Swimming Lake

There is a 💦 small swimming lake in the leisure park, surrounded by grass and with soft sand . . . during the summer holidays, there are weekly sessions of 🧘‍♀️ yoga, pilates, zumba, aqua fitness . . .

Leisure Activities

🚣‍♂️ fishing & boating lake – you’ll need a 🎣 special fishing licence to fish here (available from l’Office de Tourisme des Contamines-Montjoie), and the pedalos and kayaks (NEW for 2019: and paddle boards too!) are available to rent from Nash Games (see below).

🌳 parcours aventure – there is a tyrolienne that runs over the pedalo lake, nets, a pont de singe and more . . .  / see here;

🌈 Nash Mountain Games – Laurent and his team offer plenty of fun activities:

• 🏰 trampolines & bouncy castles and water games;
• ⛳️ mini-golf – 18 holes for fun en famille;
• mini quads;
• 🚣‍♂️ boats & pedalos;

🌈 playground – this is the one FREE area to play at the parc de loisirs, and it was renovated this springtime. My boys have spent many hours playing here (NB – do be vigilant with small children, as the playground is located right next to the boating lake).

Animal Antics

🐺 canirando & parc du chien polaire – learn about the chiens de traîneau, their life as a pack, expeditions . . . or take one of these beautiful dogs for a walk with a harness! / see here for more details;

🐴 pony riding & horse riding – ponies for little ones, horse riding lessons and outings . . .

donkey walking – a few years ago, a friend recommended a wonderful idea for encouraging youngsters to hike and promised me that it had worked wonders with her slightly reluctant young walkers: walking with a donkey! At Les Ânes et Les Mômes, the idea is to lead a donkey on a walk . . . and, if necessary, to let the children take turns on the donkey’s back. This company has different lengthed options (even some over-nighters!) and we opted for the shortest hike (15€ for 1h30). The boys absolutely loved the experience (though they did, inevitably, squabble about whose turn it was on the donkey’s back), and it was definitely a great incentive to keep Big Brother walking and to give Daddy a rest from Little Brother shoulder duty! Our donkey’s name was Ernest, and he became a firm friend!  The boys still talk of him fondly.

Les Ânes et Les Mômes © montblancfamilyfun.com

Les Ânes et Les Mômes © montblancfamilyfun.com

Sports activities

🧗‍♀️ climbing – la Duchère is a beautiful rock climbing area located within the Parc de Loisirs du Pontet / climbing lessons available;

🎾 tennis – 8 courts to rent and a wall for practice / lessons and stages available;

⛳️ golf – lessons and stages, with a view of Mont-Blanc!

⚽️ terrains de sports – sports pitches and courts (football, basketball, badminton) and 🏓 ping pong tables;

🏹 tir à l’arc & biathlon – learn archery or summer biathlon en famille with a professional;

🚵‍♀️ mountain biking – there is a boucle (green and blue options) that starts at Les Loyers and takes you through the Parc de Loisirs du Pontet (see here). There is also the downhill VTT trail nearby « Les Clarines » (for this you would need to take the 🚡 Télécabines de la Gorge and 🚡 Le Signal).

NEW piste de ski roue – during the ❄️ winter season, the Parc de Loisirs du Pontet becomes the Domaine Nordique, and dedicates itself to cross country skiing, sledging and dog sledding . . . As of this summer, there is now a new 2,5km long piste de skie roue, allowing you to ski in summer! All equipment can be rented on-site.

Eating options

You have several options for eating at the Parc de Loisirs du Pontet:

🍏 picnics – there are picnic tables available or you can set up a picnic blanket of your own;

🌭 foodtrucks – often set up at the entrance (Parc Nordique entrance) to the Parc de Loisirs du Pontet. The fabulous 🐟 fish & chips van Curly’s is a regular fixture. NEW for summer 2019 – Le Repaire des Curioos (next to Curly’s) – 🍦 homemade farm ice-cream, mixed with real 🍓 fruit! And FREE games!

☕️ Le Chalet du Lac – a restaurant with a terrace and view of the boating lake / often live music or special soirées;