French Alps
{{Short description|Portion of the Alps mountain range within France}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name=French Alps
| native_name={{langx|fr|Alpes françaises}}
| photo=Alps aerial 1.jpg
| photo_caption=Aerial photograph of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe
| country=
| subdivision1_type=French regions
| subdivision1= {{hlist|Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes|Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur}}
| borders_on= Swiss Alps, Italian Alps
| geology= {{hlist|Bündner schist|flysch|molasse}}
| age= Tertiary
| orogeny=Alpine orogeny
| area_km2=
| length_km=
| length_orientation=
| width_km=
| width_orientation=
| highest=Mont Blanc
| elevation_m= 4807.45
| coordinates= {{coord|45|50|01|N|06|51|54|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_image= Massif des Alpes map-fr.svg
| map_caption=Ranges of the French Alps.
}}
The French Alps({{langx|fr|Alpes françaises}}; {{langx|frp|Ârpes francêses}}; {{langx|oc|Aups francesas}}; {{langx|lij|Arpi françéixi}}) 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 {{convert|4808|m|ft|0}}, Mont Blanc, on the France–Italy border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain.{{cite web |title=Mont Blanc shrinks by 45cm in two years |date=2009-11-05 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214082228/https://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html |archive-date=2023-02-14 |url-status=live |url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html}}
Notable towns in the French Alps include Grenoble, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, Évian-les-Bains and Albertville.
Ranges and summits
Ski areas
Image:Alps of France NASA A2002274 1240 250m.jpg photograph of the French Alps (26 October 2002).]]
The largest connected ski areas are:
- Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, La Tania, Brides-les-Bains, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Orelle): 338 slopes, 600 km of pistes.
- Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d'Aulps, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Abondance, Montriond, Swiss resorts): 288 slopes, 650 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Paradiski (La Plagne, Peisey-Vallandry, Les Arcs), Champagny-en-Vanoise: 239 slopes, 420 km of slopes.
- Via Lattea (Montgenèvre, Italian resorts): 214 slopes, 400 km of slopes.
- Évasion Mont-Blanc (Combloux, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines Monjoie): 183 slopes, 420 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Espace Killy (Tignes, Val-d'Isère): 137 slopes, 300 km of slopes.
- Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt): 134 slopes, 265 km of slopes.
- Les Aravis (La Clusaz, Manigod, La Croix Fry, Merdassier, Le Grand-Bornand): 133 slopes, 220 km of slopes not entirely connected.
- Les Grandes Rousses (L'Alpe d'Huez, Vaujany, Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard-Reculas): 117 slopes, 236 km of slopes.
- Serre Chevalier: 111 slopes, 250 km of slopes.
- La Forêt Blanche (Risoul, Vars): 104 slopes, 180 km of slopes.
- Les Sybelles (Le Corbier, La Toussuire, Les Bottières, Saint-Jean-d'Arves, Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards): 96 slopes, 310 km of slopes.
- Valloire and Valmeinier: 83 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
- Grand Domaine (Valmorel, Saint-François-Longchamp): 82 slopes, 150 km of slopes
- Espace San Bernardo (La Rosière, La Thuile - Italy): 73 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
- Les Deux Alpes and La Grave: 69 slopes, 220 km of slopes. (+ Freeride Zone)
The other large ski areas are:
- Le Val d'Arly (Praz-sur-Arly, Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Flumet): 150 km of slopes.
- L'Espace Cristal (Les Saisies, Crest-Voland): 80 km of slopes
- L'Espace Diamant is a combination of Espace Val d'Arly and Espace Cristal with 185 km of slopes
- Villard-de-Lans et Corrençon-en-Vercors: 125 km of slopes
- Valberg - Beuil les Launes: 90 km of slopes
- Espace Lumière (Pra-Loup, Val d'Allos): 170 km of slopes
- Superdévoluy - La Joue du Loup: 100 km of slopes
- Orcières-Merlette 150 km of slopes
Activities
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.{{Cite web|title = frenchalps.co.uk - Your website dedicated to information on the French Alps|url = http://frenchalps.co.uk/|website = frenchalps.co.uk|access-date = 2016-01-27|language = en-US|archive-date = 2016-02-07|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160207212534/http://frenchalps.co.uk/|url-status = live}} Summer activities include hiking, mountaineering, biking and rock climbing.{{Cite web|title = French Alps Mountain Activities {{!}} frenchalps.co.uk|url = http://frenchalps.co.uk/french-alps-mountain-activities|website = frenchalps.co.uk|access-date = 2016-01-27|language = en-US|archive-date = 2016-03-08|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160308203311/http://frenchalps.co.uk/french-alps-mountain-activities/|url-status = live}}
Gallery
Image:Mont Blanc oct 2004.JPG|Mont Blanc (4,810 m)
Image:Aiguille du Dru 3.jpg|Aiguille du Dru (3,754 m)
Image:Aiguille Verte ateabutnoe2.jpg|Aiguille Verte (4,122 m)
Image:Mer de Glace, Aiguille du Géant et Grandes Jorasses.jpg|Mer de Glace, Dent du Géant (4,013 m) and Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m) in Chamonix (c. 1890)
Image:00 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - TMB - JPG2.jpg|Tramway du Mont-Blanc, at Bellevue Station (1,794 m) 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 (3,838 m) 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
See also
References
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Alps of France}}
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- Raoul Blanchard (1938–1956), Les Alpes Occidentales. Paris: Édition Arthaud. (French)
- Roger Frison-Roche (1964), Les montagnes de la terre. Paris: Flammarion. (French)
- Sergio Marazzi (2005), Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA. Pavone Canavese (TO): Priuli & Verlucca editori. {{ISBN|978-88-8068-273-8}} (Italian)
- Sergio Marazzi, [http://www.fioridimontagna.it/it/soiusa/Artic-11p-AtlOrAlpi-SOIUSA.pdf La "Suddivisione orografica internazionale unificata del Sistema Alpino" (SOIUSA)] - article with maps and illustrations, PDF (Italian)
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Category:Mountain ranges of the Alps