Mountain highs
Adventure and all-out luxury in the Alps makes a stay at Chalet Pelerin a memorable experience, discovers Emma Newlands
Hot tubs and glacier walking in the Alps
Eleven Experience, the travel company behind Chalet Pelerin, high-end lodgings in the village of Le Miroir in France’s Tarentaise Valley, takes its name and pushing-the-boundary ethos from classic mockumentary Spinal Tap.
“If we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?” enquires band member Nigel Tufnel in the film’s classic scene. Turn it up to eleven? “Exactly,” he replies.
And such an approach seems to sum up my trip, although with the cliff-push thankfully a metaphorical rather than literal one in the form of maximising luxury and a bid to help guests get a thrill from trying something new in a “life-affirming, deeply personalised” holiday.
With my closest day-to-day encounter with adventure limited to, say, trying a new box set or ready meal, it is therefore with more than a little trepidation that I set off for our glacier hike, across the border in Italy and one of the many outdoor pursuits on the itinerary.
As we head up in the revolving Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, described as a ‘marvel of Italian engineering technology’, the stunning surrounding Mont Blanc scenery may be elevating rapidly but my nerves are still at a relatively even level. But they really start to get the better of me when we put on our crampons and rope ourselves together to face the kind of scene I’ve only ever seen in disaster movies where only a few of the group, at best, are alive at the end of expedition.
But once we set off and I see the glacier silently and spectacularly unfold before us, looking like a vast snowy duvet punctuated with the occasional mountain peak poking through, I realise it has been more than worth the effort to overcome my fears. There is something reassuringly hypnotic about the tick-tock sound of our footsteps crunching through the deep snow, and it feels like we are cheek-by-jowl with the clouds as we look out over the dazzling whiteness contrasted with charcoal-grey and dark green mountain scenery further down the valley.
My anxiety level only picks up again when we head towards a dramatic precipice, but it turns out it is just the midway point of our hike before we turn back – phew! – rather than the vision I have of us lowering each other down. We simply stand at the cliff edge with our amiable, wry and highly knowledgeable guide Jeannoel who accompanies us on all of the Chalet Pelerin trip’s excursions. We take a moment to appreciate the surroundings before turning back to head for a well-earned lunch at Auberge de la Maison in the picturesque Courmayeur village of Entreve.
Surrounded by verdant, Technicolor floral scenery and sitting in the sunshine in the shadow of Mont Blanc, nicknamed the ‘roof of Europe’, our recent hike through the chilly peaks seems like a world away. To reward my glacier-scaling efforts I decide to climb a food mountain, tucking into a winning combination of a compact, rich goat’s cheese salad with pancetta followed by the lightness of semi-steamed trout with basil-scented bouillon and then pistachio ice cream.
We then return to the chalet, located roughly a couple of hours’ drive from Geneva Airport. Both luxurious and homely, on the first floor it has a huge open-plan living area looking out towards the summit of Mont Pourri. There’s a fire, plenty of comfy seating in browns, greys and blues, and little touches like local paintings, antique climbing shoes and trophy deer antlers, as well as a large dining table and well-stocked bar.
The ground floor is home to a pool, steam room and sauna, and I take the opportunity to admire the picturepostcard scenery, with the valley’s varying shades of green sitting under
I admire the picture-postcard scenery from the comfort of the outdoor Jacuzzi
a bright blue sky, from the comfort of the outdoor Jacuzzi. I then warm up in my dressing gown by the nearby fire, a welcome blast of heat in the crisp fresh air.
It’s then time to check out the bedrooms, which are named after iconic French Alpine mountains and landmarks. I’m in Aiguille Rouge, taking its name from the summit in Sainte Foy, and the top-floor room is suitably decorated with subtle red tones as well as a mirror framed with more deer antlers.
There’s an in-house chef who discreetly but expertly prepares our meals. These include on the first night juicy scallops with Parma ham, and dessert of a rich, molten-centred chocolate pudding with berries, and on the second a starter of lobster and cherry tomato skewers followed by handmade pizzas cooked to order in an outdoor woodfired oven and eaten at a table on the patio as we breathe in the rapidly cooling crystal clear air.
The pampering continues the following day with a knot-releasing massage in the cosy media room, which has a TV, vast sofas, board games and games consoles, and which doubles effectively as a treatment room.
It comes after other outdoor pursuits, which include using electric mountain bikes to descend via Villaroger to La Bonneville and join the double track following the Isere river through the forests to Bourg St Maurice. However, along with another member of the group I instead take a relaxing walk through the local village, and we all reconvene for a picnic lunch of cheese, charcuterie and rosé wine by the riverside.
We then set off for an afternoon’s white water rafting, covering an 18-kilometre route from Bourg St Maurice to Centron accompanied by guide Remy. It provides an excellent mixture of exhilarating, squealinducing sections and the chance to admire the varied scenery along calmer stretches of water, with the quietly lapping waves glinting in the sunlight to look as if the whole river were made of molten silver.
There is even the option at one point to jump from a Roman bridge or lower jutting cliffside spot into the water for those who want to take the
Spinal Tap ethos literally. Our last collective experience of the great outdoors comes on our final night, in the more relaxing form of al fresco drinks and canapés in a secluded valley up the road from the chalet as the sun sets. We then retire to the adjacent Alpage, a private mountain hut that’s been refurbished to ultra cosy effect. After tucking into cheese fondue, rich with the distinct tang of garlic and white wine, we enjoy dinner of pink-centred steak with salad and dauphinoise potatoes, later encouraged to get some fresh air outside only to be delighted with a surprise, impressive fireworks display.
It’s consequently on a high note that we head back to the chalet, which would be great for, say, two or three families (children would love it – there’s a kids’ bedroom with bunk beds and en-suite, plus a further two bunks in the media room) or a big group of friends. Eleven also has several other properties around the world with their own distinct character, including in its native Colorado as well as Iceland, the Netherlands and the Bahamas, and more look set to follow.
On the final morning I pack my things and although I leave with a heavy heart and likely heavier frame generally, I feel invigorated by a unique experience and the thrill of pampering, peaks and homemade pizza still at the forefront of my mind. A more active me is on its way, and Arthur’s Seat isn’t going to know what’s hit it...
Rates at Chalet Pelerin start from £574 (plus local taxes) per person
per night based on a private buy out rate of Chalet Pelerin for ten people sharing on a full experience basis. Price includes private concierge, full
guide service, all gear for activities, lift passes, in-house meals, all house alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, daily housekeeping and airport transfers to and from Geneva (0208 102 9800, www. elevenexperience.com). The summer season runs from 15 June-15 September.