These sport holidays for adrenaline junkies don’t disappoint thrill seekers looking to raise their heart rate while on vacation.

Combining the excitement of sport with nature, culture, adventure and haute cuisine (haute can mean at 8000 ft!) sport holidays are the new way for “fitsters” to relax on vacation.

1. Alta Badia, Italy 

Just one quick ride up the cable car to Alta Badia’s Explore Your Way alpine fitness park and you’ll find yourself in fitster paradise. There’s trekking, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, orienteering, geo-catching, and more. You don’t have to be a mountaineer capable of one-finger pull ups to enjoy all that Alta Badia has to offer. On the mountain and in the valley, you’ll find a sport for every level of fitness and thrill from moderate to challenging trail running to Via Ferrata climbing routes.

As challenging as it is to go up, it’s equally a thrill to go down.  Opt for a relaxing hike, fly downhill on a mountain bike or paraglide tandem with a guide and- literally – get a bird’s eye view as you soar over the gorgeous Dolomites. If you’re not a mountain bike uphill champ, try the miracle of  e-bikes. Alta Badia has an amazing e-bike sharing program. The low gear + turbo mode combo makes previously impossible hills totally within reach.

Then after a day of adventure in the fresh alpine air, wind down for an après sport cocktail at La Majun and relax sore muscles in their wellness center and spa. Then dine at their Michelin guide-mentioned restaurant featuring delicious Southern Tyrol specialties and incredible views of the towering Dolomites. And if after dinner, you’re still up for a bit of sport, the Majun’s patio has a ping pong table available for pick-up games.

2. Mountain Bike Camp, Mammoth Mountain USA

Do like speed, catching air, and dirt? Does the feeling of flying down a mountain on a bike juice you up? Then head to Mammoth Mountain in California for their summer mountain bike day clinics and weeklong camps.

You’ll work on your downhill technical and freeride techniques and be coached on jumps by such pros as Leigh Donovan who leads the Women’s Mountain Bike Camp and Guinness World Record setter Cam Zink. Both their day clinics and camps almost always sell out so book in advance.

Remember that to join in the fun, you don’t have to be a total pro. Everyone has to start somewhere. There are mountain biking clinics and camps for every level. And Leigh is passionate about “the working moms, closet adventure girls, and the women who haven’t been invited yet to join this amazing sport” to get on a mountain bike and try it. So unleash your inner adrenaline junkie and let it rip!

3. Mountain Hut Touring, Switzerland 

Alpine mountain hut touring in Switzerland’s Val de Bagnes is truly an adventure at altitude. Some of the most stunning destinations in the Alps are remote and accessible only by hiking itineraries where you arrange for a night’s stay at a cabane or mountain hut. Fear not, cabanes in the Swiss Alps are more like cozy dormitories than huts. After hiking past sapphire blue glacier lakes, winding rivers, blossoming meadows and perhaps even a glacier, at a mountain hut you can  rest and enjoy divine local wine like Fendant or Dole, indulge in Swiss fondue with nettle and other alpine herbs, mingle with other travelers, and get a true night’s rest before setting off in the morning.

Whether it’s your very first or umpteenth mountain hut tour,  Tour du Val de Bagnes is a must see. Beginning in Le Châble, you’ll pass through charming tiny alpine towns on your way up to stunning views of seemingly endless glacier peaks. Included in this itinerary are two of Switzerland’s most beloved mountain huts: Cabane Mt. Fort and Cabane Louvie. The views and the away-from-it-all experience of the Alps is well worth some uphill conditioning.

4. Kayaking in Corsica, France 

When you think of France usually wine, cheese, and Paris come to mind. Now, add in kayaking. If you fancy paddling through turquoise Mediterranean waters to remote coves along stunning unspoiled coastline that is only accessible by sea, join in ROW’s Compelling Corsica trip that is held several times a year. You’ll paddle through UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Reserve Naturelle de Scandola and get your land legs back by hiking along the awe inspiring Gorges of the Restonica. A winner of National Geographic Traveler’s 2015 “Tours of a Lifetime” this kayaking (and hiking) trip combines the charm of Corsica with must-see pristine natural areas. So get your paddle on and start practicing your French. A little before-the-trip arm and shoulder training will be helpful. As you want to make sure that after paddling, you won’t be too sore to raise your wine glass!

5. Windsurfing with Flying Fish, Greece

If windsurfing is your thing, Greece is one of best spots in the world to take your skill to the next level or learn for the first time. Flying Fish’s windsurf training center on the island of Lefkas is near Vassiliki, a charming village teeming with water loving enthusiasts who come for the consistent winds and then relax afterwards in the charming tavernas that line the narrow streets and waterfront.

