Ever wondered whats it’s like to drive your own husky sleigh, through stunning mountain scenery…Our eldest daughter tried and tested this for her Birthday last week and here is the write up!

A few years ago, we started giving experiences rather than gifts for birthdays, and my eldest loves it and has already done some super cool stuff. For her 10th Birthday we were looking for a special experience…She loves animals, the outdoors, sport, beautiful scenery and eating 😉 What could combine all of this? We decided on HUSKY RIDING in CHAMONIX followed by lunch at la CABANE DES PRAZ.
WHY CHAMONIX?
We opted for a trip with Evasion Nordique via Evolution 2, recommended by a good friend of ours. The founder and owner Philippe Van C has been doing the job for over 20 years and is a passionate professional.

IDEAL LOCATION:
The outings take place from the Golf course at Les Praz in Chamonix. This is perfect as the circuit is on flat, open fields avoiding anything too technical for initiations. The golf course is also nestled in the heart of the Chamonix valley, just after the main centre with super easy, free parking/accessibility
IN THE DRIVING SEAT:
You can either be a passenger or drive (from 8 years of age). We booked my daughter in to drive. After an initial briefing of 15 minutes on the basic rules she was ready to go. The rules in essence are pretty simple: don’t let go, don’t overtake and don’t fall over. She was presented with her own sled with two dogs – the lead dog named Google rather strangely (we didn’t get the chance to ask why 😉). The dogs are a mix of Alaskan and Siberian huskies.

THE VERDICT:
She LOVED it and came back with a Cheshire cat grin. The weather was simply beautiful – not a cloud in the sky and they did a tour of approximately 30 minutes. The instruction was clear and comprehensive. Apparently, she fell over and lost her sled but didn’t seem too troubled at all – it added to the experience! She made friends with another girl who was a passenger . Her only slight disappointment was she would have liked to do more and go on a bit of a longer tour…We too were also under the impression it was a bit longer and came back to see her arrive just after she’d finished which was slightly irritating…

LUNCH:
As the French say “Après l’effort le renconfort”. We had opted for a family lunch at the rather gorgeous Cabande des Praz – a little gem of a restaurant that is super family friendly. Great, fresh food from the kid’s menus to the plat du jour…with stunning views to boot. We loved it. Good value for money too…when we got the bill and compared it to recent (dubious reheated overboiled spag bol) lunches on the slopes we agreed that it was good value for money for the quality.

For further info:

La Cabane des Praz :www.restaurant-cabane-chamonix.com
Evolution 2 Chamonix : http://www.evolution2-chamonix.com/fr
Chamonix : http://www.chamonix.com
Featured Image – An old photo of myself a few years ago 😉