Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

enjoyed the ice cold swim in the lake

Thoughts on Group Leader

excellent, informative, good sense of humour, managed the group well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

N/A

Suggestions

N/A

Most Inspirational Moment

John tried to inspire us to challenge ourselves by hiking up to Col de Tricot as fast as we could, and I was motivated to do so.

Most Inspirational Moment

Completing the whole circuit and finishing at Brevent. The views are super and that is your reward for walking up hill all day (1500m). Going up the Aiguille du Midi is also incredible, it is great to get so close to Mont Blanc. The gondola ride across the glacier is also very memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jenny was a great leader, she was very knowledgeable about the trail and knew where all the lovely hut stops were.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to enjoy walking up and down, you are not often walking on flat trails, so practice those ups and downs. The Aiguille du Midi is definitely worth doing. It is cheaper to go up from the Italian side, however if the weather is bad wait until you get to Chamonix.

Suggestions

It is a fantastic walk, the scenery is spectacular. If you are a keen walker looking for something a bit more challenging then I would definitely recommend this trip. The Alps are amazing!

Most Inspirational Moment

Near the end of the trip, we reached 'the Trico challenge' -a stiff climb to a col, which our leader perfectly introduced to us as the toughest climb of the trip. He challenged us to challenge ourselves for the ascent, so as a group we stormed - at our own best speed - up the mountain. We all met the challenge and it was fantastic to sit up the top together with some mountain sheep, feeling triumphant in the sun with the most amazing views.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was extremely competent and had a very good approach to managing the group and leading us safely and happily so that everyone enjoyed the walks at their own pace. He had a great way about him and really helped make the trip the success it was. The support staff were also attentive, caring, efficient and provided for all our food needs, and more, perfectly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Being a camping trek, you are up and off early so need to be quite organised and ready for a wee burst of activity first thing as you wrestle your pop up tent into its bag, get breakfast and packed lunch etc ready. The days themselves, though, are relaxed and although they can be long, are perfectly interspersed with regular stops along the way to refuel on local, homemade goodies at amazing mountain refuges along the route. Walking poles were really useful and think about taking two camping towels in case it's raining and one gets wet -the warm shower at the end of the day was worth having a dry towel for!

Suggestions

I felt that it could be positive for the support staff and guides to have the opportunity to take part in an Exodus trip themselves as a participant, so that they have a wider experience to underpin their overall knowledge of Exodus for their clients.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Vallee Blanche, the cable car ride across it from Aiguille du Midi at 3842m and the icy blue crevasses which you see to and from the Helbronner cable car. Beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kim Jackson was our group leader and looked after us all throughout the two week camping trek and kept a good pace, not too fast and not to slow. Great giggles along the way. Andres Urban our camp manager made us feel at home each day with great logistics support throughout the trek, and top class camping food.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try and go when its not too hot! It was in the high 20's most days and a little too hot some days when it got steep. Be bold....start early and cold (as Kim would tell us, to avoid the mid day sun). Take a good sleeping mattress / inflatable....you will appreciate it after a few days camping.

Suggestions

Great trek and group of fellow walkers. Next trip.....Mont Blanc itself perhaps...?

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the the UTMB - hands down the most impressive and awe-inspiring day of the trip closely followed by the trip up in the cable car from Courmayer across to the Aiguille Du Midi and back again.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jenny knew every facet of the trail and where we could deviate to get an even better viewpoint, challenge or piece of cake :) I have a serious addiction to tart aux myrtilles now. My waistline thanks you Jenny

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a challenging walk. I have done Kili, Toubkal and EBC and this was the most challenging walking by far. True, it doesn't have the altitude of these other hikes, but with about 9,500 meters of ascent in total, it is not a walk in the park.

