AAVE Trip BLOG » Ultimate Alps
August 5, 2008
ALP#2 - Ciao from Italy!
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Ciao from Italy!
Since we left France we experienced a lot of fun and excitement. For three days we put our endurance to the test and hiked through the Italian Dolomites. We were a little disappointed that we weren’t able to complete the 4.5 hour klettersteig on account of the weather, however the mountain huts and the smaller klettersteig easily made up for it. It was amazing to finally put our feet up and sleep in cozy beds. The multi course meals were delicious with pasta, Milanese and crème brulee, hmmmm. “Tutti bello, biene, bello!” Heehee!
Gelato Gelato wherefor art thou Gelato!? With our bellies filled with scrumptious gelato we wandered through the picturesque streets of Verona grasping Juliet’s right breast – legends have it, luck will come to those who do. We toured the courtyard below the infamous balcony.
We are now located above the clouds, both in body and spirit. Passo Stelvio, a ski resort in Northern Italy is where we have spent our second ski and snowboard session. Our guide Nicola toured us through the glacier ensuring of course that we hit the kickers. During our relaxing afternoon today we caught up with the culture of Italy by playing football and sipping on cappuccino’s.
It has been a real joy spending time with Debbie and Ernesto. We have bonded like a family, cracked many jokes and laughed until it hurts.
Over and out from Italy. Ciao Ciao!
Ultimate Alps #2 - France, Switzerland & Italy!
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Bonjour from Les Deux Alps!!
Action, Action, Action and lots of action to come!
We started off our trip with a vigorous six hour hike through the French Alps to a lake filled with glacial run-off. Hard to believe the water in the lake was colder than the white water we rafted through. With our wet suits on, we braved the cold and danced below a refreshing waterfall.
We then had a lot of fun skiing/snowboarding, hitting the kickers and catching some big air. We also had a good time mountain biking, tearing up the gnarly trails. The view from the gondola of the snow-capped Alps amazed us all. There were a few mishaps, but we bounced back quickly to our feet.
Our group of six boys have bonded nicely and together we pitch our tents with precision and care. Our five star cuisine consists of sea bass, gnocchi, quesadillas and fresh french baguettes. Waking up early in the morning is quite a pain, but the activities are well worth it.
Our trip leaders are teachers but they’re cooler than you think. Their names are Ernie and Debbie. Ernie like marmots and Debbie is a vegetarian. Together, there’s nothing they can’t do. We’re having a great time thanks to them and are safe from frostbite and polar bears. Kidding.
Our adventure has just begun and with two weeks left, we are fired up for more skiing: snowboarding and action packed days filled with lots of fun, excitement!!!”
Loving the AAVE life, ALP2
July 14, 2008
Here is some news from Harry, Hillary and Jacob B on Ultimate Alps:
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July 7: During the day we visited the city of Romeo and Juliet including the famous amphitheater and browsed the many shops and restaurants of the tragic city. Meeting up in the late afternoon we had dinner at a quaint restaurant indulging in the celebrated foods of Italy, pasta and pizza. On our walk back to the train we stopped for gelato, quickly scarfing it down! Returning to our lakeside camp area we all set up our sleeping bags on a tarp and slept under the stars waking up refreshed for our scenic drive to the majestic dolomites.
July 8–10: For 3 days we hiked among the dolomites nestling into Cliffside chalets overlooking this mountainous region of Italy and we were treated to traditional Austrian meals. The second day of our hike we were lead on a guided Klettersteig climb up the side of a steep rocky mountain. After eating our sandwiches we hiked down to another lodge. The 3rd and final day we returned to our vans sad to leave the beautiful mountains that had been our home for the past 3 days.
July 11-12: After an exhilarating drive back through impossibly narrow tunnels we reached a rustic campsite surrounded by snow-capped mountains. After our showers and meal of fajitas prepared by the cook crew we settled into our tents for the night.
July 13: The next morning we departed for the ski mountains bringing an overnight bag for our stay at a Tibetan style hut. We arrived to the ski mountain and got in a few hours of fun before the gondolas closed. We changed and loaded in the vans for a trip to a small town 30 min away hugging the switchback turns down the mountain. The weather was not on our side as we ran through the narrow cobblestone streets ducking into little bakeries and café’s to get cover from the rain and hail. Wet but not discouraged we piled in the vans and returned to our Tibetan style lodge for a wonderful dinner and a good night sleep. We awoke to much of the same weather but braved the elements and hopped on the gondola for more skiing and snowboarding. Now we have just finished snowboarding and skiing and have returned to our tents at the campsite and are getting ready for our trip to Switzerland tomorrow!
Love and thanks to everyone back home, we are loving the AAVE lifestyle!
July 7, 2008
ALPS 1 - Greetings from Italy!
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Greetings from Italy!
Ultimate Alps 1 - 2008 is basking in historic Verona, with a comfortable camp set up on the aqua shores of moutain-backed Lake Garda, after an action-packed first week!
The trip began with a flurry of activity, as we headed for the dramatic landscape of the high French Alps where we put our rafting skills to the test. Halfway through the ride, our crazy raft guides, Etienne and David, stopped to have us trek over to a refreshing dip below a beautiful waterfall. A mud fight broke out on the way back to the boats which gave us the perfect excuse to ride the rapids in an effort to clean up. An exhilarating day it was indeed!
