IMAGES: PATRICK TILLARD; ALEX MOLING


THE WILD SIDE


round-up trails with a twist


These four multi-activity routes combine hiking with innovative architecture, creative cuisine, mountaineering skills and more. Words: Anna Richards


Learning Alpine skills in Chamonix, France Right: The Alta Badia region offers a


number of culinary events as part of its Peaks of Gastronomy initiative


A mountain to climb Shackleton Challenges are no less extreme than the name suggests. The new, week-long Alpine Skills adventure introduces you to the basics of mountaineering, including belaying, abseiling and technical drills. Begin in Chamonix, testing new skills on the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier. Then, put them into practice climbing Italy’s Gran Paradiso, the highest peak in the massif of the same name. Its scarred slopes bear the brunt of the elements, proving a true challenge to conquer. HOW TO DO IT: The Alpine Skills experience with Shackleton Challenges takes place in June 2024. From £7,245. shackleton.com


Alpinism & architecture Traditional chalets in the Alps are experiencing a shift in style. Leading the charge is Capanna Monte Rosa, the gateway for the namesake mountain, which stands at 4,554m between Italy and Switzerland. Shaped like an angular disco ball, the structure produces 90% of its own energy, stores melted snow for water and cleans wastewater using a microfi lter plant. Just across the border into Switzerland, Cabane de Tracuit is similarly


50 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


clad in shimmering solar panels. This sharp, rectangular building is the leap-off point for tackling the 4,153m Bishorn. Both summits require a mixture of high-level hiking and mountaineering to bag the peak. HOW TO DO IT: Much Better Adventures off ers a four-night trip to climb Monte Rosa with a stay at Capanna Monte Rosa from €2,035 (£1,742). muchbetteradventures.com Outdoor Switzerland has a two-day trip to Bishorn, with an overnight stay at Cabane de Tracuit, from CHF 699 (£628). outdoor.ch


Peak of gastronomy In the heart of the Italian Dolomites, the Badia Valley is home to the Alpine Ladin people. Though their population is spread throughout Northern Italy, this area is their stronghold, with almost 90% of the local population speaking Ladin — a Romance language that predates Italian by centuries. Along some 250 miles of trails through Ladin Italy, huts serve up Ladin specialities like strudel, polenta and dumplings, providing fuel for onwards — and often upwards — journeys. There are Michelin-starred menus and farm-to-fork experiences, or book onto one of Alta Badia’s


Peaks of Gastronomy events for wine tasting, cookery demonstrations and more. HOW TO DO IT: Macs Adventure off ers fi ve- to 14-day guided hiking tours in the Italian Dolomites. From £699. macsadventure.com altabadia.org


Forage a feast The 78-mile Lechweg Trail winds through the foothills of Germany and Austria, past mountain villages, across swing bridges and through the grazing grounds of wild ibex. It follows the Lech River from its source in Vorarlberg through Tyrol to the Lech Falls in Füssen, Bavaria. Start from the village of Lech, where kräuterwerkstatt — herb foraging workshops and hikes — are run by local herbalist Veronika Walch. Join her for a two-hour or an all-day herb hike; the latter combines foraging with workshops to create culinary and cosmetic products. HOW TO DO IT: Walks Worldwide off ers 10- day, self-guided hiking trips on the Lechweg Trail from £1,299. walksworldwide.com Kräuterwerkstatt Lech off ers herb foraging hikes and workshops from €40 (£34) for two hours. kraeuterwerkstatt-lech.at


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