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Quality Alpine Walking and Snowshoe Holidays with a Qualified Professional
- Highly experienced and qualified professional leader for your safety and peace of mind and enjoyment.
- Professional guiding - over 30 years of experience!
- Small groups for personal attention and safety.
- Cultural insight from living permanently in France and speaking fluent French
- Quote from a happy client " Mark - a guide extraordinaire!"
ata provide an exciting means to get into what would normally be the domain of the rock climber. Lasting memories guaranteed!
"The Isle of Beauty" - Wild and rugged mountains juxtaposed with the Mediterranean Sea.
The Classic mountain trekking route from Chamonix to Zermatt, Switzerland
The Classic Tour of the Mont Blanc mountain range passing through France, Italy and Switzerland
6 days exploring the Vanoise National Park from a comfortable hotel base at Pralognan la Vanoise in the heart of the Vanoise.
in the beautiful Queyras Regional Park
Customised walking, via ferrata or adventure tours for individuals, groups or families.
ata provide an exciting means to get into what would normally be the domain of the rock climber. Lasting memories guaranteed!
Travelling here
That's easy and hassle free!
- Fly to Geneva, Lyon or Chambery - with a wide choice of airlines.
- Catch the high-speed train, the TGV, to Albertville, Chambery or Moutiers.
- Simply Savoie will meet you at your arrival point and transfer you in comfort to your accommodation.
Accommodation
Your accommodation is hand-picked to ensure you have a great stay. Hotel based tours are in locally owned, family run hotels full of French character where you can enjoy well prepared local wine and produce. If you want to custom design your walking holiday or tour Simply Savoie can offer a range accommodation of options. Stay in a luxury chateau, an authentic chalet hotel, a modern luxury hotel, charming family run hotels in a pretty mountain village, or a rustic mountain hut or refuge. It's your choice and your budget.
Your guide
I, Mark, personally lead Simply Savoie's tours and walks ensuring you of a personal service second to none and to always aim to exceed your expectations. I speak fluent French and have been a local resident near Albertville since 2005 and share my life with a French partner from the region. This helps to gain an insight to local culture and life which I can pass on to you.
Mark - "a guide extrordinaire!" - Susan from New York.
Safety & Qualifications and Experience
Naturally your safety, security and well being are a primary concern:
- Simply Savoie has a 100% safety record.
- Legally qualified and registered with the French authorities as required by French law.
- Qualified International Mountain Leader / Accompagnateur en Montagne and Mountaineering Instructor - a culmination of over 30 years experience in the mountains and the completion of numerous and rigourous training and assessment courses.
- Member of the French Syndicat National des Accompagnateurs en Montagne and Association of International Mountain Leaders.
- First Aid qualified with training to Emergency Medical Technician level.
- Moutain Rescue team member for seven years as part of one of the busiest teams in Scotland.
The Area
The French Alps are home to the highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc above the town of Chamonix Mont Blanc. The French Alps contain many varied and superb mountain areas with superb walking for all tastes.
The Vanoise, including the Vanoise National Park, is an area that should not be missed. The Beaufortain, the Bauge, the Chartreuse and the Vercors. These areas provide excellent trekking and hiking opportunities for the walker. The network of mountain refuges give the chance for hut to hut walks and trekking. If you enjoy the comforts of staying in hotels the small villages and towns provide an authentic French experience.
Flocks of sheep and goats graze on the alpine pastures (alpages) providing the milk for the famous cheeses of the area. The most famous of which are "Beaufort" and "Tome de Savoie". The mountain climate and environment enables an abundant selection of Alpine flowers to create a wonderful carpet on the hillsides in the summer months. Lower down in the woodlands the autumn months provide a rich harvest of wild mushrooms including, ceps / bolet, chanterelles, Horn of Plenty and other varieties.
Location
Savoie is one of France's administrative departments, with the key city being Chambery. It is located within the Rhone-Alpes region of France bordering Italy to the east and the Haute-Savoie and Switzerland to the north. To the south is the department of Isere with the city of Grenoble.
