Transfer to Alps: The Essential European Ski Resort Guide
Oct 8, 2026 · 18 min · 10 segments
Who says a ski holiday is only about skiing? In Episode 8 of Transfer to Alps, hosts Liam and Chloe step away from the traditional pistes to explore the absolute best non-skiing and active outdoor…
And we are starting today's adventure with something that is absolutely mind-boggling, quiet, and slightly eerie, but completely beautiful.
We are heading down the valley from Avoriaz, just past Morzine, to the spectacular Lake Montriond.
This is the third largest lake in the entire Haute-Savoie region, and in the winter, the water temperature drops to freezing, and a massive thick sheet of solid ice completely seals the surface.
Underneath that ice lies a completely silent, crystal clear world, and you can actually dive into it.
If you've ever wanted to experience absolute silence, this is where you go.
You get dressed up in these heavy-duty professional dry suits, full face masks, and antifreeze breathing regulators.
Because of the dry suits, you are completely sealed from the water.
You don't even get wet.
And under the guidance of fully certified state instructors, you slip through a hole cut in the ice and enter this silent, frozen world.
The visual experience under there is completely surreal.
Because the water is so cold and still, the visibility is incredible.
You look up, and instead of the sky, you see this massive undulating ceiling of solid ice.
There are all these tiny frozen air bubbles trapped under the glass, and when the sun hits the ice sheet, the light filters through the cracks and creates these beautiful shifting beams of deep blue and turquoise light.
It is like swimming inside a giant moving sapphire.
It is a proper outer space experience.
And a lot of people think, "I can't do that.
I've never dived before." But the absolute beauty of this setup at Lake Montriond is that you do not need any previous diving experience at all.
The instructors run these fantastic introductory dives for complete beginners.
They clip you on to a secure heavy-duty lifeline, and you are accompanied by an expert instructor who literally holds your hand the entire time you are under the ice.
It is incredibly safe and controlled.
Yes.
They limit the dives to about 10 or 15 minutes for beginners, which is the perfect amount of time to soak in the atmosphere without getting cold.
And despite being in freezing water, the thermal layers you wear under the dry suit mean you actually stay surprisingly warm and cozy.
You feel like an astronaut floating in zero gravity.
And we are starting today's adventure with something that is absolutely mind-boggling, quiet, and slightly eerie, but completely beautiful.
We are heading down the valley from Avoriaz, just past Morzine, to the spectacular Lake Montriond.
This is the third largest lake in the entire Haute-Savoie region, and in the winter, the water temperature drops to freezing, and a massive thick sheet of solid ice completely seals the surface.
Underneath that ice lies a completely silent, crystal clear world, and you can actually dive into it.
If you've ever wanted to experience absolute silence, this is where you go.
You get dressed up in these heavy-duty professional dry suits, full face masks, and antifreeze breathing regulators.
Because of the dry suits, you are completely sealed from the water.
You don't even get wet.
And under the guidance of fully certified state instructors, you slip through a hole cut in the ice and enter this silent, frozen world.
The visual experience under there is completely surreal.
Because the water is so cold and still, the visibility is incredible.
You look up, and instead of the sky, you see this massive undulating ceiling of solid ice.
There are all these tiny frozen air bubbles trapped under the glass, and when the sun hits the ice sheet, the light filters through the cracks and creates these beautiful shifting beams of deep blue and turquoise light.
It is like swimming inside a giant moving sapphire.
It is a proper outer space experience.
And a lot of people think, "I can't do that.
I've never dived before." But the absolute beauty of this setup at Lake Montriond is that you do not need any previous diving experience at all.
The instructors run these fantastic introductory dives for complete beginners.
They clip you on to a secure heavy-duty lifeline, and you are accompanied by an expert instructor who literally holds your hand the entire time you are under the ice.
It is incredibly safe and controlled.
Yes.
They limit the dives to about 10 or 15 minutes for beginners, which is the perfect amount of time to soak in the atmosphere without getting cold.
And despite being in freezing water, the thermal layers you wear under the dry suit mean you actually stay surprisingly warm and cozy.
You feel like an astronaut floating in zero gravity.
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