The massifs, natural divisions of the Alps
From a distance, the Alps can be seen as a mountainous ensemble made up of several blocks. It is when you get closer that you notice the irregularities, the gaps, the particularities which make the originality and the beauty of the Alps through their different massifs. In total, there are about thirty Alpine massifs that make up the French part of the Alps, from the Chablais in the north (on the shores of Lake Geneva) to the Pre-Alps of Nice in the south. The largest Alpine massifs in terms of surface area are also the highest in terms of the altitude of their peaks: Mont-Blanc, Vanoise, Ecrins (the largest) and Mercantour. The Prealps, folded and limestone, form a springboard to the high mountains. They sometimes look like real fortresses, like the Vercors, the Dévoluy or the Baronnies. Deep valleys, both passageways and industrial centres, separate the massifs: Tarentaise, Maurienne, Arc, Oisans, Romanche, Ubaye... It is in these mountains, to compensate for the desertification, that winter sports and winter tourism were born.
At the top of Europe
The coveted title of highest (and most famous) summit of all European mountains has been held for over two centuries - before anyone knew how to measure it - by Mont Blanc, which stands at 4,805.59 m - measured in September 2023. It should be noted that the summit, with its 14 m of snow, has been losing altitude in recent years due to global warming, and is moving northwestwards into the Northern Alps. Conquered on August 8, 1786 by Paccard and Balmat, it owes much of its fame to the Swiss Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who studied it at length, then climbed it himself in 1787, before making it known throughout Europe through his writings. To admire it, up close or from afar, you need to go to Chamonix, at the foot of the White Giant. The mountaineering capital of the world is home to some of the world's highest and most challenging peaks: Dôme du Goûter (4,304 m), Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m), Aiguille Verte (4,122 m), Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m) and the Aiguilles Rouges barrier. Around Mont Blanc, it's a concentration of high mountains.
Other high peaks include, from north to south, the Pointe de la Grande Casse - 3,852 m - which majestically dominates the Parc de la Vanoise, the queenly Meije (3,983 m) and the Barre des Écrins (4,102 m), which seems to protect the massif and the park of the same name, the Aiguille de Chambeyron (3,411 m), one of the more than 3,000 peaks that have marked the border with Italy, or Mont Pelat (3,051 m), which opens the Parc du Mercantour and already looks towards Provence.
Alpine passes, on the mountain road
Between the high peaks of the Alps, it is the road passes above 2,000 m that have also made great names for themselves: iseran pass, the highest French road pass at 2,764 m; Agnel pass, on the border with Italy, at 2,744 m; Bonnette pass, in the Mercantour massif, at 2,715 m; Galibier pass, the Mecca of cycling at 2,642 m; Lautaret pass, Izoard pass, Madeleine pass, Petit-Saint-Bernard, Mont-Cenis, Vars or Croix-de-Fer passes. Allowing traffic between the valleys, for cyclists who are not afraid of intense efforts, they have opened up access to the mountains to everyone and offer a unique road route through the Alps from Thonon on Lake Geneva to Menton on the Mediterranean.
From the depths of the Alps to the caves of the Vercors
While the Alps invite us to look up at snow-capped peaks, they are also home to some of the deepest caves in the world. In fact, the deepest natural underground caves in France are the Mirolda chasm (-1,733 m) and the Jean-Bernard chasm (-1,602 m),2nd and3rd in Europe, 6th and 7th in the world. These abyssal chasms are both located in the Haut-Giffre massif, in the commune of Samoëns.
The Vercors, a limestone massif par excellence, is also a caving paradise. The Gouffre Berger in the north of the massif is world-renowned. Even non-specialists in underground galleries can enjoy the beauties hidden beneath their feet. The Grotte de la Luire, France's 6th-largest cave with a length of 40 km and a depth of 547 m, is worth a visit not only as an important site of the French Resistance, but also as a superb underground cavern with a particularly extensive layout. Another cave worth visiting is the Draye-Blanche. This impressively large cave (100,000m3) is a must-see when exploring the Vercors. Take a last look at the gaping hole through which many prehistoric animals fell (15,000 bones from 45 different species have been found) and whose history is on display. We return to the surface to enjoy the light of the Alps.
