Beginner's snowshoe experience, completing the famous pilgrimage to St Bernard's Hospice. 

Along the way, you'll also visit Barryland - home of the grand St Bernard dog and have an opportunity for a Swiss sledge descent! 

AlpsAdventures

Your guide collects you at Martigny train station - a direct train ride from Geneva airport - at 4:00 PM. 

From here, we do group introductions, and you'll have a chance to settle into the accommodation before dinner. 

Accommodation, dinner, breakfast and specialist equipment are included on this trip. Lunches and drinks will need to be purchased. 

The accommodation is in mixed rooms with bathrooms and showers, a bar and a restaurant. Upgrades to double rooms are available - 30chf per person per night payable locally. 

We use various places depending on conditions. One place requires a 2km walk from the car park, so pack light (you can leave things in the van). 


Arrival and introductions

We head out from our base in a mountain valley to a location that's fantastic for gaining snowshoe skills - learning how to move over the snow with ease. 

We also complete a small journey into the Swiss wilderness with incredible mountain backdrops. 

Most weeks (although it depends on conditions) at the end of the day, there is an optional sledge run for the more adventurous. 

Everyone else can warm up with a hot chocolate or hot wine. 

Snowshoe journey and optional sledge descent

An early start will see us on the 5km trail to ascend the 450m up to the Grand Saint Bernard Monastery. 

Once there, we break for tea and food with the monks. 

Afterwards, we make a short journey across the Italian border before returning back to the Hospice for dinner and optional evensong. 

Evenings in the Hospice can be quiet or fun, depending on your choices. 

Please note this is a high mountain trail, and in poor weather or avalanche conditions, another route may be chosen. 

St Bernard's Monastery 

After waking up in the Hospice, we fuel up on breakfast with the monks. 

We then descend the route we climbed the previous day to get back to the bus. 

On the way down to Martigny, we can visit a Laiterie (cheese factory) to try some of the local cheeses and make some purchases. 

Our final visit is to Barryland to walk with and pet the dogs (2024/25).  

You are then dropped back at Martigny train station at 3:30 PM.  Most people then return to Geneva by train (1h 50m) for an evening flight home.

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St Bernard's Beginner Snowshoe