Simply Savoie offers: Walking Holidays - Alpine Walking Holidays - Guided Alpine Walking Holidays - Alpine Walking Holidays in France - Guided Alpine Walking Holidays in France - French Guided Walking Holidays - French Alpine Walking Holidays Simply Savoie offers holidays in the following areas: Vanoise Walking Holidays, Vanoise National Park - Beaufortain Walking Holidays - Tour of the Beaufortain - Walking Holidays in the Chartreuse: Traverse of the Chartreuse - Bauges Walking Holidays in the Bauges National Park - Guided Walking Holidays, France, Alps - Guided Walks Holidays, France - Guided Walks Simply Savoie offers Snow Shoeing or Snow Walking - France Alps Snow Shoeing tours and holidays - France Alps Snow Shoeing - a great way of enjoying the winter - France Alps Raquettes de Neige - France Snow Shoeing in the Savoie region of France - France Snow Shoeing. Areas covered: Three Valleys, Meribel, Courchevel, Courchevel 1850, Courchevel 1650, La Tania. Simply Savoie offers: Mountain Walking in France, the Alps - Mountain Walking French Alps - Mountain Walks France Alps - Mountain Walks French Alps.
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A Few Testimonials ...
"... many thanks for your knowledge, time and effort last week it was much appreciated. Despite the weather the trip was a great success and will have many lasting memories long after other holidays have been forgotten."
Dear Mark
Just to thank you for an excellent holiday and for your patience. We really enjoyed the chance to see so many different aspects of the area and to get to some of the cols and refuges: Chris is sorting through hundreds of photographs which will help us to remember it all. We also much appreciated the comfort and helpfulness of the hotel. Many thanks for all that you did for us.
We just came back from ski vacation in Val Thorens.
We had a free day on Friday ( you can get your apartment only on Saturday). We found in the internet Mark Tennent from Simply Savoie,
and he took us for snow shoeing walk. Everything was perfect, he met us on time, gave us the equipment, and took us to very beautiful place,' with fantastic views over the mountains.
Yaffa, Jerusalem
Feb 09, 2011
"What a fabulous way to spend the day, at one with nature, in beautiful surroundings, and getting a brilliant work out as well. Highly recommend, even for adrenaline junkies!"
Mark thanks again for the great day...just got back to NYC and was talking about you on the plane home. R* had a great time with Roy...hope to see you again next year. - SF - Snowshoeing, Courchevel, March 2010
Hoping we shall meet again. -IL - Snowshoeing, Courchevel, March 2010.
Thanks so much for making the three days so enjoyable.
Really felt part of the wondrous environment and feel much better for it. The lunches were also great, vipers and all! - GB - Snowshoeing, Courchevel, March 2010
“I retained Mark to guide my 12-year-old son and I on the Tour du Mt Blanc in late May/early June 2010. We were pre-season, meaning that we met with some adverse weather, but Mark was consistently excellent in problem-solving, navigation and finding lateral solutions to difficult situations. He is a personable, highly experienced mountain guide with a superb knowledge of the Savoie region especially. I would certainly retain Mark again for any similar undertakings.” June 28, 2010
“I hired Mark as an instructor in Courchevel. He was courteous and professional and so interesting from the moment we met before the lesson even began. He weaves his knowledge of nature and the environment into the lesson giving a dimension that I had never experienced before.
I highly recommend Mark as an instructor extraordinare!” March 25, 2010
Hi Mark,
We really enjoyed the snowshoeing afternoons with you.
Dear Mark, thanks for a memorable day. It has just been perfect! Just back home from les Saisies. Another two beautiful days! Snow was great!
Thanks for great pictures and thanks for a great holiday.
