ALPS

The ALC Alps Program is a five-week hiking trip that gives campers the opportunity to explore the stunning alpine landscapes of France, Switzerland, and Italy. By starting in the south of France in the Alpes de Haute Provence, moving north to the high Alps of the Chamonix-Mont Blanc area, campers will experience and learn about a variety of alpine cultures and ecosystems.

They will challenge themselves in adventure based activities such as hiking, rock climbing, high ropes courses, glacier hiking and aqua-trekking (traveling in and along a mountain river with wetsuits, life-vests and water-shoes). They will also gain a greater appreciation for the European tradition of traveling by foot during the Tour du Mont Blanc, a historic hut-to-hut 120 mile circuit hike around the Mont Blanc massif while carrying all of their belongings on their backs.

ALPS is a physically and mentally demanding trip. While in Provence, campers will encounter multiple experiences with heights as they tackle rock climbing and high ropes courses. During the 14-day Tour du Mont Blanc campers will hike an average of 10 miles a day with 2,500 ft elevation gain/loss while carrying packs weighing about 30lbs.  

The trip is also designed to mentally challenge campers to know themselves more deeply by taking safe and supported risks and to learn from the collaborative efforts of a team/family that must together negotiate international and mountain travel. As they develop into a cohesive and interdependent team, campers are asked to consider their individual responsibility as both global citizens and as stewards of the diverse ecosystems through which they move.