URQU Wellness Retreat’s second one week Alpine adventure took place from 6th to 13th June and hosted four lovely ladies wanting to expand their horizons mentally and physically and do something different – in this case plenty of guided hiking on the beautiful trails of Chamonix. The group came from as far away as Miami and Dubai, places very geographically different from the Chamonix valley and its surrounding mountains…
With the group’s experience in mind we adapted our itinerary to include a wider variety of gradients on the hikes, and managed to visit some of the most iconic sites in the Chamonix valley like the Mer de Glace, and the beautiful glacial Lac Chesery in the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. Again, we were blessed with great weather and saw plenty of ibex, chamois, marmots and Alpine flowers in full bloom. Shown here is our lovely participant Raisa, who came all the way from Dubai to attend this retreat.
Despite an unfamiliarity with the mountains, our four fabulous ladies were up for a challenge, so they all joined for our one-day rock climbing lesson in Les Gaillands, close to the centre of Chamonix. Gabriella and Karen felt the desire to push themselves out of their comfort zones and completed an eighty metres climb in three pitches. Here they are climbing in tandem with their lovely Swedish mountain guides, Ulrika and Johanna, waiting for them at the top.
As always, our women only Alpine wellness retreats could not be complete without an evening restorative yoga class, perfect for winding down and stretching those overworked muscles.
The group’s efforts throughout the week were rewarded not only with another relaxing spa day, but by wonderful three course dinners cooked by Zoe, a local chef, who spoiled us all with her unique and delicious mix of local, fresh ingredients.
