What a year 2020 has been! A year for plans made and then cancelled but we did manage to do the Haute Route.

Awaiting the bus in our designated circles in Chamonix 2020

2020 has been an unforgettable year for everyone; especially for an international adventure travel company like Pride Expeditions. There are risks in every expedition we do. We recognise those risks and put measures in place to minimize them as much as possible. COVID-19 hit the headlines and drew everyone’s attention, it’s fair to say it overwhelmed Pride Expeditions this Spring. It was hard to know how to deal with something so unknown and cancelled trip followed cancelled trip through April, May and June. Sad times for us and our LGBT travellers and friends.

Luckily for us we have some very loyal customers who were still keen to travel go on an adventurous trek despite the difficulties we faced this year. We were able to fulfil our promise to run a trek across the French and Swiss Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt. This is known as the Walkers Haute Route as it crosses all the high passes of the Valais Alps ending close to the majestic Matterhorn. Just as air bridges were being set up between the UK and France and Switzerland we were busy planning our trip and getting new COVID protocols in place.

We met our lovely little team in Chamonix on the first day of our trek on a sweltering day in early August. Our small team consisted of some very avid walkers but everyone was feeling a little out of practice after months of lockdown. This combined with the heat meant we opted to use the ski lifts on the first day to give us an easy start to the Col du Balme and the Swiss border. Everyone was visibly relieved to descend into the hamlet of Trient with Coronavirus cases rising in France it felt a lot better to be in Switzerland for the remainder of the trek.

The first difference we noticed in being in Europe this Summer was the enforced mask wearing even when walking down the street in major towns. The UK had yet to have a consistent policy but in France and Switzerland they were on it from the start of May. No nonsense and no mixed messaging. The other thing was the unique sense of space. There were few people on the trails and the refuges were unusually quiet. No fighting for space in the dorm rooms or the dining halls this year!

We managed to dodge the showers and had a lovely time crossing the glacial moraines of the Grand Desert to the Cabane de Prafleuri. It is worth noting that the refuges all had different approaches to minimizing the risks of Coronavirus transmission. For those who are used to using Alpine Refuges in future it may be worth noting the following.

Some refuges no longer give the usual free blankets. In the Cabane du Mont Fort above Verbier they were not even available for hire.
Many shower rooms are not available. The showers in the Cabane de Prafleuri have been put out of service for an unspecified time to minimize people in the bathroom.
The evening meals are not as sumptuous as usual. We had chicken and rice on at least five of the seven nights! This may be due to the minimal numbers they are feeding.

Our team remained in good spirits throughout the trek much helped by the stunning views, endless wildflower meadows and consistently good weather. In fact we were only caught out in the rain once on the Col du Torrent whilst descending to the Barrage du Moiry. We highly recommend this trek for those who want a challenging and arduous trek but who like their creature comforts - a comfortable bed and good grub each evening.

We had an action packed 2020 planned at Pride Expeditions but alas it was not meant to be. Our lovely trek through the Alps will be our only successful overseas expedition post onset of Coronavirus. We are missing our LGBT friendly and supportive guides around the globe and they are missing our business. We are adapting to our new world and are always seeking out new ways to make expeditions successful during this global pandemic. During these tough times our thoughts are with our supporters in Nepal, Tanzania, Morocco and elsewhere.

Who is ready for the ladders necessary to cross the Pas De Chevre?

We are planning to make a strong return to travel in mid 2021 so please sign up to our mailing list and follow us online to stay in touch and find out what is happening at Pride Expeditions next year.

www.prideexpeditions.co.uk

Let’s hope for a bigger and better 2021.