We tried it for you: Moonbikes in La Plagne

It is 5.15 pm, the sun has just dipped behind the Grande Rochette and I am pulling on a helmet at the foot of the Plagne Centre snow front. No skiing tonight: I am testing the Moonbike, that odd machine halfway between a snowmobile and a snowboard.

The setting

We meet at the activity start, a stone’s throw from our school. There are six of us, aged 16 to 60, and none of us has ever been on a motorised anything on snow. Kamel, the instructor leading the outing, introduces the beast: a silent electric motor, a track at the back, a ski at the front, and one single throttle.

The first few metres

We set off at walking pace on the flat. The first reflex is to wrestle the handlebars like a bike; wrong — you steer with your body weight. First slightly abrupt brake, first tumble into soft snow, first fits of laughter. Ten minutes in, everybody is linking turns without thinking about it.

Where it gets really good

Kamel then takes us up a track climbing towards Plagne Villages. Night has fallen, the headlight picks out the fir trees, and the silent motor lets you hear the snow crunch. At the top, a slope of untouched powder: time to ease the throttle and feel the machine float. Pure gliding, no effort.

The verdict

• Accessible: no particular fitness needed, you get it in ten minutes.
• Thrills: real ones, without ever feeling in danger thanks to the capped speed.
• The best bit: the night and the silence, which turn a familiar piste into something else.
• The downside: an hour goes fast — we’d happily have done another.

Practical info

• Where: Plagne Centre, start at the snow front.
• When: every evening from 5.15 pm to 9 pm, booking required.
• Who: from 16 years old, no experience needed.
• How to book: on the Activities page of this site or with the OxySki La Plagne school.

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