Long considered the essential activity of mountain vacations, hiking is now seeing its dominance wane. While the trails remain heavily frequented, visitors are now seeking a much more varied experience. Mountain biking, summer sledding, giant zip lines, white-water sports, or family activities: mountain resorts are adapting their offerings to meet these new expectations.
The mountain becomes a destination of experiences
For decades, summer vacations in the mountains often boiled down to a pair of hiking boots, a backpack, and a few peaks to climb. This model is changing rapidly.
Today, a large portion of holidaymakers no longer come just to accumulate kilometers on the trails. Families, groups of friends, and even athletes are looking for stays where everyone can find an activity at their own pace.
This evolution is explained notably by the diversification of visitor profiles. Resorts now welcome more beginners, families with young children, remote workers extending their stay, or foreign tourists seeking original experiences rather than sporting achievements.
Resorts bet on ever more varied activities
In the face of these new expectations, mountain resorts have profoundly transformed their summer offerings. The ski lifts are no longer used only to access hiking starting points. They also allow access to bike parks, panoramic trails, or fun spaces at altitude.
Among the activities attracting more and more visitors are:
- downhill mountain biking and bike parks adapted to all levels;
- electric mountain bike trails allowing discovery of the mountain without being a high-level athlete;
- sled rails offering descents accessible to the whole family;
- giant zip lines with spectacular views over the mountain ranges;
- tree climbing courses installed in the forest;
- via ferrata and adventure trails;
- play and discovery areas at altitude for children.
Some resorts now offer several dozen different activities during the summer, turning the mountain into a true open-air amusement park.
White-water sports are increasingly popular
The summer heat also contributes to this evolution. When the thermometer exceeds 30°C in the valleys, water activities enjoy growing success.
Rafting, hydrospeed, canyoning, kayaking, or river swimming allow enjoying the freshness of Alpine torrents while discovering spectacular landscapes.
In Haute-Savoie, the valleys of the Arve, Giffre, and Dranse are among the most popular areas for these disciplines.
Hiking remains essential… but it is also changing
Nevertheless, hiking is far from disappearing. It remains one of the most practiced activities in the mountains, but hikers’ expectations are also evolving.
Short routes, high-altitude lakes, waterfalls, suspended footbridges, or accessible panoramas in less than two hours are increasingly popular today.
Families prefer outings where the goal is as much to enjoy a beautiful site as to achieve a sporting performance.
Social media also contribute to this evolution, with some places becoming true destinations for a visual experience as much as for the walk itself.
Resorts seek to attract a broader audience
This diversification also responds to an economic challenge. Climate change is gradually reducing the length of ski seasons in some mid-altitude resorts. To maintain their appeal, mountain stakeholders invest in equipment usable all year round.
Bike parks, fun trails, family activities, wellness areas, or cultural events help attract visitors who might not have come solely to hike.
The goal is also to lengthen the duration of stays by offering several complementary activities in the same week.
A mountain more accessible to all
This evolution ultimately reflects a profound transformation of mountain tourism. Far from abandoning its identity, the mountain is opening up to ever more varied audiences. Athletes continue to find challenges there, while families, seniors, or occasional visitors can now build a stay adapted to their desires.
Hiking holds a central place but is no longer the sole reason to choose the Alps in summer. Today, holidaymakers want to live multiple experiences during the same stay: admire a high-altitude lake in the morning, race down a bike park in the afternoon, launch off a zip line, or descend a river by rafting before ending the day on a refuge terrace.
This ability to offer a more playful mountain, more diversified and more accessible is undoubtedly one of the major evolutions in summer tourism in recent years… and it is likely to accelerate further in coming seasons.
