Arolla (teaser) - like a playground for mountain people...

4-13 March 2011 - Pension du Lac Bleu, La Gouille, Val d'Arolla... An international group of adventurers are being assembled for a winter mountain multi-sport exploration trip to a small town in the magnificent, remote reaches of the upper Valais region of Switzerland. With ice-climbing, ski-touring, snow-shoeing, incredible back-country and serious high-mountain terrain on our doorstep (literally roadside in some cases) and all around, we will be based in a 28-bed dormitory, self-catered accommodation, with a pay-per-night arrangement so each can stay for as long or as short as they desire/can manage. These are a collection of moments from our second trip to Arolla, which inspired us to think about this destination for taking a bigger group. In the heart of the Valais region, just north of the Haute Route, between Verbier and Zermatt, in terms of terrain and opportunity Arolla is up there with the greats on the north side of the main alpine ridge - but without the traffic, hassle and costs of Chamonix, Saas Fee or Grindelwald. This is no ordinary ski trip though - don't come expecting to ride luxuriant chairlifts directly out of the chalet for 6 days, come back to a chalet-girl who's cooked you a 3 course meal and get on a minibus to transfer you direct to an ex-pat airport for the charter flight home at the end of it all. There are three ski small resorts within a 15min bus-ride, and the world reknowned "Les 4 Vallées" takes about 40mins, so treating it as a downhill-ski only trip is not unreasonable. But to really get into the place, expect incredible terrain, exceptional company for the down-days, adventuring to fit the weather and a reasonable-cost way of experiencing the mountains as they are - wild, expansive and ours to explore. Bring a head-torch and any spare kit (ice-axes, crampons, ski-touring gear) you can get your hands on. More information to follow in a .pdf by email, including how to let us know if you're on the team...