Winter Expedition
Step into the raw power of winter. Skiing virgin slopes, climbing snowy peaks and facing the cold.
Facilitated by OTRO Elements
- Where
- Italian Alps — Tour de Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso or the Dolomites
- How long
- 5 days
- Group
- 10–12 people
- Languages
- English, Dutch
The experience
This expedition pushes you well past the comfort zone: skiing untouched terrain, ascending snowy mountains and enduring real winter conditions, and rediscovering your own strength and resilience in the process.
The route adapts to snow, safety and weather. Candidate areas are the Tour de Monte Rosa, Parco Gran Paradiso and the Dolomites; local mountain guides finalise the line shortly before departure.
Days are ski-touring across valleys and ridges, with avalanche skills training, map reading and rope technique built in. Mornings open with a ritual and evenings close in a circle, with reflection and storytelling.
The character of this experience
What the facilitator has told us about their own trip. Anything they have not said is simply not here.
- Depth of the experience
- Start of an inner journeyFor people who have their professional life in order and feel there is more. Who look at life with curiosity, and who want to hear from guides who have made the journey from a successful corporate life to a life more connected with themselves, and through that with others and the world around them.
Who this is for
Said plainly, so you can rule it out as easily as rule it in.
- You can ski off-piste competently and want touring terrain rather than lifts
- You are prepared for cold, and for a route that is only confirmed close to departure
- You want avalanche, navigation and rope skills as part of the trip
- You are new to skiing, or only ski groomed pistes
- You need to know the exact itinerary months in advance
What's included
Included
- Ski-touring across valleys and ridges with local mountain guides
- Avalanche skills training
- Map reading and rope techniques
- Morning rituals and evening circle gatherings
- Hut-to-hut or basecamp accommodation, depending on conditions
- Reflection and storytelling sessions
Not included
- VAT — the price is quoted excluding it, and is indicative until the destination is fixed
- Travel to and from the Alps
- Ski touring equipment and avalanche safety kit (transceiver, shovel, probe)
- Personal and travel insurance, including off-piste cover
Meet your facilitator
OTRO Elements
6 years running experiences
OTRO Elements run “nature-based expeditions designed for reflection, deep connection, and the art of letting go”. Their basecamp is Alpe Selvaccia — 22 hectares of alpine meadow and pine forest above Rassa in the Valsesia, with rustic huts, a fire circle, a tipi and a yoga platform looking out at Monte Rosa. They call the facilitator team the Tribe: Quirine, Fenneke, Tjeerd, Marit, Kalijn, Fernanda, Raymond, Robert-Jan, Benny and others, working alongside local Italian hosts and mountain guides.
Why you can trust this listing
- A person read this listing against a checklist before it went live. It carries the quality stamp only because it passed.
- Every photo above was confirmed as this experience, not stock photography.
- Your money is held in a third-party client account and released to the facilitator 1 day after the experience starts.
Practical details
Including the cancellation terms — visible before you book, not buried at checkout.
Meeting point
Confirmed with the group shortly before departure, once the guides have fixed the route on snow and weather conditions.
What to bring
Touring skis, skins and boots, or arrange rental in advance Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe A full winter layering system, including a hard shell and spare gloves Ski goggles, sunglasses and high-factor sun cream
Accessibility
The most demanding trip in this catalogue. Multi-day ski touring at altitude in winter conditions, with hut nights and long days. Off-piste skiing experience is required. Not suitable for wheelchair users.
Cancellation — Strict
Half refunded up to 30 days before; nothing after.
- More than 30 days before: 50% refund.
- Inside the last window: 0% refund.
Insurance to consider
Worked out from where this trip goes, how long it lasts and what the terrain is like. Insurance is yours to arrange.
Cancellation cover
Pays back what you cannot get refunded if you have to cancel or cut the trip short, for example through illness.
a.s.r. annuleringsverzekering(opens in a new tab)Medical costs abroad
Pays for a doctor or hospital outside the Netherlands. Your Dutch health insurance may not cover everything abroad.
a.s.r. reisverzekering (via Mountain Beat)(opens in a new tab)Rescue and repatriation
Pays for search, rescue and the journey home after an accident or illness. In remote or mountain areas a helicopter rescue can cost tens of thousands of euros.
NKBV Expeditieverzekering (membership required)(opens in a new tab)
The facilitator has not described the terrain yet, so this is based on the region and length only.
The insurance you actually need depends on your own circumstances, such as the cover you already have. Naturetreats does not sell or recommend insurance: check any policy against your own situation before you travel.