The discreet climb up to Alpe d'Huez by e-bike

Didier GIRARD decided to return to his roots and settle in Bourg-d'Oisans. He raises lambs and American Bison (of Canadian origin) for their meat and to introduce visitors to this mythical animal.Nothing presaged this engineer in agronomy from Oisans to leave his job as sales director to become a farmer. "In 2004, just before my 40th birthday, I felt the need to change my lifestyle and get back to nature", he explained. He settled in Rochetaillé, the village in which he grew up, where he bought 20 hectares of fallow ground and started breeding lambs for their meat. The need to diversify production soon became clear and Didier Girard decided to breed bison. "This is quality meat, for which there was no supplier available locally". The "bibis" as he called them are North American bison ("Alberta" bison from Canada) have acclimatised pretty well. In 2016, 9 baby bison were born, bringing the herd up to 37. The bison remain in the pasture year round, in parks where they eat hay and grass. The particularity of breeding these wild animals lies in their handling. "Bison, which weigh between 20 and 30 kg at birth, can weigh up to a ton when they reach adulthood. It's best to enter the enclosure as little as possible and take safety precautions". The animals are slaughtered when they are about 2,5 years old. Carcasses, which can weigh up to 450 kg, are cut and vacuum packed by a butcher, who also makes saucisson and bison terrine. Didier Girard then sells his production directly to local clients. Sheep breeding is faithful to the Oisans tradition, involving transhumance on foot and lambing in March/April... Lambs and ewes spend the entire summer in the mountains at altitudes of between 2000 and 3000 m in the Bérarde Valley. Every year, Didier puts out a call for volunteers to take part in the transhumance. Don't hesitate to contact him if you'd like to share in the adventure! PRODUCTS : - Pasture lamb - Bison meat. LOCATION : at the farm shop by appointment. LABELS : - Membre de la “Route des Savoir-Faire de l’Oisans” - Marque “Producteurs de l’Oisans” - Réseau “Bienvenue à la Ferme” -Agriculture biologique

The water sports centre at the Lac du Verney is open in July and August for activities including paddle boats, canoes, sailing dinghies and paddle boards.The 75-hectare lake, at an altitude of 725 meters and varying in depth, is a true mountain lake, even if it is an artificial reservoir. Authorized activities: windsurfing, canoeing, paddling, wingfoil, pedal boats. Prohibited activities: swimming, diving, motorboating and water-skiing.

