Alpine refuge hike – 5 days/4 nights (12-15 y.o.)

OUR ADVENTURE CAMP IS BACK THIS SUMMER, FROM 7th to 11 th JULY ! 

IIL Camps is delighted to offer teenagers an exceptional week of 5 day / 4 night hike in the heart of the French Alps, with overnight stays in 4 different mountain refuges.
This camp is aimed at children aged between 12 and 15 years, who enjoy the sporting simplicity of Alpine hiking, their heads in the clouds.

Testing young legs between the valley floor at Sixt Fer à Cheval (in France) and culminating near the Flaine ski area, this week long trek adventure will test stamina and compass/map reading ability, whilst enhancing teamwork and organisational skills. The chosen route will see them enjoying the fresh air a world away from the crowds, but always on regularly walked and signposted paths.

Facing chilly mornings and hot afternoons, teens will try to spot sunbathing marmots, notoriously shy chamois and the rare and protected, bearded vulture sailing high above them. Over this week, participants will walk 50 km’s and climb 3000m learning what cohesion and teamwork can achieve. They will be tired but proud of themselves by Friday and have memories that’ll stay with them forever!

Throughout the week, the participants will be guided by a qualified, bilingual (Eng/Fr) female mountain leader Carole Gauthier, and a trusted member of IIL staff Neil Brickley between overnight stops, where after a refreshing shower and a simple but hearty evening meal, they will be entertained with board games and fantastic views until bedtime.

After the effort comes the reward and the final day will end with a well deserved surprise finalé, as Indiana Rafting carries the group down a very refreshing Giffre river back to the awaiting transport, back to school.

Pre-requisites : Although hiking experience is not mandatory, participants must have a good level of fitness and be willing to walk for up to 4 hours per day, covering an average of 12kms a day with a backpack, on regularly walked and well worn, signposted paths. There will be no rope work needed, or glaciated terrain to be traversed. Please note that the comfort in the refuges is basic but always warm and pleasant.

This camp is suitable for those aged between 12 to 15 y.o.

Places are limited to a maximum of 12 children.

The route 

Programme of the week :

Day 1 – Meet at IIL at 8.30am. 1 hour bus ride towards Sixt Fer à Cheval (F), and the start point for the walk. From the Giffre river to the Refuge des Fonts, the team will have a thigh busting 800m of steady ascent over a 10km route (allowing for picnic lunch and as many breaks as are necessary).

Day 2 – Waking up to the wonderful view of the impressive Fiz mountain range across the valley, the teens will cover  8km’s overall today, climbing again to eat a late lunch picnics in the sunshine near the Lac d’Anterne before descending slowly to the refuge Alfred Willis, just in time for some afternoon refreshment.

Day 3 – Today’s hike around the Fiz range will see them stopping at the Refuge de Sales to drop bags, then climb again for a spectacular view of Mont Blanc before returning to the hut to relax, where they’ll hopefully have the chance to see Ibex and chamois up close.

Day 4 – Climbing the spectacular Col du Portet and crossing the Desert du Platé, a spectacular limestone pavement, sculpted by the acidity in the rain over millennia and now hosting a fabulously diverse variety of flora, hikers will top out on part of the Flaine ski area at 2’400m, basking in the view of the Mont Blanc massif. After a picnic lunch, they will drop gradually from arid rock to lush greenery to close in on the Refuge du Lac de Gers. A 6 hour day.

Day 5 – The last day is the easiest one! and after following the old path down to Sixt, the team will relax by the river where they will eat lunch. Post picnic, they’re donning wetsuits and helmets to splash down the Giffre river where they’ll be met in Samoens by their dry clothing, rucksacks and their transport back to IIL.

Standard Day

7.30am: Wake up (no noise before – refuge rules)

8.00am Breakfast provided by refuge

9.30am – 4.30pm : After cleaning their rooms, collecting picnics and preparing their backpacks, the team will say goodbye to the overnight hosts, the refuge guardians. A standard day averages 12kms on regularly walked and well worn, signposted paths. Fabulous views are guaranteed and no rope work will be needed or glacier terrain traversed. Regular water/snack breaks and at least 1 hour of lunch stop will be enjoyed during a 7 hour activity period, each day.

4.30pm / 5pm: Arrival at refuge, bed allocation in dormitory, shower (when possible), downtime until dinner.

7.30pm: Dinner is cooked each day at the refuge and children should expect simple but healthy local produce in the form of a vegetable soup, a meat dish with pasta/rice/potatoes and a freshly made desert, all served with water. The overnight accommodation have been chosen for ease of access, the warm welcome and their fabulous views.

8.30pm: Downtime around the refuge, board/card games, shooting stars, wildlife spotting

9.30pm: Bedtime

10pm: lights out and silence (refuge rules)

Price

The price includes:

• Bus transport from IIL on Day 1 and back to IIL on Day 5
• All refuge fees – overnight stay, all meals (breakfast, picnic and dinner), drinking water, showers
• Full time supervising staffing team at ratio of 2 : 12
• Rafting descent of the Giffre river
• IIL Camps T-shirt

The price does NOT include:

• Snacks on trail
• Additional drinks (soft carbonated) with/after dinner
• Other personal expenses – 30 euros as pocket money is suggested/recommended for the week

Practical information

Families should drop their children off at IIL (Institut International de Lancy) at 8:30am on Monday morning, and pick them up at 5pm on Friday evening.

This overnight camp is supervised by 2 experienced professionals.

Meeting Monday July 7th – 8.30am: welcome at IIL

9am: departure to Sixt Fer à Cheval, France

10:30 am: arrival at destination – 1st hike of the week.

Return Friday July 11th – 5pm: parents are asked to collect their children from IIL.

Possibility of childcare until 6pm: free (please select the relevant option on the registration form)

Please note that additional information regarding the organisation as well as clothings and material needed for the camp will be sent to you in due course.