Welcome to the Swiss School grindelwaldSPORTS.

 Basic skills course snowshoeing

 The programme:

Day 1 Training tour to Waldspitz mountain hut at 1903m After meeting in Grindelwald we take the Ski bus to the Hotel Wetterhorn. Over a cup of tea or coffee we’ll study the planned route together. You’ll soon realise that snowshoeing is not just plain walking and that the preparation is multi-faceted: map reading, assessing the danger of avalanches, what does danger of ava- lanches actually mean, how do we avoid wildlife-protection areas? On the following tour we take the issues discussed into consideration. During the evening we’ll discuss the following day’s tour over a warm drink at the cosy mountain hut.

Day 2 Practice tour on Spitzen at 2381m After a hearty mountain breakfast we start our ascent to the Spitzen. Have we prepared ourselves correct- ly? Is the terrain what we expected? What is the weather and avalanche situation? Time flies by and sud- denly we’re up on the “Spitzen” which offers a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains. We descend via the “Nodhalten” clearing to Bort intermediate station on the First cable car and return to the valley by gondola. Arrival back in Grindelwald at approx 4 p.m.

 What you need to know…

Meeting point: 08.30 am at our Outdoorshop grindelwaldSPORTS (Dorfstrasse 103, Grindelwald)

Your journey: Purchase a train ticket from your home to Grindelwald. If you drive to Grindelwald, parking is available in the car park by the sports centre or at the Pfingstegg cable car.

Requirements: If you haven’t been snowshoeing before we recommend our taster course snow- shoeing. This course is an entry level course, we don’t expect lots of experience. The terrain isn’t too steep, the tours are easy. times of up to 4-6h with a backpack are no problem for you.

Course content: - gear talk - hiking up and down - techniques - route choice/ track setting - tour planning - avalanches - interpreation of the avalanche bulletin - weather science - partner rescue

Course aim: You know what information you need to gather to plan a trip. You know the basics of avalanche prevention and you know how to react in case of an ava- lanche event with multiple burials. Individual feedback is given to everyone, along with advice how to further everyone’s experience. After this course you are perfect- ly prepared for more demanding guided snowshoe hikes and guided snowshoe hikes on glaciers.

Equipment: See equipment list in the appendix. In our Outdoorshop, we sell technical equipment, mountaineering clothing, and backpacks. You can rent technical equipment with us, just let us know.

Final decision: 1-2 days before the tour, we check different weather forecasts and the conditions to decide if we can start the tour. On the day before the tour, we call you to let you know the last details.

Hut: Please be aware that we stay at a mountain hut. Depending on the season, there might not be any tap water. Also, in most huts you will not be able to charge any devices. Please let us know if you are a vegetarian or have other food allergies to make sure we can inform the hut.

Last information: The day before the tour, we call you to let you know the name of the mountain guide as well as his/her mobile phone number. Please only use it in emergencies, for example if you missed the train. For all other questions, please contact our of- fice in Grindelwald: +41 (0)33 854 12 80 or [email protected]

Price per person: CHF 460.00 4-6 participants per mountain guide

 What you benefit from:

Included:  Guiding from a licenced mountain guide/ aspirant guide  His/her expenses  1 night in bunk room with half-board  Tea for the next day

Not included:  Your expenses  Snacks  costs for cable cars, ski lifts  Rental equipment  Possible expenses for a taxi (costs of the guide have to be paid by the guest)

Safety concept: All our courses are conducted by licenced IFMGA mountain guides. For a continu- ous high standard, regular training and further education are compulsory. This way we can guarantee our guest’s best possible safety. For many years grindelwald- SPORTS has been certified with the „Safety in Adventures“ label. Our safety and emergency concepts are examined annually by this organization.

General terms of contract: Please read the general terms of contract.

 We help you to prepare:

Clothing: Choose functional clothing that is water resistant, comfortable and breathable. We suggest the several layer principle for best adaption in fluctuating temperatures. Our experts in the Outdoorshop are happy to help.

Footwear: For snowshoe hikes we recommend a high, well insulated and waterproof hiking or mountaineering . Make sure the are worn in before the course.

Lunch: A little lunch per day should be enough – some bars, a sandwich, dried fruit, nuts, … We recommend to drink a lot the evening before and in the morning. It helps to handle the altitude.

Packing a backpack: Do not pack too much. In the equipment list in the appendix you see the size of backpack we recommend. Do not forget, you need to carry everything by yourself.

Any questions: That is what we are here for. Do not hesitate to conact us, either by phone on +41 (0)33 854 12 80, by e-mail ([email protected]) or drop in to our Outdoor- shop on Dorfstrasse 103 in Grindelwald.

The necessary equipment for this tour is marked with a .

 Equipment list

Listed below is the equipment we suggest bringing. Use it as a checklist to make sure you do not forget anything. Of course, you can always add to the list but remember everything you pack must also be carried ;-)

 Backpack Backpack 20-25l Backpack 30-35l Backpack 25-30l Backpack 35+l

 Clothing Warm, functional clothing Sun hat Windbreaker or GTX-jacket Gloves (1 thin pair, 1 thick pair) Light windbreaker pants or GTX-pants Beanie or headband Mountaineering or hiking pants Extra underwear and extra Ski pants Thermo underwear short/long

Crampon proof mountaineering boots Hiking boots Ski touring boots/snowboard boots Solid and warm winter boots

 The basics Sun glasses (category 3 or 4) Sunscreen lotion and lipstick (min. factor 30, better 50) Thermos flask, drinking bottle SAC/DAV permit (if holder) Silk sleeping bag Halbtaxabo/GA (if holder) Headlamp Maybe earplugs Toiletries Maybe camera and binoculars Identity card

 Technical equipment Harness Ski touring skis with skins and tele Crampons with anti-snow plates Ski poles, even better adjustable poles Robust snow shoes with tele crampons Helmet LVS (avalanche beacon device) Descender with locking Avalanche probe Sling strap 120cm Avalanche shovel Ice axe for steep ice fall maybe avalanche airbag maybe ski helmet