Ice climbing: what future for this trend in French resorts?

A national boom

In France, ice climbing has experienced significant development for several years. According to the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM), the number of practitioners increased by 15% between 2020 and 2023, reaching nearly 12,000 regular followers.

This is how the traditional bastions of alpine skiing, such as Val d’Isère, Les Deux Alpes and Chamonix, are reinventing themselves. These iconic stations now shape vertical ice courses, combining the art of nature with human ingenuity. Artificial waterfalls stand alongside natural formations, offering climbers a playground as varied as it is spectacular.

The artificial site of Bérard, symbol of evolution

In Vallorcine, near Chamonix, the Bérard icefall site perfectly illustrates this outbreak. Developed by the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, this artificial site is distinguished by swe are an innovative system to say the least of ice creation.

A complex network of pipes allows precise and controlled watering. Nighttime watering guarantees optimal strength and quality of the ice. The site thus maintains stable conditions, even during periods of mild weather. In this case, this infrastructure, offering routes of varying difficulty (from beginner level WI2 to expert level WI5) over waterfalls 10 to 40 meters high, demonstrates the adaptability of a sector threatened by climate change.

This site is not the only one to be artificial, we include the Freissinières ice tower, we let you see this in more detail.