sagnes lake. Sledge dogs are also allowed access to two regularly maintained cross-country routes, on payment of an entrance fee : one at La-Colle-Saint-Michel, the other at Annot.

The terrain and snow cover in the Alpes de Haute-Provence make this region an excellent location for Nordic ski touring.
The "département" comprises dazzling routes totalling more than 1,000 km. The trips take between one and 2 days. The most suitable areas are the Haut-Verdon, Allos valley, Blanche valley, the Monges massif, the high valleys in the Ubaye, and the Lure Mountain. Some routes follow long wide ridges affording a constant panoramic view that is a delight to behold. All of them will take you into a landscape that is unusual and sometimes strange, far removed from roads and civilisation, in another world.

Alpine ski touring is a very popular activity in the high valleys of the Ubaye and around the 3,000 m summits dominating the Allos valley.
In Ubaye, the best known and most frequently used starting points are the small villages of Maurin-Maljasset and Fouillouse, with their 3 comfortable refuges serving good food. In the Allos valley numerous day-long trips are possible in the areas around Villars-Colmars, Colmars-les-Alpes, Val d'Allos 1400 (Allos) and Val d'Allos 1800 (La Foux).
Extraordinary itineraries offer fantastic panoramic views of the Southern Alps, in the area of the famous Allos lake right in the middle of the Mercantour National Park.

In winter, when the water in rivers freezes, it forms strangely shaped ice falls
The thundering summer waterfalls turn silent, and the glistening ice is just as enticing as the lightest powder snow.
To climb these glittering walls you must be equipped with crampons, ice axes, ice pitons, a cross-belt and a safety helmet, under the responsibility of a high mountain guide.

A blue sky, calm weather and a snowy landscape ; conditions are perfect for an unforgettable paragliding or hang-gliding baptism.
The instructor will guide your descent from the mountain summit to the bottom of the valley, with skis on your feet for a marvellous landing. Many resorts in the Ubaye valley, Blanche valley and Allos valley organise baptisms and courses for beginners.

At the end of the afternoon when the slopes have closed, take a look at the resort from a different angle.
Jump on a snow scooter, alone or with a partner, and climb the mountain now it is deserted once more. A snow scooter can climb the steepest slopes, crossing small valleys and gullies, gliding over the fresh powder snow to places impossible to reach by ski. You can use it to discover the mountains or simply as a means of transport. For instance, a snow scooter enables you to dine at a restaurant on the slopes with the added bonus of a superb starlit journey over the mountain landscape.