HAT's Off to the Alps Again

It is with great sadness that I have to cancel this year's Summer event HAT's Off to the Alps Again. Family circumstances arising over the last couple of weeks have meant that I will need to be in London throughout July, August and September so I will sadly have no time to carve a week out for jaunting around the Alps, climbing, biking and rafting and generally being blown away by the beautiful Summer mountains. It's all the more frustrating since I have JUST confirmed enough people to make this year's trip a go. Argh! I would love to do it again however, given that last year was so special, so pencil in Alps 2020 all you HAT lovers!

What has How About This got planned?

Staying in the middle of the Alps gives us huge scope to get out into nature and explore the beautiful environment around us. This can be as chilled or as strenuous as you want, though with so much to do within walking distance it’s very hard to stay in bed! Last year included hiking around and up mountains (lots of opportunities for Sound of Music moments), navigating grass-covered ski pistes (trickier than it sounds), visiting a Roman arch buried in a tree-covered gorge, discovering ravishing waterfalls, climbing up cliff faces with Via Ferrata, and white-water rafting. This year there are new lakes and waterfalls to explore, some fabulous trail biking following the river down the valley, more Via Ferrata to try and – my favourite – a tree-top adventure park with 5-a-side football on a trapeze net, ziplines, rope walks other fun stuff. Oh, and then there’s also an outdoor swimming pool (with awesome water slide) nearby, as well as volleyball and tennis courts.  And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, paragliding.

We’ll aim to be back in time for tea and cake/aperitifs in the afternoon, when we exercise our minds with talks and discussion about various topics that might have relevance in the environment that we are staying in. Last year the discussions started with the premise of what would happen if there was some kind of cataclysm and we were cut off from the rest of the world in the Alps (cheerful, I know, but surprisingly easy to discuss after a couple of Aperol Spritzes!). The conversations led to some interesting debates, with a number of surprising opinions, and (for my part at least) some self-examination about our own assumptions. Starting point questions included; how did we think we would deal with such upheaval, individually and as a group? How would we interact with each other and with the other strangers trapped in the valley? What skills did we have among us that would be useful (have a look here for some thoughts that came out of this discussion)? How would we govern ourselves?   

Aperitifs naturally evolve into dinner, and with lively debate, pleasantly tired muscles and crystal-clear Alpine air, its very hard not to over-indulge in the fabulous food and wine that abounds in this part of France. Trust me; nobody goes hungry! 

 Where exactly will we be going?

The village of Vénosc, in the French Alps, around 2 hours’ drive from Lyon. This area is chiefly known for cycling in the Summer (the insane climb of Alpe d’Huez is nearby) and skiing in the Winter, with Les Deux Alpes ski resort a short gondola ride up from the village. Vénosc is half way up a quiet valley, which means amazing hikes, beautiful mountain rivers and lakes, great climbing and an environment which is geared towards appreciating the surrounding natural beauty. The village itself is small and arts-and-crafty, catering mostly to French holiday-makers, with a couple of restaurants and a bar, plus some local boutiques (which tempted some of us to spend entirely more than expected last year) and occasional craft fairs. The resort of Deux Alpes nearby is lots bigger and has a more international resort vibe with loads of bars and restaurants. It is also the starting point for a number of great walks, several of which encompass the various lakes in the area.

And where we will stay while we’re there?

Last year we lucked out with Chalet Freeride, and this year I’m delighted to say that it’s available again. The chalet itself is just outside Vénosc, very close to the river that runs through the valley, a few minutes’ walk from the tree-top adventure park and across the road from a camp site which has a swimming pool, volley ball court and tennis ball courts. It can sleep up to around 20, with a garden for BBQ and a sauna. The property itself is bigger though, which means that last year everyone had their own rooms and didn’t have to share unless they wanted to. The place is run by a very accommodating English chalet host who has been there for years and who will organise breakfast for us every morning (including fresh baguettes, croissants and pains au chocolat).

When will this happen?

The HAT-mobile will drive down from London around Friday 2nd August to organise the food shop and pick up extra transport, with planned arrival for everyone on Sunday 4th August and departure Saturday 10th August.

How much will it be?

The week will cost £600, which includes accommodation for 6 nights (with bedding and towels), catered breakfast, all other food and drink, transport to/from Lyon, and tickets for the gondola up to Deux Alpes (where a lot of the walks start from). Also, depending on how many people sign up there should be some money left over for fun excursions like Via Ferrata (this link shows you the same that one we did last year), trail biking or the tree top adventure park.

Getting there and back

Coming from London, the easiest (and most eco-friendly) way is with train.  A return ticket from London St Pancras to Lyon direct on Eurostar is currently (as of end January) £130 and takes around 5 hours.  Return flights from Heathrow to Lyon are around £150 with BA and around £100 return from Gatwick to Lyon with Easyjet (though the times are pretty rubbish). 

Other towns to aim for in the vicinity are Grenoble (the closest big town) and Chambery, though regular flights to both of these usually only run in the Winter months during the ski season.

If you fancy a road-trip there is also the option of getting a ride in the HAT-mobile from London (for the cost of a share of petrol money and a hotel room on the way down). You may need to organise your own way back to London however.

What to Do Next?

If all this sounds like something you would like to do, then please RSVP with your commitment. Here are the logistics: In order to make the costs work we need to confirm a minimum of 10 people. These 10 people will need to put down £150 deposit towards the cost of the week before the end of April.

As with last year, the chalet will give us until the end of April to hold the reservation. At that time, we will need to pay a deposit of £150/pp. If at least 10 people aren’t confirmed by the end of April then the trip will be cancelled and any deposits will be refunded.

If at least 10 people put down deposits, then the remaining £450 would be payable by the end of June.

So far, given the awesome time we had last year, there is a lot of really strong interest in going again, so I really hope we can get a big enough group together to ensure HAT’s Off to the Alps Again! And to tempt you further, have a look at what happened last year here or have a look at the FaceBook event for what people had to say about last year.