Common Questions

I love hiking and snowshoeing all year in Switzerland, but I do have some favorite months. June and September are great for getting away from the crowds. The snow has fully retreated for the year in July and August, opening up great places for wild camping up high, and October and November bring the fall colors (I love the yellow larches!) and fresh dust of snow that highlight the features of the mountains. Snowshoeing December through March is a lot of fun, and the Jura is normally ready for hiking and camping in April and May with views of the still snowy Alps.

Simply click on the “Let’s go!” or similar buttons or reach out through the contact form to let me know what you want to do. We’ll work out dates and trip plans and prices from there. Once we have it set, I’ll send you the plans by email with a link to confirm. For longer trips, I may require a deposit to lock it in.

There are so many places we can go, and I want to give you a truly unique trip that really gives you what you want out of the experience. Once we discuss a bit more about what you hope to do, your level of ambition and experience, then we can narrow the list down to some great options and pick the one that’s best according to the conditions at the time.

For custom trips, the price will depend on where we go and what we do. My standard daily rate is CHF 380 per day. This is the set rate in Switzerland for mountain leaders who are still in training. For multi-day trips or trips that involve additional transport or logistics, the prices will depend on how many of those things I take care of for you and how many you choose to sort out yourself. For example, Swiss clients often book their own transport whereas international clients often prefer me to manage those logistics for them.

Prices include trip planning and leadership, snacks on the trail, and a great time in the mountains. The trip descriptions will note whether they include other things such as transportation to and from the trailhead, accommodations or other expenses before or after the hike. For custom trips, we can work out what is included or not as we plan the trip together so that it best meets your needs.

Things happen, I get that. All I ask is that you let me know as far in advance as possible. For day trips, that can be the day before. For longer trips where I require a deposit, I’ll outline the cancellation timelines and policy for returning some or all of the deposit in the information I send you before you commit to the trip.

Each of our trips are custom tailored to your needs. I’ve led trips with small children, senior citizens and everyone in between. Before we go, we’ll discuss your fitness, experience and expectations, then we’ll design a hike to meet your needs. And if your group has different levels of experience, we will cater the trip to keep everyone safe, feeling included and happy with the experience.

For hiking trips, bring only what you need and nothing more :). But what is that? Don’t worry, I’ll send a detailed packing list before the trip. I’ll cater it to the exact trip we’ll do and weather and trail conditions we can expect on the hike. Sturdy hiking shoes, a good raincoat, warm layers you can add and remove easily will be on the list for every trip.

The hut system in the Alps is amazing. Each hut (“hutte” in the German part of Switzerland, “refuge” in the French part, and “rifugio” in Ticino) is unique. They are generally a lot of fun and a great way to meet other hikers from all over the world. Most offer shared bunk style rooms and family style meals. Some have private rooms you can request and menus where you can choose your meals, but these are less common. You’ll need a thin sleep sack (a sleeping bag liner, not a full sleeping bag) for all huts, and most will accommodate special dietary needs if you let them know in advance. When we discuss your trip, we can get into all the details about the specific refuges we will use so you know what to bring and what to expect.

While I offer trips for people of a wide range of fitness levels, it’s always good to keep in shape for hiking in the mountains. There are many different ways to train. My advice is to choose the ones you will actually do. I like walking instead of driving when I can and throwing extra weight in my backpack for everyday walks and running errands in town. I choose to take the stairs instead of elevators whenever possible, and I try to make the time to walk up hills in my free time. For more detailed advice, ask your doctor or trainer, or check out the millions of videos online about training for hikes and choose some that work for you.

I strongly recommend a solid pair of hiking shoes or boots for all of these trips. For single day trips, trail running shoes may work, but let’s discuss it in advance. Normal trainers, skate shoes or urban style boots can be uncomfortable and dangerous on the trail. Please don’t wear those. We’ll adapt where we go based on the shoes you’re wearing, and we’d all prefer to get past the parking lot, so please wear solid hiking boots or shoes.

I’m happy to give some local advice for getting to and from the area where we’ll be hiking. Since we all have our own unique travel preferences, I prefer to leave the bookings before and after the actual hiking trip to you. For longer trips, I will make the travel arrangements for meals, accommodations, local transportation and luggage transfer during the trip. We’ll discuss those details when we create your trip.

Unless we agree otherwise in the trip planning, it will be your responsibility to get to and from the trailhead or meeting location at the beginning and end of the hike. If our trip ends somewhere other than where we started, we can work out luggage transfers as part of our planning.

You may not need a guide, but having one can make for some amazing trips you may not do otherwise. And for many people, even those with experience in the mountains, the Alps can be intimidating with their steep, rocky slopes, snow fields, fast-changing weather and surly cows. I know the local trails and secret spots, am trained to keep you safe and can offer tips for making your hikes and treks more rewarding and enjoyable.

I am a certified Wilderness First Responder, a higher wilderness medicine training than is required for mountain leaders and mountain guides in the Alps. I am currently training to earn my International Mountain Leader certificate. In Switzerland, I am required to lead a certain number of trips in summer and winter before I can take the test to get that certification. I am working toward that quota now. In the past, I spent multiple seasons leading groups of children and adults on hiking, backpacking, caving, rafting and sea kayaking trips. Most of these were in North Carolina, but I also led trips in Montana, Maine and Alaska. I have led countless personal wilderness trips and expeditions in those places as well as across the Alps, in Scotland, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, Namibia, Botswana, New Zealand and all over the US. While I do not yet have my International Mountain Leader certificate, I adhere to the Swiss law and regulations for mountain leaders and have the required insurances for leading hiking trips as outlined in Swiss law https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2019/124/en

In short, certified mountain guides are trained to take people across glaciers and to technical summits using ropes, crampons and other technical mountaineering equipment. Mountain leaders take people on hikes that do not cross glaciers or require technical climbing equipment. Swiss law outlines these and other “high-risk” activities here: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2019/124/en. I adhere to the regulations for mountain leaders.

She would certainly love to! As my clients, you are my priority. Bringing Shakti adds a lot of joy to the trip, but it also changes the dynamic and may not always be the best idea. So, happy to discuss it if you think you’d like fuzzy company on the trip, but in the end, she may stay home.