The next day Mother Nature intervened and rained us out of what was to be our first day of skiing in snowboarding at the incredible Les Deux Alps. True to form, behind every cloud is a silver lining, for we packed up the vans and headed to Briancon for a relaxing day of sight seeing in one of Europe’s most unique medieval hilltop towns.
Luckily, the weather cleared spectacularly and we were able to hit the slopes for the next two days, working on our technique and catching some air with our knowledgeable instructors Andrea and Rod. A definite highlight was hitting the kickers and doing our best to master the T-Bar!!!
Despite tired muscles, our adventure continued as we headed down the mountain again, this time on the summer luge and mountain bikes. A total high for everyone - we discovered the thrill of downhill speed!
Tomorrow we head to the Dolomites for a breathtaking three-day backpacking excursion, where we will be resting our heads in quaint Tirolean chalets. Arrivaderci…until next week!!!
July 1, 2008
ALP1 - WOOHOO!
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We have made it safely and all have gathered together and enjoying the fun process of getting to know one another!
Already we are getting a little chilly but absolutely awed by the massive mountains we see in front of us. We’re so excited to gain great skill in our downhill skiing. Check back for fun stories of our days spent with each other and embraced in the ALPS!!!!
August 7, 2007
Ultimate Alps #2A - Non-Stop Action!
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Alps 2 Families,
Nestled in the mountains of the Swiss countryside overlooking the Thun lake we can hardly believe we have reached the last leg of our trip.
Friendships have so quickly formed and so many moments we shared we don’t know how to write it all down in a single blog! After leaving Les 2 Alpes we entered into Italy and became settled in our rather snug little campsite set up on a hill with the beautiful view of the city of Verona. We then spent a day touring the city with an average intake per person of three separate ice cream sessions to enhance the mid summer sun! With no pride lost we discovered a unique way of seeing the city by doing a scavenger hunt, which included re-enactment of the Romeo and Juliet scene and scooping our own ice cream and terrifying locals as we crawled across pedestrian crossings. With our mark suitably made upon the city, we moved on after a delicious meal out and took to the Dolomites where we completed two days of hiking and climbing over mountain tops. The climbs were very challenging but completely exhilarating and the cozy mountain huts with 3-course hot dinners made it all worth it. As well as the obligatory afternoon rest reading Harry Potter and taking in the breathtaking views.
From there we challenged our vans (The Black Pearls and the Firebolt!) to the 45 degree hairpin turns assent to Passo Stelvio to ski and snowboard for 2 days with a night in a traditional Tibetan hut! With Italy well and truly explored we have moved on to our little farm house in Switzerland. After a morning helping out the family prepare their produce from their farm and an afternoon of water-skiing, wake boarding and touring Interlaken we are looking forward to our last night in the hay before hitting the slopes in Saas Fee tomorrow.
If we decide to tear ourselves away from the slopes, good friends, Swiss chocolate and pizza we’ll see you soon!
Greetings from the Alps region of Switzerland, Italy and France!
The Ultimate Alps 2A Crew
August 1, 2007
Ultimate Alps #2A Postcard
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July 30, 2007
Bonjour from Ultimate Alps #2A!
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Bonjour Families!
We are having a great trip in France! We have just finished our third and final day skiing at Les Deux Alpes. We conquered a hike up to 2600m on the first day to enjoy a refreshingly chilly swim in the glacial lake at the top. We have also survived downhilll mountain biking which was awesome! We also enjoyed an afternoon relaxing by the outdoor swimming centre lapping up the glorious sunshine. We are having a great time exploring this beautiful Alpine Village and enjoying lots of Crepes and Oranginas.
Our group is great fun and everyone is up for trying everything and very good at getting back up when they have been temporarily knocked down! The leaders are all fantastic being helpful and teaching us some great camping games. The leaders are excellent at navigating the narrow windy roads and hairpin turns and they make all the drives really good fun!
The glacier skiing is really cool (literally!). Today after skiing we will all race each other down the mountain on the exhilarating alpine slide and no doubt beat all the leaders even with all their boasting.
Tomorrow we pack up camp to begin the next leg of this exciting adventure as we take to the vans to cross over into Italy and discover the romantic and beautiful town of Verona, take in the cultural sites and, most of all, look forward to the pizza and ice-cream coming our way!
See you soon!
Ultimate Alps Trip 2 
January 17, 2007
Summer Alps Snowboarding Camp
Posted by Jenny at AAVE in : General, Ultimate Alps , 1 comment so far
“AAVE was very organized and informative during the planning of the trip. They handled the overseas flights very well by keeping us informed. I LOVED the way AAVE initiated contact with us to allay any of our concerns. Also, I appreciated the trip leaders calling us at home when Megan arrived in Switzerland, as well as throughout the trip.”
-Laurie Bakke, parent, ALP 2006
Ski/Snowboard Camp in Europe
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“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing an adventure that includes not only well-supervised and slightly extreme activities, but also combines a sense of responsibility. I loved how Aero had to be in different work groups - everyone had to do their share. Such great diversified experiences in a different culture!
“This is BY FAR the best camp there could be! Many of his friends were very envious. I feel he did arrive home acting more mature and proud of his experiences. I also want to compliment you on your excellent communication with me before, during and after the adventure. This is a first rate camp!”
-Pat Furlong, parent, ALP 2006