If there is one thing scarier than hurtling down a black run on skis, it is doing it on a bicycle. All that nice, soft snow has departed to leave a surface of hard ground, rocks and gravel.

You are dressed like a Stormtrooper, with a helmet and gloves plus pads on elbows, knees, chest, back and shoulders, but the fear of falling remains overwhelming and you clench the brakes so hard that your forearms ache. From the back wheel comes a smell of burning.

Then just when you summon up enough courage to loosen your grip on the brakes and gather some speed, a gang of teenagers hurtles past leaving you in a cloud of dust.

This is mountain-biking the Alpine way — Velo Tout Terrain — and it is thrilling.

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Thousands descend on ski resorts, with Morzine and Les Gets among the most popular in France, and clamber on to the chair and bubble lifts with their bicycles. No need to cycle up hill.

But you do have to get back down to the bottom and, while there is the option of leisurely tracks, the real fun comes from flying over bumps and jumps, twisting through trees, sliding round tight corners.

For daredevils there are fun-parks in the woods, with ramps and planks suspended 9ft (2.7m) up in the air. For the rest of us, there are marked trails of varying difficulty, although it does not require too steep a descent to get the adrenalin pumping.

Mountain-biking has helped many Alpine resorts to become year-round holiday destinations. In the Portes du Soleil region, more than 20 lifts stay open during the summer to cater for cyclists seeking to fly downhill or meander cross country while enjoying the spectacular views of snow-capped Mont Blanc and the crisp air of the Alps. Perhaps a cold beer, too, although only after your last run.

Bikes fitted with hydraulic disc brakes and suspension at front and rear can be hired from the ski-shops along with the padding, which is recommended.

A word of advice, too, not to wear your best gear if it has been raining. In the wet the resorts are full of people who look like creatures from the deep — sprayed head to toe in mud. As I say, it’s a lot of fun.