<Trip Name>
Easy hikes in the Dolomites
June 17thto June 26th, 2016
Leader: M.Beatriz Silveira
Dear Fellow CMC Member:
Thank you for your interest in the Adventure Travel outing “Easy Hikes in the Dolomites”.To apply for a place on the outing, please complete the enclosed trip application and risk statement, scan themand return themto the trip leader by email. Otherwise, please, mail it to my home.
Please review the following items carefully as you consider applying for this trip:
The principle of this trip is that one does not have to hike “that hard” to go to beautiful places. Many of the hiking trips we see available are geared to the wonderful people that are very energetic, and able to climb thousands of feet/day. What happens to the other people who would like to hike in an easier manner at a casual pace? This trip is for us!!!
The group will have a maximum of 14 persons,with aleader and a coleader. Accommodation is in double occupancy rooms (We have 6 single rooms in Corvara at no extra charge for the first 6 single people that sign in!)Unbelievable!!! There is a single supplement charge for the hotel in Venice of $ 300.00 for two nights.
Once you apply and we discuss it over the phone, you will be notified if you are accepted for the outing. Once accepted, submit a $750.00 deposit to CMC to reserve yourplace (see cancellation policy in the application). Please do not send money before it is requested.Another $ 1,000.00 is due by
March 1st2015 and the remaining balance is payable by/on April 1st 2016.
The current in-country estimated trip costs are $ 3,450.00for members and $ 3,554.00 for non members. The price includes:
- Hotel: Our fabulous 4 star hotel is well located in Corvara, a beautiful alpine village, and from there we will leave for our day hikes. It is a family run hotel and the owner has an extensive wine collection. It also includes breakfast, a lunch box (sandwich, fruit) and 5 course dinner for all our 7 nights there…The hotel is nicely appointed, the rooms are simple but tastefully furnished with the local wood décor. Our prices are based on double occupancy rate. We have also included a 3/4 star hotel in Venice for the initial day of the trip (with dinner and full breakfast next morning also included) and another night in Venice when we return from the mountains (dinner and full breakfast in the following morning). You should plan your departure from the area on Sunday, June 26th 2016. Do not get a ticket to return on June 25th 2016, as we will not guarantee you will be able to get to the airport on time. If you wish to stay in Venice longer, I can help you to make accommodations plans.
- Meals: The quality of the meals at our hotel in Corvara is great (it is a 4 star hotel, after all…)! We must tell them in advance about any dietary restrictions. You must discuss those restrictions with me when we chat over the phone and again in our mandatory 2-pre travel meetings. In Europe, a vegetarian meal essentially means a meal without meat, what means that your main entrée may be pasta. The hotel can cater to a gluten free diet. I cannot guarantee that the 2 meals in Venice will be gluten free or vegetarian, but I will try to arrange for it if needed,and let you know ahead of time.
Remember: vegetarian may mean salad and pasta…plus a wonderful desert…
- Transportation: Except for your airfare and transportation to the hotel in Venice upon your arrival, all the transportation is included. We will travel together by commercial taxi/bus from Venice to Corvara and back. We will use local buses, ski lifts, ski chairs, gondolas, etc. as means of transportation. If you are afraid of using ski lifts, chairs, gondolas this is not the trip for you. The trip ends at our hotel In Venice and you will need to get your own transportation to the airport, train stations, etc.
- All tips are included in the price of the tour.
- Your CMC trip leaders will lead all hikes. The trails are well marked, easy to follow, and we will follow the essential CMC hike philosophy. I have hiked the area myself. There will be a flower hike, and a history hike in the mountains where other local people will be involved.Our flower guide is not a Botanist nor our guide is a Historian. They are nice knowledgeable people who can teach us about the area.
The price does NOT include:
1- Airfare:we suggest you fly into Venice, Italy. Our trip begins at the hotel in Venice on in the evening of June 17th2016. There will be no wine party that night, as alcohol does not help jet lag anyway. The hotel in Venice is easily accessible fromthe airport (bus, boat, cab or train) and it is very close to the Santa Lucia Train Station. More about it in our mandatorypre trip meeting. Transportation from the airport to the hotel in Venice is not included.
