Puy de Sancy

 mountain, volcano, panoramic view, summit, interesting place

Puy de Sancy (Occitan: puèi de la Crotz, "Mount of the Cross") is the highest mountain (1886 m) in the Massif Central and therefore the highest mountain in central France (the highest in France except the Alps and the Pyrenees).

It is part of an ancient stratovolcano which has been inactive for about 220,000 years.

The northern and southern slopes are used for skiing, and a number of cablecars and skilifts ascend the mountain. Skiing has been practised on the mountain since the early 20th century. Two local priests traversed the Puy de Sancy on skis in 1905. In 1936, a cable car link was built from Mont-Dore to one of the needles just below the summit. Super-Besse is another ski resort, located on the southwestern slope.

The valley to the north is also the source of two streams called Dore and Dogne, which unite to form the Dordogne River, which flows through the nearby spa town of Mont-Dore and on to the Garonne estuary.