The
trip begins at the Zurich ariport at noon on Wednesday,
August 13th and finishes in Zermatt on Wednesday,
August 20th. You will have to carry your own gear
to and between the mountain huts.
Trip
Cost
The trip will cost $1,750 per person, double occupancy.
This includes all ground transportation specified
in the itinerary, breakfasts and dinners included
in the meal plan, and other transportation specified
in the itinerary. Not included are airfare, single
occupancy, optional activities, and any meals and
beverages not included in the meal plan. If you
are traveling solo and would like to room with someone,
please advise us. If there is no one else to room
with you, we will assess a single supplement of
$350.
Costs
included:
Costs
not included:
Double
occupancy lodging
Breakfasts
and dinners on half-board plan (fixed-course:
see below)
Ground
transportation specified in the itinerary
(not "alternate")
Airfare
Single
occupancy lodging
Meal
exclusions (see below)
Alternate
transportation, specified in the itinerary
or not, or that due to weather
NOTE: This is an incredible value for this trip.
Other US-based guide services charge around $3,200/person
for similar trips (not including airfare).
Accommodations
We
will be staying in mountain hotels with double occupancy
rooms with shared bathrooms. The one exception is
the Schönbielhütte, in which we will sharing
a group bunk room. All accommodations are clean,
comfortable and located in spectacular mountain
settings. Hot showers are available at all hotels
except for the Trift Berggasthaus and Schönbielhütte.
Meals
We
have budgeted our meals based on the half-board
schedule, which means dinner and breakfast are included
(and pre-determined). There will be at least three
nights where dinner will be available a la carte.
If you decided to order from the menu, the extra
expense is not included in the trip price but we
can credit you the value of the fixed-course dinner.
Two dinners are not included in the trip price,
since half-board is not offered at the hotels in
Kandersteg and Zermatt.
Lunches are not included in the trip price. We will
be able to purchase lunch materials most days in
the local villages.
Please advise us if you have significant dietary
restrictions.
Meals
costs included:
Meal
costs not included:
Breakfast
and dinner (meal plan)
Beverages
not included in the meal plan
Optional
dinners a la carte
Lunch
materials
Dinner
in Kandersteg
Celebration
dinner in Zermatt
Weather
Daytime
temperatures along our route range from 55 to 70°F.
In the evening temperatures drop into the 40s. All
participants should be prepared for highly changeable
weather conditions including sun, rain, high winds,
and even snow.
Preparation
All trip members should be strong, experienced hikers
in excellent physical condition capable of hiking
6 - 8 hours a day. We recommend begining an exercise
routine at least 3 months before the trip. We will
have at least one group hike on a 14er in Colorado
in advance of the trip.
Travel
Arrangements
We will be meeting the group at Zurich Airport the
morning of August 13th. We recommend selecting a
flight departing the U.S. on August 12th and arriving
in Zurich the next day before noon. We will finish
up in Zermatt the afternoon of August 20th. There
is early train service out of Zermatt the next day,
but you should not schedule a flight departing Zurich
earlier than noon on the 21st.
Ground
Transportation
When not hiking, we will be traveling by train,
funicular, and cable car. On the first day we will
be sending a small amount of supplies straight from
the airport to Kandersteg (day 4), and from there
on to Zermatt (day 8) via train. This will give
us the opportunity to have some fresh clothes and
supplies on occasion without having to carry them.
Retreat
Leadership Spiritual:
Rev. Janet Forbes is senior minister at St. Luke's
United Methodist Church. Trail: Mark Ely has been hiking and climbing
in the Swiss Alps since childhood and knows these
trails well. He has also climbed many of the 4000-meter
peaks in the Berner Oberland and the Valais.
chalet