Italy Snowshoe Weekends
Winter Italian Snowshoe Weekends are the perfect combination of activity and just a little Italian indulgence, all set in the back drop of the Mont Blanc massif.
The comfortable Bonatti refugio named after the famous Italian Mountaineer – Walter Bonatti is our home for the night allowing us to watch the sunset and sunrise over the majestic Mont Blanc (4810m).
Join us for this excellent weekend getaway in a spectacular location!
Private group bookings available
Graded: easy/moderate
1h 45m from Geneva
Includes all breakfasts, lunches and evening meals
Family run refugio in theItalian Alps
Snowshoes and equipment provided
Day 1
The weekend begins with a short drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel from Chamonix arriving in the stylish Italian town of Courmayeur. Transferring along Val Ferret we start our journey on foot snowshoeing below the mighty peaks of the Mont Blanc massif which tower over us. Small snowy restaurants are dotted along the trail and we enjoy a coffee break to savour the views. As we continue our journey along this beautiful valley we arrive at the Grivel family restaurant which is steeped in history. Famous for their pioneering designs in ice axes and crampons the restaurant also has a great reputation. Enjoy the old photos on the walls and and polenta cooking over the fire. After a long lunch we enter the forest and begin our steady climb up to the refugio. Emerging from the tree line, a short distance afterwards and we see refuge and our home for the night. Panoramic views over the massif, we watch the sun set over Mont Blanc and enjoy a 3 – course dinner.
Day 2
The day begins watching sun rise over Monte Bianco and enjoying a classic leisurely Italian breakfast. We slowly descend with lots of time to take photos and enjoy our surroundings, re tracing our steps and descending Val Ferret. We journey into Courmayeur and explore this chic town, before enjoying a classic Italian lunch, family style. There is the option of spending an additional few nights in Courmayeur at one of the many excellent hotels or simply returning through the tunnel and back into Chamonix for mid afternoon. An excellent mini 2 day adventure leaving you feeling invigorated and refreshed.
Accommodation
The comfortable Bonatti Refuge sits at 2025m on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. Sweeping panormaic views make this an incredible location. Dedicated to Walter Bonatti, the famous Italian mountaineer famed for many first ascents including in 1965 the first solo climb in winter of the North face of the Matterhorn, and in 1954 he was a member of the Italian expedition that first summitted K2.
The refuge itself was constructed in 1998 and has since had a number of renovations. Only accessible on foot, by snowshoe, ski tour, skidoo or helicopter this is a truely unique location.
Private rooms 2 – 4 persons
Dormitory
Shared bathroom facilities
What’s included
- One night in the Bonatti Refugio
- All meals, 1 dinners, 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, mountains snacks
- Two snowshoe hikes
- Snowshoes, poles & transceivers
- Transport once the trip starts until the trip finishes
- Licensed International Mountain Leader
Guides
Our guides are exceptionally experienced with a passion for sharing their profession. All qualified and licensed International Mountain Leaders they will bring the trip alive.
We adopt an excellent guiding ratio:
One Guide – 1 – 7 clients
Two Guides – 8 – 14 clients
Booking and Price
Cost pp:
2 persons € pp
2 – 4 persons € pp
5 – 8 persons € pp
9+persons € pp
Private 2 – 4 person room € pp AVAILABLE
We manage every booking independently to ensure attention to detail and provide a personalised service.
Please contact us directly for booking: info@livebreathehike.com
Terms & Conditions
1. Insurance
All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.
All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.
2. Health and fitness
Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.
3. Dietary Requirements
We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.
4. Cancellations and Fee Schedule Per Person
91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee
61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost
46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost
45 days or less: 100% of trip cost
Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.
If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.
With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.
5. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.
6. Alterations By Us
We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:
- To accept these alterations
- To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you
- To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.
You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.
7. Group Leadership
On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Live Breathe Hike, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.
8. Your Responsibility
Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.
9. Our Responsibilities
We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:
- Attributable to anyone other than us
- Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable
- Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken
- Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall
10. Cancellation By Us
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Live Breathe Hike from any further liability.
Live Breathe Hike must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Live Breathe Hike will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Live Breathe Hike does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.
11. Additional Costs
Live Breathe Hike shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.