Details - Corporate.

Bankers go biking

Brief:
A group of bike-loving New York bankers were looking for a money-can’t-buy opportunity to cycle alongside a professional tour. They wanted a unique challenge which they could shout about back home.

The SwisSKIsafari solution:
We loved this opportunity to pull a few strings to create an experience like never before. Through personal contacts and VIP access, we arranged for the group to closely follow a professional bike tour, the Tour de Suisse, for one week.

We followed the Tour from Lugano to Interlaken across challenging mountain paths, past flowering Alpine meadows and through deep mountain gorges, staying at Switzerland’s best hotels each night.

Highlights included following the climb up the Nufenen pass on bikes; its highest point at 2,478 meters. Next followed a scenic descent into the Goms valley for a helicopter transfer to the finish line, watching the cyclists below from the air. A VIP area awaited the group at the finish line each evening: the perfect location to experience the buzz of the cyclists pushing through the last few meters each day.

The 31km climb up to the Furka pass, at 2,486 meters was the most grueling, but rewarded with a stunning freewheel past lake Brienzersee, and a gentle route through traditional mountain villages down into Interlaken. Here, a champagne welcome awaited the group, followed by a world-class dinner, and some much-needed spa treatments.

The perfect mix of hard work and even harder play left this group beaming with their achievements.

Everest… with no experience

Brief:
Having been inspired by a documentary on climbing Everest, a group from an adventure TV channel wanted to take their clients on a similar mountain experience, with all the drama, but without the years of training.

The SwisSKIsafari solution:
With world-class mountain guides instead of sherpas, and the Swiss Alps instead of the Himalayas, we took them on a mountain hike to remember. This trip combined drama and altitude with pushing personal boundaries and masses of fresh air: just what this adventurous group were looking for.

Sleeping in style, the group enjoyed 5* mountain luxury and traditional mountain cuisine by night, with unique adventure by day. With our team as sherpas, we began by hiking to the spectacular St Bernard Monastery, a remote working monastery high in alps, reachable only on foot from a heli landing spot.

The second challenge was the big one. Up at 10,000 feet, crampons strapped to their feet, we hiked along a spectacular glacier, avoiding crevasses and learning about the ice formations around them. Following the ancient trails of Hannibal and Napoleon, we swapped to snowshoes to explore glaciers and famous peaks of the Mt. Blanc massive, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

The group were simply amazed at the views, and loved that they could enjoy these heights as non-skiers. An authentic mountain expedition with no experience required, all in complete safety: beats a day in front (or behind the scenes) of the TV hands down.

The high-energy challenge

Brief:
A famous energy drinks brand were looking for a once-in-a-lifetime extreme sport experience as an amazing prize, to cater for groups of friends.

The SwisSKIsafari solution:
A six day trip heli-climbing the Swiss Alps.

Starting with the climbing basics, the group were taught all the skills they would need to tackle the mountain by expert guides who have scaled peaks higher than 8,000 meters. Armed with their new knowledge, harnesses, crampons and ropes, they set off for a couple of days’ practise on rock walls and glaciers in the mighty Mont Blanc range.

Then came the big challenge. Using permanent cables and ladders of via ferrata, they made their way to a mountain refuge at 2,590 ft: their home for the next two nights. The big trek began the next day with a descent into a crevasse, where ropes, adrenalin and expert guiding saw them inside the mountain. Listening to the cracking sounds of the glacier around them was a real high point.

Back above the ice a heli took them to rock faces perfect for climbing and glacial peaks just waiting to be scaled, completing an unforgettable journey with world-class guidance. Exhausted, but exhilarated, the group ended the adventure with a trek down the glacier, and straight into the hot-tub of a 5* hotel for some much-needed pampering. A truly unforgettable trip.