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Italian
Val d'Aoste snowshoe week
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Course
overview
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Course
dates & availability
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If
you want to spend a full week snowshoeing in the
northern part of the Italian Val d'Aoste area of
the Alps, then this is the course for you. The week
is spent on snowshoe day treks, with five days guiding
and four nights on a half board basis in comfortable
lodges. |
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Snowshoeing
is now officially the fastest growing winter sport,
and our team of guides cannot wait to show you why.
Many clients get the bug and come back year after
year on this holiday, but we ensure they don't repeat
any routes they have done before. |
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The
week shows you the classic snowshoe hikes in the
Val d'Aoste, and some of the hidden gems. A key
feature is that during the week you spend four nights
in lodges in Italy. On this week there is the opportunity
to take in quite a few summits on snowshoes. |
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As
well as enjoying a great week of snowshoeing, we
aim to teach you the key safety skills for route
planning and winter Alpine journeys, with a lot
of weight put on avalanche prediction and reaction,
as well as the selection of appropriate Alpine equipment. |
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This
course really appeals to those who want to explore
different regions of northern Italy, and to stay
on a half board basis in the regions after each
day of snowshoeing. It enables you to really imerse
yourself in the area, and to get five days of the
best snowshoeing routes that Italy has to offer! |
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Don't
worry if you have never snowshoed before, as you
will pick up the skills quickly. All you need is
to be fit for hill walking, to have a sense of humour
if you fall into a soft snowdrift, and to love the
outdoors. We can teach you the rest, and you are
guaranteed a great holiday that you won't forget
for a very long time. |
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Over
the week you could opt to train for your National
Navigation Award Scheme Silver level award (www.nnas.org.uk)
learning advanced use of the map and compass, as
well as the use of altimeters and GPS
for winter navigation. |
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Dates:
these
are listed in the column on the right, and they
show the live availability from our secure online
booking system. When you book online, you receive
immediate confirmation, your Alpine Information
Booklet, course specific kit list and invoice. |
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Location
data for this activity
The
local airport to fly into is Geneva International Airport.
From there you get an airport transfer to Chamonix Mont
Blanc, where you spend the first and last night of the
course. From there you are driven to and from the Italian
Val d'Aoste, which takes less than an hour and is included
in the course price. |
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Time
Difference
GMT + 1 hour
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Local
Currency
€ Euros
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Travel
from UK
1 hour flight
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Sponsored
by GV Snowshoes
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We
are very kindly sponsored by GV of Canada, and our guides
are using Polar Trail snowshoes this season. Click on
the images on the left to visit GV Snowshoes website.
They are the leading manufacturer of snowshoes in Canada
& now export snowshoes, poles and rucksacks to Europe. |
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Technical
content of the course and safety training
Snowshoeing is a very easy sport to pick up, and even if you
have never used snowshoes before, after a few minutes training
and practice you will keep up with experts. That aspect is easy,
but what many clients keep thanking us for is our sharing of
local information, and the highly complex science of avalanche
awareness and route planning. For sure this snowshoeing week
is a holiday, but many people find the insights into the technical
aspects fascinating, and your highly experienced UIMLA qualified
snowshoeing guide will increase your knowledge in all of the
aspects outlined below. These gems of local knowledge really
add to the experience you have in the Alps. |
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Use of snowshoes and skills for
moving over different types of terrain
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Use of avalanche transceivers, search
methods and management |
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Weather &
climatic influences, and Alpine weather prediction &
patterns |
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Choice of route and the planning
and selection of appropriate terrain |
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Appreciation of the snowpack, crystal
metamorphasis and risk |
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Geomorphology / geography / ecology
(flora, fauna and tracks) |
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Slab formation and layering, and
isolation block stability tests |
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Winter cold injuries / first aid,
and avalanche victim recovery methods |
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Selection of appropriate equipment
and emergency snowshoe repairs |
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Decision making processes and travel
techniques on snowpacks |
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Avalanche form / release patterns,
and islands of safety & route plans |
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Winter navigation skills, and the
use of different Alpine map types |
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Whilst
snowshoeing is a fun and exciting sport, we never neglect
your safety for a second, and so you are led by highly
qualified mountain professionals. All our snowshoeing
holidays are guided by UIMLA International Mountain Leaders,
and you can read more about them by clicking on the logo
to the left. We never cut any corners with your safety,
and include the loan of safety equipment such as avalanche
transceivers in the course price. You are taught good
practice for travelling in the Alpine winter environment,
and are briefed on the avalanche and weather forecasts
each day. We want you to rest assured you are in the best
hands. |
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Brief
Course Itinerary
One
of the delights of snowshoeing is that, unlike skiing or climbing,
you can go out in all levels of visibility and snowfall, and
have a great day. Chamonix is blessed with hundreds of snowshoeing
areas within a short drive, and so the itinerary can be flexed
on any day to take account of better weather or snow conditions,
to ensure that you sample the best on offer. The itinerary below
is to provide you with a taster of what you could achieve, and
isn't fixed in stone. We get many clients who come back year
after year to repeat this course, but they need never repeat
a route they have done before. Your guide will have a massive
local knowledge and experience.
