Les2Alpes with avalanche simulator

At an altitude of over 2000 meters, with a splendid mountain panorama – the ideal setting for a 4D simulator on the theme of avalanches. The world's first installation of the new 4D Simulator in the French ski resort Les2Alpes offers more than a little fun and excitement. The visitors experience pure thrill, combined with a touch of edutainment. It's no wonder, then, that the attraction known as Robocoaster Avalanche has proved to be a first-rate crowd-puller.

That said, the 2-minute thrill ride begins with a harmless run down a gentle piste. Too boring, there's got to be more fun in it than that. So you leave the prepared piste and race down an ungroomed slope. But elation soon gives way to sheer terror: an avalanche engulfs you, whirls you around and sweeps you down the mountainside. A little later: only deathly silence, dark and cold. All you can hear is your own heatbeat. And then, suddenly, a scratching and scraping noise. It gets lighter – a rescue dog has found you.

With these dramatic scenes, the operator Marc Dode aims to make visitors aware of the dangers of skiing off-piste on ungroomed terrain. The attraction is rounded out by an exhibition about avalanches. The setting, too, is perfect: an igloo-shaped dome protects the 4D Simulator and the exhibition from the harsh alpine climate.