Leysin-Based Courses - Information Summary
Courses which convene in Leysin
are: all
Summer courses, all alpine Ice Climbing
courses, all
Ski courses apart from
Chamonix-Zermatt and Vanoise Haute Routes
and the Andermatt Off-Piste course (joining instructions for these will be found
on the relevant course pages).
Getting to Leysin and the Grand Chalet
From Geneva Airport, a train
journey around the shore of Lake Geneva brings you to the town
of Aigle, where
the train connects
with a cog railway going straight up the mountainside to Leysin.
To reach hotel Le Grand Chalet, disembark at the highest station
(Grand Hotel / American College) turn left and walk 2 minutes
downhill (passing the Hiking Sheep guesthouse). Alternatively,
it is sometimes necessary to disembark at the larger Feydey
Station, in which case, walk up-hill
and reach the Grand Chalet in about 7mins.
From Zurich
airport the journey to Leysin takes around 4 hours by train.
Train times can be looked up on the web www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm -
a standard return fare is Geneva Airport-Leysin around £40.
If
coming from the UK by car via the Auto routes, allow approximately
10 hrs from the Channel.
Unless a special arrangement has been made, all courses begin with a welcome drink & informal chat with guides/other course members at 6.45pm in the lounge bar of the Grand Chalet hotel on the course starting date. This is normally followed by a more specific course briefing at 7.00pm, then dinner at 7.30pm. Sometimes circumstances dictate that the course briefing is done the following morning at 8am after breakfast.
If travel arrangements make it impossible for you to attend the evening briefing don't worry - essential information can be relayed to you later
Occasionally
ISM exceeds its room its room allocation in Le Grand Chalet
and uses nearby accommodation of a similar standard
(normally Chalet Ermina) still taking meals & other facilities
as normal at Le Grand Chalet.
Booking extra hotel nights (in
addition to those covered by the courses)
Please book the extra accommodation directly:
Information on other hotels in Leysin may be
obtained from the Tourist Office tel: +41 24494 2244 email: info@leysin.ch
Safety and Insurance
Although ISM's safety record is second to none, mountaineering
is a hazardous activity and accidents are always possible.
All clients of ISM must have insurance cover for mountain rescue
and medical costs resulting from an accident in the mountains
(also On and Off-Piste skiing for Ski Tours). This cover is
not provided by normal travel insurance.
The following organizations/companies offer mountaineering
insurance:
Please note that the cover provided through
the Austrian Alpine Club only coverts rescue and limited medical
expenses.
Alpine Clubs
By joining any of the major Alpine Clubs (Swiss, French or
Austrian) or by obtaining a Reciprocal Rights card from the
BMC, one can obtain reductions of up to 50% in hut fees. This
is especially useful for people staying out in the Alps after
a course.
All-inclusive Course Fees
With one or two exceptions noted on the relevant course pages,
your ISM course fee covers hotel nights at the beginning and
end of each course, board and accommodation throughout, guiding & instruction,
transportation, telepheriques & mountain railways, and
the loan of all technical equipment. On summer courses, the
only items not covered are drinks. On Ski Touring courses restaurant
lunches are excluded on instructional days spent within ski
resorts.
Personal Guiding - the fees charged are
for guiding only – clients
must cover their own and the guide’s expenses for their
chosen itinerary.
Fitness
While some courses are more demanding than
others, all require a good standard of physical fitness.
Clients must arrive suitably
fit for the course(s) booked.
Please Click Here for Flight Information
Please Click Here for Grand Chalet and Leysin Information Leaflet