2- You must have travel insurance and email the certificate to the leader immediately after you sign for the trip. Be smart, cover yourself adequately. Insurance purchased within a few days after you buy the trip may cover pre existing conditions. If you have decided for no insurance (which should include evacuation costs) you do not belong on this tour.
3- At the hotels: no beveragesare included, no extra services such laundry, massages, bar drinks, etc. areincluded either. Remember that in Italy, water at the tables is bottled water (carbonated or not) and you will get charged for it. The American sentence: “tap water, please”, is not the way to go and it usually means nothing to the waiters. You will run a tab, which you will pay for yourself the night before you leave. You may also purchase wine, which will be kept under your name and brought to the dinner table each evening.
4- How much extra money should you have? I believe you should take at least 30/40euros/day to spend in coffee, icecream, alcohol, trip to Museums, extra cable cars on our own, days trips not included, bike rentals, golf course use and any other excursion you may like, etc. It is up to you, but this is the minimum I would consider. You should also bring some extra money to go around Venice on your own, and if you wish, have ice cream, buy cold water (it will warm…) visit a museum ( no museum tickets are included), etc. There will be no tours in Venice per se, as you will arrive at your leisure. We may walk around in the morning before we get our taxis to go to Corvara. Water taxi, anyone? Gondola ride? Vaporetto?
5-Non-members will be required to pay an administrative fee equal to 3% of the trip costs. Consider becoming a member to avoid this fee.
Prerequisites for the trip are a very good attitude, tolerance, and good physical conditioningas we will be doing A hikes over a variety of terrains and elevations. Hikes will be approximately 3.5-6miles each day in length with elevation gain of around 1000 feet. My pace is casual. The use of ski lifts, ski chairs, gondolas, etc. will achieve the bulk of the elevation gain.If you are afraid of riding a ski lift, chair or gondola, or riding commercial buses in narrow roads, this trip is not for you…
Another great point: if you decide not to hike, you can sit at a coffee shop at the top of the ski lift, enjoy the area, come back down on your own, sit at another coffee shop and wait for us, or stay at the hotel. You should plan to bring a daypack that will carry equipment comparable to what you would bring on a typical Colorado day hike during the summer months. In addition to your daypack, you are allowed one piece of luggageON WHEELS of no more than 20 pounds (you will be carrying it on/off trains, buses, and along sidewalks that may be cobblestone plus you have to lift it yourself to place it on luggage racks).If you like to travel with more than a carry on piece of luggage, orwith a lot of luggage, this trip is not for you either.We have a weight allowance for transport. I cannot find you a place for you to leave your luggage in Venice for one week!More about it later, as we will talk about it again at our mandatory pre-trip meeting.
I have an extensive write up about the trip, which I will email you after a decision is made.
Before applying, you may want to check with your “significant other,” employer, etc. to make sure you have the available time to do a 11 dayor more trip overseas. There is no guarantee of someone being on the wait list to take your place if you have to cancel. You will need a valid passport, but no visa is required to enter Italy.
Attendance at thepre-trip planning meeting is mandatory, as there will be much to discuss. We will meet at CMC in Golden, and you will receive ample notice of the date and time. Topics will include suggested equipment, adequate packing, training, cultural notes, and security precautions. A selection of handouts and guidebooks will be available for your review.
Attendance at 3 pre-trip hikes is also highly suggested. Not only we will get to know each other better, evaluate our strong and weaker points, but I also hope we will make friends and have a better time together in our trip. The added bonus is that we can improve our fitness level together.
And last but not least: As you compare our trip to other ones, please notice that a lot of care has been placed on comfort and safety. Our trip has a hotel in Venice at the beginning and at the end, so you will not have to travel to the mountains tired after a long plane trip. Or risk missing a return flight if there is problem with transport…Be careful of trips that start in the mountains, as you will have to pay yourself to get there. We hope our hotels will be comfortable and the food will be excellent!
