Vaudoise Alps Snowshoeing
Guided walking holiday

+ Charming, tranquil winter scenes
+ Join a group or have a private trip with friends
+ Friendly Swiss village atmosphere

Latest news January 2012
Please ask us about a private guided trip in winter 2012.

Snowshoeing sounds adventurous, but in reality it's simply walking in snow. To stop our feet sinking in we strap snowshoes to our normal walking boots. Complete beginners get the hang of it in minutes.

This holiday is an introduction to snowshoeing based in a beautiful area of Switzerland known as the Vaudoise or Vaud Alps. It's also a handy area. A network of Swiss villages sits high above the Rhone valley - we're based in Les Diablerets but we can reach the nearby villages of Leysin, Villars and Gryon. Each day we head off into snow-covered pastures, along forest tracks and sometimes onto the open hillside. The emphasis is on gentle exploration of the countryside.

At the start of the trip your guide, an International Mountain Leader, makes sure everyone is kitted up with snowshoes and other equipment. Les Diablerets and the other villages in the Vaud Alps have a wealth of skiing, so skiers might like to stay on a couple of days to try out the area. Cross-country ski tracks in the local woods are another option.

The group stays in a restful, friendly hotel on the edge of woods.

Why Alpine Exploratory for your snowshoeing?

Small groups expertly led
Alpine Exploratory follows best practice in the winter mountains. Our snowshoeing leaders are all International Mountain Leaders, who have extensive experience in the Alps on snowshoes. We keep to a maximum group size of 8 clients. The aim is a small, tightly knit group with an engaging leader, completing snowshoe walks with safety, proficiency and fun.

Expert knowledge of the routes
The winter mountains call for special knowledge of the Alpine snowpack and local avalanche hazards. The terrain in winter needs to be interpreted in a different way to summer. Follow your guides for exhilarating yet sensible snowshoe trips into the mountains.

Flexible, personal planning
As per our general ethos, on our snowshoe trips we like to be flexible. Especially on our private guided trips, but also on any scheduled trips, many options are available to customise your trip. Each group is different. If you'd like smarter or more basic accommodation, or different bases over the week, please just ask us.

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Options (for private trips)

If you join us as a private group instead of joining our scheduled trips, then we can adjust your trip in various ways.

+ Stay in different bases for a variety of perspectives on the area
+ Shorten the trip to a snowshoeing-packed long weekend
+ Favour luxury hotels or more basic auberges
+ Stick to harder or easier walks for the mix that suits your group

Of course, on a private trip you can come on the dates that suit you. Except for the composition of the group and the dates, everything else is the same as on our scheduled trips.