Tour 7: Sils Maria, Zermatt & Grindelwald Accessible Alps Tour

Matterhorn and Eiger Accessible Tour

• August 15: meet guides in Zürich by 10 a.m. and travel by train to Sils Maria
• August 16-18: enjoy the Upper Engadine Valley and Bernina Alps
• August 19: travel by the famous Glacier Express Train to Zermatt
• August 20 – 22: explore above Matter Valley with incredible views of Matterhorn
• August 23: travel by train to Grindelwald
• August 24 -26: enjoy perhaps the most scenic area of Switzerland, the Jungfrau Region
• August 27: travel by train to Zürich arriving by 11:17 a.m.

Tour Highlights & Details:

Hotels:
– Zermatt, Switzerland: Hotel Silvana
– Grindelwald, Switzerland: Hotel Schweizerhof
– Sils Maria, Switzerland: Hotel Waldhaus

Highlights – Zermatt: The Matterhorn and the Matter valley, surrounded by 30 peaks topping 4,000 m (13,000 ft.); the Monte Rosa massif and Dufourspitze, the highest point in Switzerland; Gornergrat, a cog railway that travels 3,089 m (10,134 ft.) to an impressive overlook, and the Klein Matterhorn, the end point of Switzerland’s highest cable car at 3,820 m (12,533 ft.) terrific.  Having such impressive gondolas and cable cars and cog trains to our trail heads helps us keep above tree line affording incredible views of an area that holds 3/4 of all 4000-meter peaks in the Alps.

Highlights – Grindelwald: The Jungfrau massif (Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau); high mountain passes of Kleine Scheidegg and Grosse Scheidegg; and the hike from Grindelwald to the historic Mountain Lodge Faulhorn, with panoramic views over lakes Thun and Brienz; upper and lower glaciers of Grindelwald, Thunersee, Brienz See, and Interlaken; dairy farms and local cheeses and one of the best day hikes in the Alps the route above Grindelwald from First to Schynige Platte.

Lead Guides: Dr. Valerie Jones and Cristiano Berta

Our Accessible Swiss Hiking Tours:

Accessible Swiss Adventure Tours are the brain-child of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician Val Jones, MD. She believes the Alps provide a unique opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities to enjoy an immersive, life-changing travel experience. For more information about their accessible tours visit: Accessible Alpine Adventure Tours 501(c)3

“These tours are an exciting motivator for newly disabled individuals. The possibility of participating in something so challenging and beautiful gives hope and a reason to strive hard at the earliest stages of recovery – when it matters most” says Dr. Jones. 

“Switzerland is ideally positioned to support people with disabilities because the mobility infrastructure is already in place. They have trains, gondolas, lifts, eBikes, recreational vehicles, and helicopters everywhere.”

“We chose to partner with Alpine Adventure Trails and Tours because they’re a family-owned U.S. company that has been running trips to the alps since 1977. They have deep knowledge of the local trails, mobility options, as well as access to multi-lingual local guides and relationships with hoteliers and restaurant owners who have embraced accessibility” adds Dr. Jones.

Lead Guides

Val Jones, MD

Dr. Jones received her medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation in 2006. She has been a medical director and traveling physician for the past 17 years, with licenses in 20 states, an academic appointment at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, and extensive experience with stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury recovery. She most recently was the founding medical director at HCA Florida JFK Hospital.

She is an amateur athlete, whose childhood love of downhill skiing led her to attend Swiss Challenge (organized by the American School in Switzerland) where she had her first exposure to the alps in 1985. She much later planned to join the Canadian Ski Patrol, but suffered a severe knee injury during a race in Austria and switched her focus to hiking and strength training. As a “Master’s athlete” she now enjoys low-risk outdoor activities, culinary delicacies, and helping others achieve their physical and health goals. Dr. Jones believes that this recce will be the first step in unifying her rehab career with her passion for alpine activities. 

Christiano Berta

Cristiano grew up in a family of mountain guides with a long tradition of mountaineering. He comes from a little mountain town nestled somewhere in the Italian Alps close to the French border. The Alps are his natural environment, having hiked, mountaineered, skied and climbed since a tender age, and whenever he spends a few weeks away from the familiarity of his peaks, he begins to long for them. He is convinced that mountains are more than just elevations of the earth’s surface, and that hiking is more than a sport. He firmly believes that the combination of majestic mountain scenery and the act of hiking bring a sense of uplifting and self-awareness, contributing to personal growth.

He is very knowledgeable about the Western Alps, particularly about the lesser known regions of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley. In recent years he has started exploring new mountain ranges across Europe, namely the High Tatras in Poland and the Transylvanian Alps in Romania, where he went through some memorable experiences, such as encountering brown bears or being caught in a snowstorm in the middle of the summer.

He enjoys the company of others, and is always happy to share some of his personal stories and knowledge of the Alps.

Partners

Support

Interested in becoming a partner or sponsoring a tour, therapist, or hiker? 

Contact: Shannon Harris at Alpine Adventure Trails and Tours: 478-714-0829 or alpine@swisshiking.com.