We’ve booked! Deposit paid and Premier Inn (one night at) purchased. Now I just need to book the time off work…..
Where next-ish, as Phil and I are off to Berlin first.
Destination: The Southern Alps, crossing from Italy to France.
When: Winter / Spring 2018.
What: Transalpine Snowshoeing, with Steffi.
Why: Three Four reasons:
- I love snowy mountains.
- I’m still searching for a winter trip to match 2014’s superb Mt Toubkal Winter Climb.
- I’ve fancied having a go at snowshoeing for ages. “Everest” Dave recommended it years ago, and Steffi went for a week in Transylvania earlier this year and raved about it.
- Who knows what Brexit will bring!
We’ve gone for the Exodus trip because it looked the most adventurous of their Winter 2018 Snowshoe offering – it’s rated as activity level 4, moderate/challenging, and we’ve 2 nights in a mountain hut, backpacking in our essentials for those nights/days. Plus all meals are included and the price was right (especially with their Winter Trip 5% off offer and our return customer 5% discount). I am really looking forward to all those “superb views”!
How: On Exodus’ Transalpine Snowshoe Week (no link – they don’t like me doing that).
We’re flying London Gatwick – Turin (and back) with British Airways and have gone for flight-inclusive: partly for convenience, and in particular to get the transfer to Thures (part of Cesana Torinese, which is 43 miles from Turin and on the border with France, Wikipedia tells me) at the start of the trip and back from Cervières (across the border, in Hautes-Alpes, France) at end; and partly based on cost, flight-inclusive is only £120 more than flight (and transfer!)-exclusive.
The group flight leaves Gatwick horribly early on the way out, so we’ve booked a twin room at the Premier Inn, Gatwick for the night before, for the princely sum of £43.50.
Can’t wait!
Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Thures (part of Cesana Torinese)
Day 2: Val Thuras* & Cima del Bosco*
Day 3: Fontana del Thures – Mautino Hut*
Day 4: Explore around the Mautino Hut
Day 5: Mautino Hut – Cervières
Day 6: Cervières south faces
Day 7: Cervières loop walk
Day 8: Transfer to Turin
* Not much info in English, so these links are to Italian pages on Wikipedia.it, and to the website for the Capanna Mautino (aka the Mautino Hut).