Natural Games – Extreme Sports and Music Festival

Don’t miss this year’s Natural Games, France’s outdoor sports and music festival! From the 25 to the 28 June, some of the world’s best extreme sports athletes compete alongside enthusiastic amateurs in Millau in the south of France.

NATURAL GAMES – Climbing, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Slacklining and Paragliding

The Natural Games is unique in that you can climb, paddle slackline, paraglide, or mountain bike alongside some of the best athletes in your sport, and all set to the backdrop of the breathtaking Gorges du Tarn.

Check out naturalgames.fr for a full list of the outdoor sports on offer. In addition to the core sports you’ll also find paragliding, parkour, and stand up paddle boarding and canoeing on the river Tarn.

There’ll be live music throughout the event from the likes of DJ, Etienne de Crécy, Cameroonian singer-songwriter, Irma, and the Parisian electronic band, Dirtyphonics.

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Rock Climbing

The International Bouldering Open will take place on some of France’s best limestone, and as is tradition, climax with a floodlit final in Millau on the Saturday night. During the day, the climbing takes place in the majestic Gorges du Tarn with some of climbing’s top talent such as Austrian freeclimber, Kilian Fischuber, the Basque Country’s ‘bionic man’ Patxi Uzobiaga, and bouldering specialists Barbara Zangerl, Jacopo Larcher and Caroline Sinno.

Epic scenery, fantastic rock and formidable climbing talent combine to make this an unmissable event.

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Kayaking

Thanks to a tributary of the Tarn that has been specially developed for kayaking and flows right through the middle of the festival, the kayak competition is sure to be a great spectacle. Included in the event program is a freestyle kayaking comp where paddlers have 45 seconds to perform as many moves as possible on a wave in the river.

There’ll be some top boaters present, like Marlène Devillez, third at the world cup in 2014, and world cup winner and Olympian, Nicolas Peschier. If the judging criteria at the kayak rodeo seems a bit baffling, turn your attention to the Kayak Boarder Cross, where it’s a simple case of ‘first over the line’ wins. If you would like to grab a paddle and take part in a race, get your name down for Thursday evening’s Dragon Boat race.

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Mountain Biking

This year the enduro event at the Natural Games forms part of the French series. Its official status means it will draw top class talent, including Megavalanche winner, Rémy Absalon, and Crankworx runner up, Nicolas Lau.

Not forgetting the slopestyle comp with Red Bull rider, Yannick Granieri, amongst others. For the riders, the aim of the game is to ride the course and string together as many difficult maneuvers as possible. The more extreme, the better. Scoring is based on style, difficulty, and smoothness of the ride. The nightime final in front of 25,000 spectators is all set to be epic.

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Slacklining

Highline pioneer, Andy Lewis, leads the demonstrations of the most vertiginous branch of slacklining. The Cirque des Vases in the heart of the Cévennes National Park, about 50 minutes drive from Millau, is the magical setting for the Natural Games highlining.

New at the Natural Games this year is the Columbia Jumpline International Open. Organised in tribute to slackline legend and founder of Slack.fr, Damien Mercier, this event sees the world’s best freestyle slackliners perform mind-boggling tricks right in the middle of the festival. With athletes from as far away as Brasil, the USA and Canada, the standard will undoubtedly be the best ever seen at a jumpline comp. Not to be missed!

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