Raid Centrale Paris
Val de Durance
Durance Valley
A place worthy of an adventure race
With more than 300 kilometres, Durance is one of the most important tributaries of the Rhone. Capricious alpine river, partly tamed by man, it has fashioned this magnificent valley through millenaries to host what it has always dreamt of: Raid Centrale Paris 2012 edition.
From High-Durance to Low-Durance, a diversity of landscapes
The Durance must find its way through a massif of crystalline rocks. Its rapids delight fans of paddle sports, as much as hikers who enjoy the sight from the green meadows or the steep ridges.
Beyond the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, it flows in a very different environment. In this beautiful place, mountains leave room for increasingly vast plateaus. The valley then widens from Jouques to Avignon into a broader plain until the confluence with the Rhone.
The Durance flows through Hautes-Alpes and Apes-de-Haute-Provence departments passing by the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. From Mont Thabor to the Rhone, through Céüse and its mythic climbing sites on its horseshoe-shaped face, the Durance will reveal all the richness of its landscapes.A valley full of history
In Antiquity, Durance Valley was a penetration road to the Alps, allowing the connection between Gallia Narbonensis and Gallia Cisalpina.
Despite the river’s reputation for its “caprices”, the valley remains a very important communication route in the Middle Ages. Briançon, Embrun, Sisteron, Avignon are some of the wealthy cities of that time who knew how to profit from this waterway. The citadels of Sisteron and Mont-Dauphin still contemplate this valley rich in history.
Until the 19th century, the Durance was famous for its floods. The dam of Serre-Ponçon was built to control the river level and counter the rise of the water level. It provides fresh water to surrounding cities and even to Marseille, and generates an important amount of electrical power.
It’s then into a rough but historically rich valley that Raid Centrale Paris invites you! You will live an unforgettable moment as all those who have loved this place, whether they crossed or shaped it.
