Chamonix is without doubt, one of the most awe inspiring places on this planet. Located just a quick drive from Geneva Airport, it can be reached with ease, wherever you live. Driving into the valley, after leaving Switzerland, you climb up and up ever windy and exciting roads, some of which are built hundreds of feet above the valley floor, …
A First Timer’s Summer Holiday In The Alps
If I am to be completely honest I had not been on holiday for years and I was long overdue a break. Therefore, it was time for me to take a week out, which was exactly what I needed to relax and unwind. I decided to take a holiday to Les Gets in August 07, one of the premier Ski …
The Alps Covers a Vast Area
The French Alps are dramatic soaring alpine mountains, deep twisting river valleys and lakes, the personification of outstanding mountain scenery. The Alps covers a vast area from Annecy in the west to the Swiss and Italian borders in the east and from Geneva in the north whilst reaching almost to the Mediterranean in the south. The alpine heights are magnificent …
French Alps And Skiing – Synonyms?
The words French Alps and skiing seem to be synonymous; very few think of one without the other. The word alpine is derived from the Alps themselves and alpine skiing is a draw many cannot resist. The region receives visitors from all over the world that enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the variety of ski slopes available. The …
Planning Your Ski Trip To The French Alps
The French Alps are sometimes considered to be the ultimate destination for hardcore skiers. It’s a huge industry in the region – there are many French ski resorts that you can choose from if you decide to take a vacation there. It may feel like it’s far away and inaccessible, but it is actually very easy to plan a ski …
Cheap Travel to the Alps
A third of British Skiers and Boarders (350’000) now travel independently to the Alps, so its not something to be wary of anymore. One of the biggest developments in the ski industry in the last ten years has been the switch from large tour operators to smaller companies and independent travel. Here is how to do it best. Your options …
Hiking Gillespies Pass in the Southern Alps of New Zealand
Friends from all over the South Island of New Zealand managed to get together for three days to hike the Wilkin – Young route over Gillespie’s Pass. At 1500m right in the heart of Mount Aspiring National Park, this rather taxing hike could only be described as spectacular despite the changeable weather we experienced. We all met and spent the …
Summer holidays in The Alps – what to pack
It seems as though more and more people are getting bored of beach holidays, and more often they turn to the mountains for their summer holiday. However, whereas a week on the beach in the med can be quite easy to pack for (swim wear, flip flops, sun cream), there are a few more things that you should consider bringing …
Easy 4000m Peaks in the Alps
To climb the relatively easy 4000m peaks of the Alps you still need to be an accomplished mountaineer, or a good winter mountain walker climbing together with a mountain guide. However, some of these summits are accessible to mountaineers without much technical climbing skill via their normal routes. Once properly acclimatized several spectacular 4000m summits are achievable for most mountaineers …
Chatel – The Best Kept Secret in the French Alps
If you know a bit about skiing, and someone asks you what the largest ski area in the world is, you would probably say the Three Valleys. Similarly, if you were asked where the best “snow sure” ski areas are, you might mention some of the glacier resorts such as Tignes and Val Thorens. In both cases you would be …