Off the Slopes in Samoens

Samoens Resort Attractions

Samoëns is a good resort in which to try the original version of downhill skiing – Telemark. So named because it was invented in the Telemark region of Norway in the 1860s, nearly 40 years before downhill skiing began in the Alps using something similar to the style we use today, Telemark skiers only have their toes attached to the skis and bend each knee forward towards the front of the ski to make a turn. The sport was revived in the US in the 1970s and Samoëns is home to a member of the French National Telemark ski team, Julien Annequin, who now leads classes in the sport. Lessons are provided complete with the equipment you need.

Activities Available

Cinema
+33 (0) 4 50 79 04 17

Climbing Wall

Diving under ice

Dog sledding

Heritage Tours of Village

Ice rink

Library

Paragliding
+33 (0)4 50 34 95 80
parapente-samoens.com

Snowshoeing

Speed Riding
+33 (0)4 50 34 95 80
parapente-samoens.com

Wine Tasting (Rue Cognacq-Jaÿ)
+33(0)4 50 34 19 56

Shopping

About three quarters of the shopping in Samoëns involves the resort’s two great loves – food and skiing, the latter stores also offering all kinds of sportswear and other fashion items. There are a dozen or so other shops however, including some interesting souvenir outlets such as Oxyzen (+33(0)4 50 34 19 32) which specialises in crystals, jewellery and local handicrafts, and the creative photographic store Mille Images (+33(0)6 84 15 23 07).