Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many! Of course the views - helped by ( generally) sunny but coolish, ideal walking, weather. The day in Italy above Courmeyer was particularly stunning. It has definately inspired me to do more walking in mountainous terrain. An unexpected pleasure was the amazing cooking of our Chalet hosts. The evening meal quickly became one of my most keenly anticipated events of the day!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was friendly and congenial company. He was clearly very experienced, having worked in the region for a number of years, which ensured that I felt safe and well supported while we were in the mountains. He provided lots of information both prior to the walks as well as during them. He was supportive of the 'weaker' members of the group but also made it clear when he thought a particular walk was beyond our capabilities.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking is not particuarly technically difficult (hence the 3 rating) but it is physically challenging. I would have said that I was reasonably fit and did some additional training in preparation but I struggled (and generally failed) to maintain the pace set by the rest of the group. Between them my fellow walkers had climbed Kilimanjaro, walked the Annapurna Circuit and Inca Trail and trekked to Everest Base Camp! A The central base does allow for the possibility of ducking out of the most strenuous days and our guide provided directions to alternative, less demanding trails when required.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hiking day in Italy - warm sun, the best hot chocolate, beautiful scenery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He know the mountains well, and could tell interesting stories. I felt a little RUSHED at times:once we had made it up the mountains, I would have liked to take time walking down in the beautiful scenery, enjoy the moment more - not going as fast as possible.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It does require you to be fit - I think it is more strenuous than the categorization suggests. You need to be able to climb (not just walk) for 2-3 hours, then lunch, then walking down, which may be hard on your knees. Poles recommended!!! for late September you might need rain gear, but it is nice and quiet in the mountain, so I highly recommend going at that time.

Most Inspirational Moment

There is so much to chose from as there were many breathtaking moments. Chamonix is probably the most beautiful town I ever visited. The mountains are very beautiful, and there are many memorable places. I enjoyed every second of walking, I loved every view, I loved everything. Even the only day with bad weather (rain and poor visibility) had it own magic. You would think that it would ruin your day, and yes it did a bit but I still loved it. But I think my favourite was the walk from La Flegere to Le Brevent. The views were magnificent, the trail challenging yet very unique and enjoyable. This is the day when you want to have a nice weather and good visibility the most.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Jenny Smith was fantastic. She was very helpful, informative and had a great knowledge of the area. She is a very nice person who I thought always gave her best and sometimes even went above and beyond in the most positive way. On every evening she informed us about our next tour and always gave us several options on how to do the route depending how good/tired we felt. She is a great leaded who always gave us her hand and helped us to go through all the difficult sections.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes and take all the gear that is says you need and always take waterproof clothes with you as the weather in the mountains is unpredictable and changes very quickly. You don't want to catch bad weather and not have the right gear, because the things can go really bad for you. Also make sure you have the right boots for the trip, I recommend ones with high and strong heels that will support your ankles.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walk from Merlet to Aiguillettte des Houches via the Refuge de Bel Lachat. Walk in theVal de Ferret via the refuge W.Bonatti.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeffry Oonk was absolutely excellent with vast outdoor experience and extensive botanical knowledge.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably getting to know what Exodus is about. A company that is no nonsense, provides what it promises and is fully aware of the importance of respecting nature and the local community where it operates.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was very professional in every sense. He really took into consideration the fysical condition of each of the group members without us actually noticing. He was informative but never went over the limit as sometimes happens with guides that need to show off. I would without doubt choose him again if I had the chance.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with EXODUS! I´m telling everybody about the company!

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking back along the Val de Feret towards Mont Blanc and the Grande Jorasse sipping delicious hot chocolate at the Bonatti refuge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mark was a skilled and very personable professional guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The 5 walks are correctly graded but you need to be reasonably fit, as there is a lot of ascent and descent in hot weather..

Most Inspirational Moment

The first day we reached the Aiguilette des Possettes--a real accomplishment for the group! We ate lunch looking across the valley to the Mont Blanc range and its glaciers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mark was an outstanding group leader. He was knowledgeable, passionate, humorous, and intuitive about the needs of our group. He knew when to challenge each of us, and when we desperately needed a rest!

Advice for Potential Travellers

A good level of fitness (and some experience hiking) is recommended. The trails are often very steep, somewhat narrow, and occasionally run along the edge of a significant drop-off. That said, our leader knew the trails well and prepared us for each segment. The best preparation is probably climbing lots and lots of stairs!

Most Inspirational Moment

The 5 days walking were all incredible and the scenery was breathtaking. The rest-day telepherique ride to L'Aiguille du Midi and the time spent there right next to the climbers attempting the routes on Mont Blanc itself was visually amazing. Managed to see a baby Chamoix and her Mother on the last day!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our Mountain Leader guide, Mark Dodwell was brilliant the whole week. Professional, knowledgeable and motivational. He really brought the mountains alive for us as a group. Rich and Sarah, the Exodus guys who looked after us at the chalet were fantastic, and Sarahs cooking is absolutely to die for - best food I've ever had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Moderate is probably a little understating the fitness level required to enjoy the trip. I would say Moderate with Challenging parts is probably more accurate. Expect to be doing the equivalent of ascending Scafell Pike each day, and walking 11 - 16km in distance for the 5 days walking. Some of the ascents are tough for those not used to hill walking and a couple of the descents are long and rocky. Definitely take walking poles.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably the impromptu dance session at The JazzClub in Chamonix

Thoughts on Group Leader

Great! Mark chose great walks that gave us wonderful views.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be reasonably fit! You don't need to be able to bound up mountains but you do need to maintain a steady plod, especially if the weather is inclement.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many! There were some quite intrepid bits to the climb (clambering over a few rocks for example), and some of the climbs felt so steep! After 950m of up, I felt really proud to have succeeded. The views were awe-inspiring. A lady on our trip had had two hip replacements, and she pretty much kept up with all of us, and I found that inspirational actually- what a star.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Peter was absolutely BRILLIANT. He was so much fun, and chattered away to us, but he had so many interesting things to tell us about nature and walking. He set a great pace for everyone, and it was really reassuring to have him around. We all loved him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I wore a hat, and I found it so helpful against the sun. We all got burnt on the first day, and Exodus aren't exaggerating when they tell you you need to bring high factor. I wouldn't buy poles before you go: people varied on their preference for them (I tried them, but I didn't like them personally), but there were spare poles in our chalet which meant we could have a go with them and see how they felt. I'm 30, and there were quite a lot of people around my age in the group, which was great. You're going on a walking holiday: you're going to meet good people, regardless of age. But I did appreciate the fact that most of us were roughly the same age and so walked at around the same pace. But to be honest, most people who come on these holidays are fairly fit anyway, so it's not a big thing really.