CCO Campus Ministry

Dates: June 18-27, 2012

Number of participants: The trip is open to 16 participants.

Transportation: Our guides will meet you at the Geneva airport and transport you to Chamonix, the world-famous alpine town where we will start our trip. You will walk comfortably in the moderate early-summer weather and only need to carry a small daypack. A van will take your supplies to the alpine huts and lodges. Delicious, locally-prepared meals will energize you for the 5-7 hours of moderate to strenuous hiking each day. In the past, some participants have tacked on a few days of vacations before the trip and thus found their own way by train or bus to Chamonix. We can help make arrangements if this option appeals to you.

Lodging/Food: Most days we will end the hike in small villages where we will stay in hotels and enjoy delicious local fare for dinner. An ample breakfast is served at the hotel to fuel hikers on the next leg of the journey. The group will spend two nights in mountain huts where sleeping accommodations are dormitory style with common bathrooms. Travelling lunches will be provided for the trail each day.

Physical requirements: The trek is considered moderate to strenuous hiking. It will require you to be in good physical shape and able to walk a trail with significant elevation gain and loss for 5-8 hours a day. 10,000 people from all the over the world hike the Tour du Mont Blanc every summer, with ages ranging from teens to seventies.

Cost: The cost of the trip is $3,750* per person. This includes lodging and food for 10 days and transportation to and from the Geneva airport. A $300 deposit is required at the time of registration.

What do I bring? The only technical equipment you will need includes a good pair of broken-in hiking shoes, a comfortable daypack, personal sleep liner (for the mountain huts), and functional rain gear. Hiking poles are very strongly recommended. Click here for an equipment list.

Respond by: December 31, 2011. To register, please either fill out the form on the brochure and mail it in with your deposit, call Francois Guilleux at 412.480.5370, or register online.

For more information: Click here for an itinerary, here for an equipment list, and here for other frequently asked questions.

* This tentative price is based on the current exchange rate. Airfare to Geneva is not included.