The lakes, pearls of the Alps
If the Alps are known above all for their mountains, we must never forget another geographical feature of this massif: the lakes. These lakes, whether huge or tiny, form a string along the Alpine chain, and are a source of life both for a particular fauna and for tourists, who come here in summer to admire the colors (deep blue, emerald green, unfathomable black, etc.) of the mountain lakes and enjoy the same water sports activities as on the seashore. Here are a few lakes from north to south of the Alps.
Lake Geneva is one of Europe's largest lakes. Shared between Switzerland and France - 234 km2 and 53 km of shoreline on the French side - at the foot of the Chablais mountains, it's a veritable inland ocean which, behind its apparent calm, hides many storms capable of sinking a boat. In this lake, where the Rhône comes to wash itself, as it arrives all muddy from the Valais mountains to emerge more limpid on the Geneva side, you'll find plenty of fish - some fifty professional fishermen live on the French shore - and among the twenty or so species listed the famous char, trout, féras, pike or perch that are a gourmet's delight.
Lake Annecy is reputed to be the purest lake in Europe. It must be said that it was certainly the most polluted in the middle of the 20th century, and it was only after considerable clean-up work that it regained its azure blue color. Crossed by the Fier river, Lake Annecy is well worth a visit to admire its charming little villages. It's also well worth a long stop to enjoy a "sunbathing dip" and the quality of its waters and beaches.
Lac du Bourget is the largest natural lake in France, measuring 18 km long, 3.5 km wide and with an average depth of 85 m. This lake, like Annecy, was heavily polluted in the past, and its exceptionally rich fauna has been preserved.
Lac de Serre-Ponçon, at an altitude of 800 m, is a different kind of lake, one of those built by man to retain water and create clean, renewable energy. The Serre-Ponçon reservoir is larger than Annecy, and its earth dam is 120 m high! Serre-Ponçon is used to control the course of a capricious river, the Durance, to generate electricity and to irrigate Provence. Two villages were destroyed by rising waters in 1960. Today, you can admire man's work from the EDF belvedere, visit Embrun and discover the treasures of its old town, or walk to the foot of the "demoiselles coiffées", natural curiosities that line the lake.
While we've only mentioned the largest of the Alpine lakes, we mustn't forget all the others, which offer hikers pleasant watering holes where they can cool off and rest, to understand that the Alps are not only shaped by the mountains, but also by the water that runs above and below ground.
Forests and rivers, natural resources exploited by man
Forests are ubiquitous in the Alps, except of course in the highest alpine regions. This immense forest not only protects the environment, but also ensures a large supply of spruce and fir, providing forest communities with sustainable resources. Among the largest forests in the Alps are the remarkable Grande Chartreuse forest (38), the Boscodon forest (05) and the Vercors forest (38 and 26), which covers some 365 km2. The same applies to water, which flows through the Alps with all the power provided by a relief of gorges and waterfalls. This natural resource is widely exploited by man through the numerous dams and other torrent penstocks to create clean, renewable energy. Among the major rivers in the Alps are the Rhône (which seldom passes through the French Alps), the Durance, the Isère, the Arve, the Drac..
Geography and outdoor sports
The tormented geography of the Alps is at the origin of many sports practices, starting with mountaineering which was born in the Alps near Chamonix. The via ferrata was born in the Italian Alps before spreading to the French walls. If skiing was not born on the slopes of the Alps, the so-called alpine skiing has largely developed in the French mountains. The steep relief has allowed the development of new sensational sports, such as paragliding, which was born on the Perthuiset mountain in Mieussy in Haute-Savoie. Speleologists, for whom the Alps are a providential exploration ground, have also developed the technique of canyoning to access the gorges. On the torrential waters of the Alps, other sports attract the general public under the supervision of professionals: rafting or hydrospeed for swimming in white water.
