Outdoor Sports and Adventure Travel, article by Sara Stirling

 

Sarah Stirling
Outdoor Sports and Adventure Travel
Rock climbing, hiking and yoga in a mountain retreat
 
WHERE: Samoens, France
 
ACTIVITY: Rock climbing, hiking and yoga
 
TOTAL TIME: 3 days or more
 
DIFFICULTY: Yogatraveller cater for all levels
 
LOOK OUT FOR: Tree pose, a top mountain guide and lemon tart
 
If you generally return from a holiday or weekend break in need of another one then, like me, you’re probably guilty of adventure bingeing. Help is at hand: Ireland-based Michelle Riordan’s ‘Yogatraveller’ holidays are being hailed as the perfect therapy for outdoor overenthusiasts. Designed to offer a balanced diet of relaxing yoga and outdoor pursuits, the concept is this: yoga teacher ‘hosts’ live on-site in beautiful guest lodges from Ireland to the Alps, Morocco to Thailand. Yoga kick-starts each day with muscle stretching and mind focus, restorative yoga and meditation wind things down at each day’s end and, in between, you sample the local adventure options at your own whim - perhaps rock-climbing and hiking, surfing or skiing.
 
I booked a few days at La Source, the new Yogatraveller base in the Haute Savoie region of France. Far from a typical bustling Alpine ‘resort’ like nearby Chamonix, Samoens is a peaceful, characterful traditional village that just happens to lie in an outdoor lover’s paradise: 700m up the sunny side of a mountain (the Aiguille de Criou), surrounded by beautiful hiking trails, climbing areas and lakes. La Source itself is a 19th Century Savoyard Farmhouse, sensitively renovated into a five-star, low impact, low energy, 20-bed lodge using mainly natural building materials. The open plan living area has a balcony of mountain views. In this environment, clearly perfect for combining holiday relaxation with outdoor pursuits, you’ll be introduced to fellow visitors eager to do just that, plus Yogatraveller host Saskia and her husband, Duncan.
 
On my first morning the tall, distant peak of le Buet pointed to a bright blue sky. It’s a short pleasant walk to the banks of nearby Lac Bleu, where the other La Source guests and I laid out yoga mats. Saskia starts gently; the purpose of her first yoga session is always to ‘check in’ with your body. A series of gentle poses stretched and awakened every limb and muscle - then the group separated for the day to enjoy outdoor activities. Saskia and Duncan were on hand to book local activities such as parapenting, white water rafting, and to lend maps and offer advice on the best local hikes. Several visitors, including myself, were booked on a two-day sport climbing course with legendary mountain guide John Falkiner, and set off for nearby climbing area Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval.
 
Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval is a massive horseshoe of limestone with a vast range of possibilities for beginner to experts, and we warmed up on some of the plentiful easy Font 4 and 5 grade routes in Secteur des Tines. John encouraged us to continue the yoga techniques into our climbing – breathing regularly to keep ourselves calm and focussed and using our heightened self-awareness to help us balance and use our bodies effectively. There was a range of experience in the group, but it was unanimously agreed that yoga techniques improved everyone’s climbing.
 
After enjoying our respective adventure activities, the La Source guests reconvened for an evening yoga session. Saskia explained that yoga is not just about stretching and breathing. Generally, people’s minds are too cluttered to think effectively, she said, and yoga techniques can clear, strengthen and calm your head, to help you reach your potential. The group tried ‘candle meditation’; silently watching a candle flicker, ‘observing our thoughts then letting them go.’ Because we were mentally and physically tired by all the climbing, it was easy to slip into a meditative state.
 
Our strengthened, calmed minds came in handy on day two. Headstands and tricky balances tested us during morning yoga; despite all efforts, graceful tree pose was unfortunately more like stamping elephant pose for me. Saskia can adapt trickier poses to suit individual abilities and, by the end, we were all feeling the benefits. Thoroughly stretched and focussed, we set off for the climbing area ‘Anthon’ with John. The climbing had stepped up a notch, too. At secteur Rino, John showed us some lead sport ropework techniques that had me saying: “That’s so simple – why didn’t I think of that before!” Then, with patient encouragement from John, and at our own pace, we all led some routes. This is where I really noticed the benefits of the yoga. Rather than rushing to clip bolts, I climbed slower, better and more thoughtfully.
 
The next morning, after yoga, all the Yogatraveller guests agreed to spend the last day together, on a four hour circular hike with a high point of a difference: fresh lemon tart. We would be hiking to a mountain refuge, and Saskia called ahead to request that manager Jean baked one of his famous desserts for us. From the Pied du Crêt car park (889 m up) we climbed the steep side of the Criou. The route began in woodland with waterfalls cascading at every track turn. Higher up, the tree cover fell away giving spectacular views of the Giffre Valley, le Tuet and the peaks of the Dents d’Oddaz all the way to the refuge, where we were amply rewarded for our efforts with bowls of hot chocolate and delicious tart, as promised. Mountain goat bells echoed around the valley below on the return leg: a chained ‘balcony’ walk, carved into the side of the mountain. What a lovely last afternoon!
 
It was sad to say goodbye to everyone. And how did I feel at the end of my Yogatraveller trip? Relaxed, in tune with my body, exhilarated, I’d improved my climbing and met a whole host of brilliant, likeminded friends as well. I can certainly see the advantage of beginning and ending an adventurous day with yoga, and I found the mix of yoga and climbing particularly successful, as climbing challenges both mind and body, and yoga relaxes and stretches both mind and body so it’s a great warm up and warm down. If I show signs of regressing to adventure bingeing, I’ll just have to book another Yogatraveller trip for some rehab!
 
NEED MORE INFO?
 
Getting There
By car take the Eurotunnel (www.eurotunnel.com) or cross by ferry from Dover (www.poferries.com). The closest airport to Samoens is Geneva, and great flight prices can be found if you shop around. Try Easyjet (www.easyjet.com), British Airways (www.ba.com) or Air France (www.airfrance.co.uk). Samoens is 1 hour from Geneva. Yogatraveller can arrange airport transfers. If you hire a car, make sure it is from the Swiss side of Geneva Airport. Follow signs for France and take the A40 for Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Tolls will cost about €3.50. Take exit 18 (Cluse) and follow signs for Samoens.
 
The Longer Greener Option
As train is the most ecological way to get to La Source, Yogatraveller offer a free train station pick up for the effort! Eurostar (St Pancreas to Paris or Lille), then SNCF TGV to Cluses (4h 30 min).
 
Sweet Dreams
Yogatraveller base, La Source, caters for individual travellers or a group of up to 20. It’s five minutes from the historic heritage village and ski resort, Samoens.
 
Courses and Trips
Yogatraveller holidays range from a weekend in Ireland to 10 days in Bali. Trips to La Source includes accommodation, airport transfers, local advice, wood fired hot tubs, lake trip, two yoga sessions per day, five wholesome largely organic dinners and seven breakfasts. Adventure options besides rock climbing and hiking include parapenting, rafting, mountain and road biking, via ferrata, horse riding, canyoning and skiing.
 
How Much?
Samoens is a little more than your average French town but a little less than the more famous Alpine resorts.
 
What to Take
Take good walking shoes, sun block, sun glasses, rock shoes, swim suit, sun hat, sandals, day back pack and a water bottle. You can borrow a yoga mat and climbing gear if you don’t have or don’t want to bring your own.
 
Other Information
Working with Climate Care (www.climatecare.org), Yogatraveller off-set the Co2 emmissions on their flights. They also plant a tree for every customer who attends their holidays (www.tree-nation.com).
 
Contacts