Longest Zip Wire in France...
Exciting or terrifying?? One for the thrill seekers I think!
The ski resort of La Colmiane Valdeblore which is situated in the Mercantour National Park in the Alpes-Maritimes area of southern France is investing a substantial amount of money so that visitors can fly through the air at 120km per hour on France's longest zip wire!
With a total length of 2663 metres the two stage zip wire also reaches a height of 250 metres as it spans the resort of La Colmiane. The first section stretches between the platform and the peak of La Colmiane, and will provide the most exciting ride as you travel 1,879 metres of wire with a descent of 250 metres. The second section will offer a much more sedate experience with a trip of 787 metres and an elevation change of just 50 metres. Time to get your heart rate under control before the end!
Together with the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes department, the resort have invested €1.5 million into the project. The aim is to encourage visitors and ensure that La Colmiane is a popular destination both in the winter and the summer.
"These are products that we like", says the mayor of Valdeblore, recalling that "in 1996 we opened the first via ferrata, before the tree climbing and tobogganing.(...) We are, each time, the first in the Southern Alps to innovate."
The Zip Wire in Figures:
- Length: 2663 m
- Altitude on departure: 1776 m
- Altitude on arrival: 1489 m
- Maximum height above the ground: 250 m
- Maximum speed: 120 km/h
- Average time: 1min 49secs
- Average slope: 13.5% to 6.5%
- Accessible in summer and winter (For skiers: a trolley system to leave and retrieve equipment)
Work on the new ride will begin in July and is scheduled to be open in December 2015. Situated only an hour away from Nice this could offer an exciting addition to any summer or winter holiday activity list!
