Snowshoeing in the Alps is a great activity for people who want to visit the Alps in the winter. Our routes are designed to take us away from the ski stations into the unspoilt winter landscape with the safety that guiding by an International Mountain Leader brings. We provide snowshoeing equipment, snowshoes, avalanche safety gear and instruction in using it. We run trips from December until May. We’re a specialist local operator and we’ve been here in Switzerland for more than 10 years.
If you’re interested in Switzerland Snowshoeing we’re the experts! And, because we’re based in the winter sports station of Leysin there’s plenty of other activities, traditional Christmas markets in December, ski touring, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, curling and ice skating. You can read more about Leysin on our website.
We don’t operate on a fixed schedule so we can pick the best location for the conditions that day. One of the day trips we often make is to the Monastery of the Hospice du Grand Bernard, you can read more about that here. In the main season, we also take a moonlit snowshoe hike for fondue in a mountain hut above Leysin.
We send a full gear list to clients, you’ll certainly need some good waterproof hiking boots and some clothing layers. This is an active trip, you need to be someone who enjoys a walk and getting out in the fresh air.
Flexible stays
Using our booking system you can pick any number of days and nights and choose whatever arrival and departure days suit you. We’re the only operator to offer this level of flexibility. We’ve a two-night minimum stay with one day of guided activity per week, you can take it from there!
Access from Geneva Airport
We’re connected to the main Swiss rail by a mountain railway that runs hourly climbing through picturesque vineyards into the village. If you prefer to drive, we’re about 20mins above the autoroute exit by car.
Accommodation
These trips are based at our own B&B, Chalet L’Epicea, here in Leysin. It’s consistently rated as excellent on review sites and we think it’s a great base for all your activities in Leysin. We get great reviews and you can read them on TripAdvisor
Ian Spare
Snowshoe Guide
Ian is an experienced International Mountain Leader (UIMLA), he’s a former director of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML) and the current president of the worldwide body the Union of International Mountain Leaders (UIMLA). He is also a delegate to the UIAA – The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.
Ian is a member of the International Commission on Alpine Rescue (ICAR) Avalanche Commission and part of MountainSafety.info avalanche training & research group.
He’s lived in the Swiss Alps since 2003 and became an International Mountain Leader after a 25 year career in the technology sector. Ian is also a first aid trainer specialising in outdoor first aid for guides and instructors.
You can read more about Switzerland Snowshoeing with SwissMountainLeader in Snowshoe Magazine. Ian is a regular writer for the only online specialist snowshoe magazine. Read his articles.
