From mountain photography to ice-climbing – try it all at this summer festival in the French Alps (opens in new tab)

Improve your mountain skills by day and party by night at the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy in ChamonixAfter a day spent hiking across the Col d’Entrèves glacier, a sugar hit is required. I descend on the cable car and join the queue at the ice-cream counter. Above me, surrounded by jagged peaks, looms the huge white figure of Mont Blanc, serene and pure against a brilliant blue sky. Although it’s late afternoon, people are still heading up the mountain, and there are two clear groups. On one side...