Days 1-3

For most of us, our journey to Europe will begin in the New York City airport where the group flight will depart for Geneva in the early evening. After everyone has arrived at our designated meeting location, our staff will help everyone board the connecting flight. The flight to Geneva from the East Coast will take us through the night arriving in Geneva the following morning. We’ll be able to move quickly across France to reach the heart of the European Alps. Nestled between the Mont-Blanc Range to the south and Aiguilles Rouges Mountains to the north, Chamonix is the birthplace of mountaineering over 200 years ago. Mont Blanc, which is the highest peak in the Alps and second highest in Europe (15,771 feet), dominates the scenery from the village. It’s the prefect staging location to organize and prepare for our upcoming hike. A full day in Chamonix will provide enough time for a short introductory day hike and visit to a local mountaineering museum.

Days 4-16

The Haute Route (High Route) perfectly combines natural beauty with cultural exploration. We’ll set out through the high regions of Switzerland for our final 13-day adventure. This magnificent high traverse starting north of Champex, and eventually concluding in Zermatt, was first completed as a walking route in 1861 by the members of the famous Alpine Club. Our trek links the villages of the Mont Blanc region and the western Valais, crossing through the highest mountain range in Western Europe, the Pennine Alps. While there, we’ll hike through two distinct cultural regions, the French speaking and German speaking Alps. Dramatic valleys, hanging glaciers, blooming wildflowers, and snowcapped cols will surround us on a daily basis. Our accommodations each evening along the trail will be a mixture of high alpine huts and small village hostels. Our comfortable dormitory style sleeping rooms and filling dinners will be the perfect way to end a great day of hiking. Throughout our days of hiking, group members will take turns as the "WV leader of the day". It’ll be the perfect opportunity to learn and practice route planning, map and compass use, and other essential backcountry techniques. Our 13 days on the trail will provide each student several more opportunities to build upon the leaderships skills acquired earlier in the summer. Arriving in Zermatt on the final day with views of the Matterhorn will be a tremendous and memorable accomplishment for everyone.

Days 17-18

Mountaineers from all over the world are drawn to Zermatt because of the vast glaciers and 13,000 foot peaks that dwarf this historical European village. Following rich climbing tradition, a trip into Zermatt would not be complete without some type of climbing experience. Unlike the highly technical climb of the Matterhorn, the Breithorn (over 4100 meters in height) is a perfect introductory climbing experience for our group. Working with the Zermatt Alpin Center, recognized by the Mountain Guides Association, we’ll be outfitted with our specialty equipment (crampons, harnesses, and ice axes) and introduced to our professionally certified guides. After a short cable car ride to the Klein Matterhorn, we’ll spend the better part of the morning familiarizing ourselves with travel on glaciers. After a few hours of training on snow, our summit climb of the Breithorn will take about 2-3 hours. Rather than returning to the valley floor following the climb, we’ll spend the night in the famous Hornli Hut that sits on a beautiful high slope perched on the Matterhorn.

Days 19-22

After our time in Zermatt we will travel to Geneva. Throughout the two days of exploring Geneva, we’ll have a chance to see the traditional sites. Our European summer will conclude with a final farewell banquet at a restaurant near our hotel -- a bittersweet evening of reminiscing, laughs and final goodbyes. The final morning, our group will make their way back to the airport to make connections back home.