The Alpe d'Huez Museum of History and Archaeology is the only structure in a high-altitude resort to be awarded the "Musée de France" label, and is associated with a major archaeological site. It traces the long history of the village of Huez and its mountain pastures, from the Middle Ages to the present day.The museum presents visitors with two new scenographies through the permanent exhibitions "Le spectacle de la montagne" and "Brandes et la ruée vers l'argent des XIIe et XIIIe siècles". There's also a space dedicated to the Second World War, with the exhibition "Eté 1944. Le Maquis de l'Oisans". 3 EXHIBITIONS: "LE SPECTACLE DE LA MONTAGNE", "BRANDES ET LA RUEE VERS L'ARGENT DES XIIE ET XIIIE SIECLES", "ETE 1944. LE MAQUIS DE L'OISANS". These exhibitions punctuate the course of visitors to the Musée d'huizat: "The Mountain Show Presented at the end of 2022, this permanent exhibition tells the story of the transformation of the "Vieil Alpe" mountain chalets into hotels, forming an internationally renowned high-altitude tourist resort from the 1980s-90s onwards. Featuring 4 chronological "kiosks" (or cubes) richly illustrated with photographs retracing the periods 1923-1939, 1945-1973, 1974-1989, 1990-2022, this immersive exhibition reveals to the curious this rich history, with the role of the pioneers (Moulin, Chaix, Chalvin, Rajon, Pomagalski etc.), the heyday of traditional family hotels from the 1930s to the 1960s, sporting events such as the Tour de France cycling race (which arrived in Alpe d'Huez as early as 1952), new snow-related activities such as snowboarding in the 1980s, summer skiing on Sarenne and ever-increasing events such as the Tomorrowland Winter electronic music festival. The architectural and urban development of the resort is also showcased in the exhibition, with a touch table (historical and 3D models of the resort's districts) and an interactive terminal featuring the testimonies of several key players in this urban development. The Alpe's built heritage (hotels, ski lifts, public buildings, Rif Nel, individual chalets, etc.) is presented, as are future projects. Finally, the screening of INA films from the period (leisure activities in the 50s, the role of promoters in the 70s, inauguration of the Pic Blanc bobsleigh run and cable car in the 1960s and 70s, bobsleigh competition in February 1968) will attract the attention of adults and children alike. "Brandes and the silver rush of the 12th and 13th centuries". Looking around Alpe d'Huez today, who would believe that in the Middle Ages, a community of men, women and children settled on the Brandes plateau, at the foot of the Saint-Nicolas rock, to extract silver ore from the mountain's subsoil at an altitude of over 1800m? And yet, from the 12th to the 14th century, these inhabitants of the mining village of Brandes (the highest in Europe for this period) lived there year-round, despite the difficult climatic conditions from October to May. This technical history (pre-industrial Western Europe and nascent metallurgy) and human history were revealed by archaeological digs carried out in 1977 by Marie-Christine Bailly-Maître and her teams of scientists and volunteers. The discoveries made during these excavations (mining techniques, the manufacture of silver dust, Brandes' finished product for the coins of the dauphin - lord of the Dauphiné - religious practices and daily life, the construction of a watchtower called "shell-keep") led to the creation of the Maison du Patrimoine in 1982, which became the Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans and then, in 2023, the Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez. The museum was awarded the "Musée de France" label in 2003 and moved to AgorAlp (former Palais des Sports et des Congrès de l'Alpe d'Huez, 1st floor) in 2012. A new scenography presenting the archaeological collection is visible and contextualizes the artifacts found above and below ground. "Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis". Finally, let's not forget the extraordinary epic of the Oisans Maquis during the Second World War. Although the mountains seem to be an unspoilt area, sometimes tragic, often heroic events took place in the Grandes Rousses massif, and in Oisans more generally. Alpe d'Huez was home to a military hospital run by the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI), first in Huez and then in the Signal chalet, an annex of the Grand Hôtel. "Faced with the advance of the German army and its desire to control the Oisans (following the capture of the Vercors in July), Doctor Tissot ordered the evacuation of the wounded patients in August 1944. This marked the beginning of a slow and difficult ascent for the patients, some of whom were in critical condition, and the hospital staff, to the heights of the Alpette and the slopes of the Grandes Rousses. They were helped by the crew of a Boeing B-24 Liberator, "11 Americans who fell from the sky" (Pierre Montaz's expression): the crash of their bomber over the commune of Prunières, near Gap, prompted them to cross the Oisans. They provided invaluable support for the FFI's withdrawal. Protecting the wounded as they climbed to higher ground, the Maquisards de l'Oisans put up a fierce fight on the heights of the Alpette against a division of German Alpine fighters, following the capture of the Vercors a short time earlier; they emerged victorious on August 14, 1944, with no loss of life. Relive this key event in the history of mountain Resistance through educational panels and objects from the Musée de l'Alpe d'Huez collection. "Visite-flash": discover museum objects in a different way! Tuesdays from 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm CULTURAL EVENTS Activities (free nocturnes, visit to Pic Blanc and the Ice Grotto, flash visit to the Museum's collections (Tuesdays, 30 minutes, 4:30-5pm), guided tour of the Notre-Dame des Neiges church) are organized during the winter season at the Museum, from December to mid-April. For further information, call 04 76 11 21 74 or e-mail accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr GUIDED TOURS MUSEUM, PIC BLANC, CHURCH NOTRE-DAME-DES-NEIGES (during winter season) Guided tour of Pic Blanc and its exceptional panorama (3330m) This tour covers a wide range of subjects: the 3-star Green Guide panorama, the history of the resort and skiing, information on geology, landscape, fauna, flora, glaciers, the history of the resort... No walking, maximum 15 people per tour (access by Pic Blanc cable car). Every Tuesday and Thursday during the winter season, from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. How to get there: meet in front of the Pic Blanc gondola ticket office (formerly DMC, at the top of the resort, 1850m above sea level, after the Pistes traffic circle, on the right; payment at the ticket office and meeting with guide Frédérik TANE). Tour prices: please contact SATA (04 76 80 30 30). Information and registration required: at the Musée de l'Alpe d'Huez: 04 76 11 21 74 or at accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr In winter and summer, other tours are offered by the Service culturel de la commune d'Huez - Alpe d'Huez, with registration at the Museum (limited places, on registration at the Museum, by e-mail or telephone at accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr -; 5€ or 3€; 04 76 11 21 74): - Notre-Dame des Neiges church (Wednesdays, 2:30 - 4:00 pm; history and architecture of this remarkable religious and cultural building). In winter, the Museum also offers : - VISITE-FLASH: discover the museum's objects in a different way! (Tuesdays, 4:30 to 5:00 pm; history of the resort from the Middle Ages to the present day): FREE, FROM 7 YEARS OF AGE, registration recommended at the Museum (1st floor of AgorAlp; 04 76 11 21 74; accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr); duration: 30 minutes. FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS SALLE ANNE AUVERGNE In the Anne Auvergne room (AgorAlp, 1st floor, in the Museum's temporary exhibition room), take advantage of the volume and luminosity of this exhibition room and its works to discover watercolors, paintings, sculptures, engravings, digital works, photographs, etc. for the duration of a winter. FREE ENTRY; new exhibitions every 3 weeks.

