walking & adventure holidays

Introduction to Alpinism - get the basics under your belt before you tackle the big stuff.

The Mercantour is abundant in ridges and peaks ideal for advancing your skills from basic scrambling to alpinism.

You’ll gain an understanding of why the area is described as the “Cuillin with attitude”. The week will be spent in the areas of La Cougourde or on the ridges and peaks that make up the impressive cirque around La Madone de Fenestre.

The emphasis will be on getting used to the techniques employed on the big Alpine peaks, and we will be paying particular attention to aspects such as when to and when not to use the rope, moving together when roped up, appropriate protection methods, assessing the risk of certain situations, taking stock of weather trends, use of rope in descending, use of safe belay point.

That sounds like a course, and although we want you to go away having learnt more about the Alpine environment, and to have more confidence in these altogether different situations, we also want you to have fun – after all it is a holiday!

This week is ideal for those hooked on scrambling, have some experience of winter walking in the UK, and want to have a first taste of the bigger peaks using alpine techniques. You should have a good level of fitness, and some experience in the use of crampons and ice axe, which, whilst not essential, will serve to maximise your enjoyment of the week.

The detail of each day can only be finalised a few days before, to take into account of prevailing weather conditions.

Testimonials

Thanks for giving me a great insight into more technical mountain skills.
Lawrence Bugleia – February 2005

Season

Early May to end September.

Departures to date

2008 - Jan 30; Feb 27; Mar 13

Pricing

Standard weekly package :

Gite based - £965

For non-standard periods and programmes, contact us to discuss the options. Read about our flexible way of working.

How to book...

Walking Grades

grade

Your Accommodation

Gîte

Enjoy the beautifully secluded situation of La Zourcière in the small hamlet of Berthemont les Bains in the Vésubie valley. The gîte sits on the ground floor of the house and is fully self contained. There are shops about 10 minutes drive from the hamlet, and an organic farm just 200m down the road from the house. Follow this link for more details.

Other accommodation options can be found here.

What's included

8 day trip, 6 nights self catering accommodation, and one night in a mountain refuge (refuge night includes evening meal, breakfats and packed lunch).

Five days guided activity with fully qualified mountain guide.

Note : due to the need to keep to a guide/client ratio of 1:3, this trip can operate with a minimum of three, and therafter, 5 or 6.

The need to employ a second guide makes a group of 4 uneconomical.

Itinerary

• Day 1 Arrive Nice airport, drive to the gîte at La Zourcière in Berthemont les Bains. Introduction to your guide for the week.
• Day 2 Brush up on your rock, rope and protection techniques on easy outcrops.
• Day 3 Caire de la Madone – the first route of the week, about 200 metres, roped at French grade 4 to 5 (UK severe).
• Day 4 Free day, further activities with your guide can be arranged, at an extra cost.
• Day 5 St Robert – a typical Alpine ridge (peu difficile grade) culminating on the peak at 2919 metres.
• Day 6/7 Depending on conditions, a two day excursion taking in the higher ridges and peaks in the area. Overnight in CAF hut.
• Day 8 Depart trip from Berthemont les Bains.

Suitable for

Your welfare & protection

As a small enterprise, it's very important to us that our guests are professionally looked after during their stay with us.
Your protection : our operational base is in France, and our company in France is registered as a tour operator (habilitation touristique) and holds business failure cover and public liability cover.
Your welfare : all our activities are led by fully qualified local Mountain Guides and International Mountain Leaders (Accompagnateurs), thus ensuring that you receive not only top professional care, but that you will also benefit from their in-depth local knowledge of the regions that we operate in.