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Sunday
Travel to Chamonix to arrive for the 17:00 check-in followed
by and course safety and itinerary briefings. There is
time for kit checks or rental of equipment. Briefings
are over by 20:00 and the Chamonix hosts accompany the
group to pre-dinner drinks. Some clients opt to travel
out a day or two early to get their hill legs back and
to explore the town. Extra nights accommodation are often
possible from £30pp. Night in Chamonix. |
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Monday
After meeting your guide in the morning, you are driven
to one of the snowshoe regions, such as to Planpincieux,
just through the Mont Blanc tunnel on the south side of
Mont Blanc. A day would typically be to snowshoe up the
Italian Val Ferret to La Vachey, and from there to ascend
to the luxurious Bonatti mountain hut. The day is spent
snowshoeing through pretty forests, before emerging above
the treeline. Half
board and night in a mountain hut or lodge. |
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Tuesday
Today
the objective is either the Pas Entre Deux Sauts, or the
Col Malatra. These are accessed from the Bonatti hut,
and take several hours to reach, in stunning scenery.
Either of these high passes will really improve your acclimatisation.
You descend the upper Malatra valley to return to the
Bonatti hut for the night. During the first couple of
days, you will have been trained in how to use avalanche
safety beacons.
Half
board and night in a mountain hut or lodge. |
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Wednesday
Today
you snowshoe down through the powder snow into the Val
Ferret, and then onwards to Planpincieux. From there you
make the short transfer to the Val Grisanche or Val di
Rhemes, before snowshoeing to either the Bezzi or Benevolo
mountain huts. These are both situated in beautiful valleys,
and offer a wide range of snowshoe routes on the hut approach,
as well as for the next day.
Half
board and night in a Italian mountain hut or lodge. |
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Thursday
Above
the mountain huts there great options to snowshoe, such
as to the frozen green lake, or one of the high cols.
These areas are also popular with people ski touring,
but the delight is that there are no cable cars around
at all, so everyone has accessed these remote regions
on foot / ski. After the snowshoe trek, you return to
the hut for a second night, and there's never a shortage
of food in Italian huts! Half
board and night in a mountain hut or lodge. |
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Friday
Today
is the final snowshoe trek, where most groups opt to take
in a summit such as the Punta della Crocce, which offers
unforgettable views across to the enormous south face
of Mont Blanc, and which has a ruined fortress on its
summit. If it's a sunny day, there's no better place for
lunch in the world. Once you have completed your trek
for the day, you then return
to Chamonix after the snowshoeing for a celebratory meal,
with the final night spent in Chamonix. |
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Saturday
Breakfast, then course debrief, with feedback and questions
and answers session. Depart for home. If you have an early
Saturday flight, you can have the debrief on Friday after
guiding.
ITINERARY NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries.
Mountain adventures are weather and conditions dependant,
so occasionaly we are forced to alter the plans. If this
is the case, suitable alternatives are offered. Please
use this outline itinerary as a guide to the types of
route / activity that you will attempt.
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Snowshoeing
equipment advice
Because
we know it is so important to you to have the most suitable
equipment and clothing for snowshoeing, we have devoted
a page especially to it, which you can access by clicking
on the image to the right, or by clicking
here. This page outlines the key equipment
you should bring, and gives examples of snowshoes that
are suitable for the course. If after reading this page
you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in
touch with our Chamonix team, who will be able to advise,
and to help you avoid any costly mistakes. The key point
to highlight is that snowshoes are loaned FREE of charge
anyway, as are avalanche safety beacons, so all you need
to arrive with are walking clothes, waterproofs, a small
rucksack and well worn in walking boots (not trekking
shoes). |
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| Course
Prices |
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Standard
course
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5
full days UIMLA guiding, 1:6 max ratio
7 days holiday in total, Sunday-Saturday |
£899 |
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Live
availability
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Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
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Secure
online booking system |
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| Inclusions:
1) UIMLA guide for five days, 2) Chamonix course hosts
for logistics & briefings, 3) Pre course information
booklet, 4) Equipment discount voucher for UK shops, 5)
Two nights B&B accommodation in Chamonix (inc. bedding
& towels) and four nights half board accommodation
in Italy, 6) Free 36 page technical Course Instruction
Booklet, 7) Road transport in Chamonix valley, 8) Chamonix
office support and briefings, 9) Equipment hire of snowshoes,
avalanche transceiver, probe & shovel, 10) Certificate
for NNAS navigation award. |
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| Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Personal laundry, telephone
calls, lunches, evening meals, & any purchases in
mountain huts / hotels / restaurants, 3) Cable cars and
mountain uplift, though not normally required, 4) Activities
insurance, & excess baggage charges. |
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Notes:
The loan of all technical equipment for each client
is included* in the course price as required: snowshoes,
avalanche tranceiver, avalanche probe and shovel.
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Money
saving pricing
This
course includes all the key costs, so you can budget
accurately. Hire kit is included as detailed above,
which if not included would cost over £100
extra for the week! We offer full board upgrade,
to give clients a choice of eating with the group
or doing their own thing. What you see is what you
get. There are NO extra hidden costs. |
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