The Musée des Minéraux has become the Galerie des Trésors Alpins (GALTA). It has undergone a makeover, taking you on a journey through 3 universes: crystals, treasures of the Oisans, an immersive journey to the heart of Alpine fauna and the new "Oisans in the eye of the comics" trail.The richness of its mineralogical collection and the dynamic staging of the wildlife area make it a wonderful place to discover the natural and cultural heritage of the Oisans. The museum is a member of the Route des Savoir-Faire de l'Oisans. Guided tours led by the Centre de Géologie de l'Oisans, the Parc des Écrins and members of the "Club des Cristalliers" are available on reservation in July and August. The world : L'OISANS AUX QUATRE SAISONS A sensory show (images and sounds) that takes visitors on a twenty-minute audio narrative explaining the life of Oisans wildlife according to the seasons and their layering in the great landscape. In partnership with the Ecrins National Park, the show raises awareness of the need to respect natural spaces and the animals that frequent them. This immersive show was created with the help of Jean-Marc Rochette, a comic strip artist who is very involved in the Oisans region. As a result, the trail is imbued with a unique poetic and sensory atmosphere. The trail is available in French and English. CRYSTAL, A TREASURE OF THE OISANS A brand-new heritage trail showcases the region's most emblematic crystals: Epidote, quartz, axinite, anatase and siderite have all found their home! In an interplay of transparent surfaces, the tour is organized around three themes: geology, local heritage and crystallography. A large part of the exhibition is devoted to crystallographic marvels. We learn how crystals are formed, and the origin of their shape and color. THE OISANS IN THE EYE OF COMICS The 8th art makes its entrance to the museum to magnify the Oisans and those who live here. Beautifully illustrated by Clara Debray's drawings and Éric Savoldelli's comic strips, this new tour also features a host of audio-visuals, podcasts and sensory walks. Structured around five themes, the tour explores the links between man and nature, the fascination of the "great landscape", the adaptations required to cope with the rigours of the territory, and the challenges that drive people to surpass themselves, not forgetting the "great firsts" of the pioneers who left their mark on the Oisans with their sensational adventures. TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS Discover our temporary exhibition space all year round. BOUTIQUE-LIBRAIRIE As part of the museum's redevelopment, the boutique has been redesigned. More functional, it is now located in the reception hall and features new items bearing the artist's signature and derived from his work. A selection of books, comics, albums, novels and stories invite you to extend your visit on various naturalist themes. Free access to the store during museum opening hours.

The Musée EDF Hydrélec is the only museum in France dedicated to hydroelectricity. Installed in Oisans, the Musée EDF Hydrélec features a new 900m2 scenographic display that retraces the epic story of the production of hydroelectricity.It pays homage to the scientists, engineers, technicians and manoeuvres that played a role in building the hydroelectric power stations and dams, some of which have become an integral part of our heritage and genuine works of art. Installed in Oisans, in the heart of an area with a long history of hydroelectricity, the Musée EDF Hydrélec has now been awarded the «Musée de France» label. It features a number of unique collections comprising scientific and technical objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. Member of the "Route of the know-how of the Oisans", he organizes the guided tour "Exceptional electricity" on reservation .. This establishment offers the E-Bike Service: charge your electric bike here on request (remember to take your charger).

Clément Marais breeds his Saanen goats high up in the mountains, in the heart of the Villard-Reculas pastureland. He offers a full range of goats’ cheese, including tomme, raclette and fresh cheese, together with lovely fresh farmhouse eggs.I took over the Villard-Reculas goat farm in 2012. Situated at an altitude of 1500 m, the farm has around 50 Saanen goats that give us the milk to make cheeses on the farm. What I like most about this life is working with the animals in this magnificent landscape, as well as the cheesemaking process itself. I am particularly motivated by farming that respects the environment. My specialities include goats raclette cheese, tomme, fromage blanc and dry fromage frais. Products : Goat’s tomme; Soft and matured goat’s cheese; Eggs during summer. Location : - At the farm - Market stalls : Fridays morning in Alpe d’Huez (in July and August) and Saturdays morning in Bourg d’Oisans.