Most Inspirational Moment

It is very hard to say what the most inspirational moments were on the trip as there were so many magical moments, these included swimming in a beautiful fresh water lake even though the locals seemed to think we were barmy doing this. however it was great fun and a good way to relax after a longish day trekking. The many varied views on the trek, the Helbruna cable car to the Aiguille du Midi and from the campsites watching and recording the sun rise and set on the Bosson glacier were truly stunning and inspirational. The great humour shared by the whole group and leaders during the trek and the communal camping life style Particularly having to muck in with the cleaning and washing up brought everyone closer together and more integrated as a group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John Briggs was and is an exceptional tour leader!! very dedicated and well organised!! John guided us all safely and brilliantly!! throughout each day of the trek. There were 14 of us on the trek and John set the pace brilliantly allowing for the people like me to have time to take photographs and to record the scenery through painting and drawing. John paced and managed each trekking day extremely well giving a detailed briefing each evening of what to expect on the days trails. John also shared his in-depth expertise on the mountain scenery and its flora a Forna. Whilst on the rest days he gave equally good briefings with options and directions of what's available to do in the region(s) where the rest days were spent. I have undertaken a number of treks in Nepal and some in south America and I have never had explained by any previous guide(s) how to be able to walk properly to use your boots and to be able to trust them to avoid potential walking hazards etc. John did this at key intervals in the trek which was extremely useful and made walking easier and safer. Clare Appleby who also had an equally difficult job of organising all the camping logistics including setting up each campsite, shopping and then cooking great three course dinners as well as transporting the luggage between each campsite. Clare made everyone feel extremely welcome and her cooking was amazing! If you are lucky enough to have John Briggs and Clare Appleby as your team leader(s) then you will get a truly well managed, organised and emersive camping trek that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to have a good level of fitness to do this trek with some experience of mountain trekking as some of the days have continuous fairly steep ascents and descents. It is important that you have a undertaken some training / walking in preparation for this trip before you go and to have the right equipment including good well broken in boots. I also find that trekking poles help a great deal whilst on the trails. The tents that exodus use are spacious and comfortable but I would recommend a good self inflating camping mattress and I also took a four season sleeping bag even though it was only cold a few nights during camping. You may need some extra Euros than outlined on the trip notes as some of the refuge drinks can be expensive. If it is clear and good weather it is well worth paying the 80 euros (approx). to do the return cable car trip from Helbrunna on the Italian side to the Aguille Du Midi on one of the rest days for some of the most breathtaking scenery of mountains you will see any where!! You can pay in Euros in Switzerland - so there is no need to take or change money into Swiss francs. Bring some swim ware / shorts - for swimming in rivers etc..

Suggestions

The campsites that exodus use are very good the majority of them have fantastic mountain views of glaciers and mountains. The majority of campsites have good hot showers all of which are free - Switzerland was the best equipped campsites. Most campsites particularly the ones on the rest days have washing and drying machines so there are some opportunities to be able to do washing for a modest price. If you are looking for a totally immersive and exceptional holiday which will bring you closer to the mountains and the natural world I would definitely recommend this holiday!! Neil Pittaway August 2016

Most Inspirational Moment

To have the ability to keep up with other walkers, to finish the tour and to have survived the whole trip camping!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeffrey Oonk was our tour guide.. I can not express what a wonderful guide he was. He was always attentive of everybody's abilities, enthusiastic about the walk and very knowledgable about the area, plants and animals. He made the trip exceptional and nothing was ever a problem or issue. He was always giving us advice about using walking sticks and walking up/down mountains as well as being very conscious/ethical about supporting the local communities. I would definitely recommend him as a guide and would be happy to attend any of his tours in the future.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was a complete novice on travelling alone with small group of people I had never met.. I kept debating about whether this is the trip for me, but now I am so glad I did it as I have had one of the best time. So If you are debating about whether this is for you, I would say go ahead and book. Read the information/guide provided by exodus and use their chat room to talk to like minded people and then you can't go wrong.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in the alpine meadows with all the beautiful flowers surrounded by snow capped mountains. This could be a fabulous selling point for Exodus.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeff was fantastic, well organised, knowledgeable, fun and a responsible leader. He had a special talent to spot any potential problems and sort them out quietly and efficiently. he had an excellent knowledge of the local flora and we enjoyed his regular explanations during the walks. Congratulations to Exodus on selecting such a high quality person to lead the trek. We would love to walk with him again. Also Andy the camp manager was amazing and produced delicious food with limited facilities for both vegetarians and non vegetarians . His pleasant and cheerful personality was a bonus at the end of a days walk.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is worth doing some training before you go on this trip as physical fitness will add to the enjoyment of the overall experience.

Suggestions

As some participants of the trek traveled from Australia, Canada, Africa etc. it would have been useful if camping mattresses had been supplied by Exodus as this would have helped reduce carrying bulky items on long distance flights and added to a comfortable rest after a days walk. We highly recommend this holiday for those who love walking in the mountains.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was inspirational in different ways but reaching the top of each col provided fantastic mountain views.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John was undoubtedly the best leader I've had on a trip because he has the perfect combination of experience, leadership, support and sociability. I had knee problems from day 3 but I can't thank John enough for his treatment advice, his ongoing support and his kindness assisting with decisions about managing the problem which enabled me to complete the trek.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As many other reviewers have commented, take poles they're invaluable for the steep descents. Embrace the camping experience; two weeks may sound daunting but the tents were spacious and the whole experience was so much fun. Take a small brolly - it really is useful for the sudden showers/thunderstorms.

Suggestions

A really wonderful holiday with a lovely group of people. I can't wait for the next trekking holiday with Exodus but a lot to live up to after this trip!