Hi Mark, hope you are well and good snow keeps you busy. Again thank you very much for this amazing experience. We really enjoyed it. Many thanks, Karolina
... "may I congratulate you on organising a fine event, thoroughly enjoyed by all of us with excellent instruction by Mark Tennent" RB
Just a quick not to say thanks for making our holiday one that will be hard to forget. We had such a great time and learned just exactly what we need to tackle a winter munro with all that the weather could throw at us. We spent the return journey to the relative flat lands of the Peak District planning our next adventure and looking forward to our future fun on Scottish winter hills. AF 22 Feb 2000
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the winter mountaineering course I have just completed with you. I would like to give particular thank you to Jonathon who did an excellent job as guide and led us to some very interesting places! Overall I found it a very worthwhile week. PN 22 Feb 2000
"... I appreciated your professionalism and training skills ... the climbing in those five days was a personal high for me ... I also enjoyed your company very much" BE
"... thanks for a superb and memorable day on Aonach Eagach ..." RS
... the course was both informative and well presented and I've learned what I had hoped for and some more". GC
Just a few lines to let you know that I was very pleased with the mountain walking in September". MW
... a reminder of two wonderful days on Skye under your brilliant guidance". ST
...thank you for a fantastic week on Skye ... a combination of fine weather, great company and your own professionalism made for a really great experience." MU
"Thank you for a great day on Monday on the Aonach Eagach Ridge". KH
...Thanks for a cracking couple of days in Glencoe ... thank you again for everything - I shall certainly give you a call if I get some free time." BW
"Thank you for a marvellous couple of days scrambling and navigating in the hills ... you have truly whetted my appetite, and I learned a tremdous amount during the two days ... I will be in touch next time I'm looking for something exciting up north...". PB
"Thanks for making our weekend on Skye not just successful but also very enjoyable" JB - Guiding on Skye
"Thank you for running a first class training course. My staff learned a great deal and are motivated to extend these skills". - Stevenson College - SPSA Training
"We'd just like to express our thanks for organising everything and providing what was clearly first class training during our recent snow & ice climbing course." - CB
"We both felt that you made very good decisions about what to do, balancing safety with a programme that fulfilled our desire to do some challenging and interesting climbing." PB - Snow & Ice Climbing
"Thank you for a superb day last Saturday. (In Pin, Sgurr Mhicoinnich, Sgurr Alisdair) I will certainly be recommending you to my friends." DB
"Thanks for a superb week and hope to see you again sometime". S
"Just a short note to say a big thank you for your instruction on Saturday. We both enjoyed the day enormously and feel that it has given us a bit of extra confidence to venture further afield and appreciate more of the mountain ... we were also grateful for the company of a like-minded and proficient individual rather than the bearded eccentric." NP
"I would commend your professionalism and ability to communicate. Also your patience with us was exemplary, and we both enjoyed your company tremendously. It was a great pleasure to share the enjoyment of these spectacular mountains with you ... Our grateful thanks for a very memorable day with a total professional" M&SK
Dear Mark, many thanks for sending a link to your photos, they are a great reminder of 3 brilliant days. Thanks so much for making it all work so smoothly.
Snowshoeing in the Vanoise
Dear Mark
We had a really enjoyable day ... we talked about it a lot after and we all genuinely had a great time. She was raving to her friends about it ... all the best. Feel free to point people in my direction if you need a professional recommendation.
all the best
Malcolm
"Thanks very much for a challenging but really enjoyable afternoon. I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm sure it's something we'll do again." - Snowshoeing
Mark's Latest Tweets
- Les Bauges, Savoie: great day out in the mountains, sun, flowers, great views. — 22 hours 1 min ago
- Bikes hanging from the Olympic "tower" in Albertville, 12 July Tour du France: Albertville - La Toussuire http://t.co/Dun0AQOB — 22 hours 2 min ago
- BBC News - Could France learn to love British beef? http://t.co/LC1zuvei — 1 day 22 hours ago
- Mark's Blog - Cycling around Lac d'Annecy - After a morning completing my French tax return I needed a break! I set ... http://t.co/41OJnGHk — 6 days 8 hours ago
- Mark's Blog - Cycling around Lac d'Annecy - After a morning completing my French tax return I needed a break! I set ... http://t.co/TjDnshud — 6 days 8 hours ago
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