For the night owl, windsurfing is the perfect sport because the wind starts to pick up at about 10AM and then blows full force much later in the afternoon. So, enjoy the great nightlife of Vassiliki. Because in windsurfing, the early bird doesn’t get the wind. And if you can’t find a friends to join in the fun – go solo. The atmosphere at the The FlyingFish windsurfing club is fun and friendly. There’s a great camaraderie in the classes and you’ll find plenty of people to share the stoke with after a amazing day on the water with the wind in your hair.

If lounging by a pool reading a book now sounds boring, join in one of these sport holidays that will satisfy your inner adrenaline junkie for the thrill and adventure of a lifetime!

Related on EcoSalon.com:

5-Best Eco Island Dream Getaways 

Cabin Spotting: 20 Perfect Weekend Retreats

5 Affordable Wellness Retreat from Around the World

Images: Alta Badia © Freddy Planinschek, © Michal Pancir, couple windsurfing, Swiss mountain hut, and mountain biking via Shutterstock

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SeriesKeeping Fear at bay means riding into it without brakes.

This is the first of many stories we hope to gather from women who have overcome hurdles and challenges that have made them not only stronger women, but role models for others. Do you have a story you’d like to submit on how you have overcome something? Send us an email at contact@ecosalon.com

I am sitting at my kitchen table, my front door and windows wide open to let in the fresh mountain air, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversation with my best friend, Christiane, on the other side of the country, when the topic of fear came up.  “You should write about Fear, you have experienced it so deeply, and live daily with it nipping at your heels.”  I laughed wryly, “Yeah, Fear is definitely camped outside my door waiting for an invite to come on in.”

Pausing to think if Fear is rabbit hole I really wanted to dive into today, two dogs burst into my kitchen. Neither one of them belong to me and as I chase them out Christiane hears me shout, “Get out! Out! This is not your home, you don’t belong in here!”

“Hmmm”, she says, “It’s as if they arrived on cue to spark that response! Those words could easily apply to fear as much as to the those dogs.” A cosmic sign?  Or just two overly curious and cheeky canines looking for some free food? To me, Fear is the summation of all the undefineable things that throw up resistance to change, roadblocks to experience, and an inability to love unconditionally. Not a fan of roadblocks of any kind, fear is not a companion I am willing to share my time, or my coffee, with. I have experienced it keenly as rape victim – brutal violence and violation that left me in a broken heap in the dirt. I endure its nearby presence daily as the founder of an international non profit that hasn’t yet turned the corner financially, and as a single mother that risked everything to fight for women’s rights in conflict zones like Afghanistan and at times has to choose between groceries and phone bill. I know how closely Fear is shadowing me.

The trick is to recognize Fear, to say hello as you would to the paranoid Tea Party supporter you see at the coffee shop every day, but to not make friends with it. If you simply try to ignore it, it tries to engage you in conversation, sucking you into the abyss.  But acknowledging it sets boundaries. “Hi, I see ya, but I’m too busy to chat today.”  Move along.  I’ve got things to do.

It’s the same on a mountain bike.  I have donated my fair share of blood and skin to the Gods of Dirt and Rock along with a cracked rib and broken elbow. One particularly pricey donation came while bombing down the backside of Hall Ranch chasing a much faster, and experienced, friend. I washed out on a slab of rock covered in a veil of loose dirt and ripped the better part of my forearm and elbow off.  I spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out what was me and was rock, and I know that by continuing to ride, donations like this are part of the contract.  Fear whispers, “Slow down, use your brakes.  Dismount before the rock garden. Don’t try to lift your wheel over that ledge, you’ll get hurt again!” But what Fear doesn’t realize is getting hurt is part of the game.  No one is invincible, we’re not built that way.  Life is meant to PLAY.

The therapy I get from two wheels, one gear, and miles of singletrack, overwhelmingly outweighs the risks.  The combination of a clear head, burned out quads, and dirt in my teeth far exceeds the occasional bodily appeasement to the deities. The irony is that by conquering Fear on my bike, I keep the daily Fear of life at bay, much like the old song, by Little Richard, “I hear you knocking but you can’t come in,” I call out.

The little victories on the bike translate into confidence and courage and then equals bigger victories off the bike. Choosing to get back on the bike knowing it may draw blood is a choice, and one I make willingly, even happily knowing that 95% of the time I’ll come off my bike, sore and dirty, but also gloriously happy.

I embrace the risks I’ve taken, without them I wouldn’t have ridden my singlespeed across the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. I probably wouldn’t have started mountain biking in the first place. I wouldn’t have lived abroad for ten years. I wouldn’t have started a business, or a non profit. I wouldn’t have entered the fight for women’s rights. I wouldn’t vacation in war zones. I wouldn’t have fallen in love. Twice. Hell, I wouldn’t have even become a mother, by far the scariest thing I’ve done to date, as anyone that has stared down a three-year-old’s tantrum can attest to.

Sorry, Fear, but you have to stay outside with the dogs.

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