Please let me know what questions you may have—I am at your disposal! Email me for questions at . I travel a fair amount and I am not reachable by phone at all times.Email is indeed the best way. For any emergencies, feel free to call me home at 303-320-1242.
Itinerary summary:
June, 17th / Friday-Arrive on your ownto Venice.Hotel included. Dinner included. Walk around Venice on your own! If I am already there and if I can, I may walk around with you.June, 18th / Saturday-Leave for Corvara, our home in the Dolomites. 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 19th / Sunday-Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 20th / Monday- Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 21st / Tuesday- Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 22nd / Wednesday- Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 23rd / Thursday- Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 24th / Friday- Corvara-Hiking day 4 Star hotel/B/L/D
June 25th / Depart Corvara around midday, back to Venice- Venice Hotel, B/L/D
June 26th / Trip ends after breakfast at the hotel in Venice
Our hikes will be in Fanes National Park, Gardena Pass, 3 Cimes, Pralongia, Falzareggo, out of Arraba, and, if we have time at all,another hike in the valley or up to Piz Boe. We will also visit the local museums and, at Falzareggo, will have a guide to explain the First World War History, the tunnels, and the ruins in the area.
Adventure Travel Trip Application
Participant: please print, sign and mail (or digitally sign and submit) to Trip Leader.
Keep a copy for yourself.
Easy Hikes in the Dolomites
June 17-26, 2016
Leader: M.Beatriz Silveira
Address: 2801 Pennsylvania Avenue, unit 306. Boulder CO 80303
e-mail:
Name: ______
Address: ______
Phone: (Day) ______(Evening) ______
Email address: ______
Gender: ☐Male ☐Female Age: _____ Occupation: ______
(For foreign trips only)
Passport Number: ______Expiration Date: ______
Passport must be valid for 6 months after departure of destination country.
Place of Issue: ______Date of Issue: ______
Emergency Contact:
Name: ______
Phone: ______
Relationship: ______
State of health (applicant must disclose all medical conditions which may affect the success of this trip):
______
List of medications you are taking: ______
Allergies:______Medical concerns:______
CMC Member? ☐Yes ☐No (If you are not a CMC Member you will need to sign the Guest Release of Liability Waiver and add 3% to the cost of the trip. Consider becoming a member to avoid this fee.)
Member #: ______CMC Group affiliation (e.g. Denver, Boulder): ______
Describe your background in outdoor activities as it relates to this trip (e.g. camping, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering): ______
Your fitness level (select one): ☐Excellent ☐Good ☐Fair
Dietary restrictions, food allergies, dietary preference (note: dietary restrictions may not be able to be accommodated): ______
Personal Risk Statement
The world can be a dangerous place. Participants are responsible for making their own travel decisions. Participants should keep themselves apprised of travel restrictions and warnings announced by the State Department and decide their own level of risk.
The CMC goes to great lengths to provide safe, quality domestic and international cultural, educational and adventure trips. Before trips are sanctioned by the CMC, trip leaders are screened for their qualifications to lead the trip and their trip proposals are carefully considered. Every effort is made to assure the trip will go as announced.
One risk is that sometimes trips must be canceled by the CMC or the trip leader for a variety of reasons. These may range from failure to meet the trip’s minimum participation requirement to political unrest in the destination country.
Payment and Cancelation Policy
All requests for cancellation must be submitted in writing (letter or e-mail) to the trip leader.
Cancellation by March 15th 2016: If a qualified, wait listed, person is available to take a vacated slot and pays all money due by March 28th 2016, all payments made by the cancelling party will be refunded, less a $50 processing fee. If no one is available to take a vacated slot, all money paid in will be refunded less $500 dollars.
Cancellation by April 15th 2016 If a qualified, wait listed, person is available to take a vacated slot and pays all money due, all payments made by the cancelling party will be refunded less a $50 processing fee. If no one is available to take a vacated slot, all money paid in will be refunded except for $750 dollars.
Cancellation after May 1st 2016 up to May, 14th, 2016- If a qualified, wait listed person is available to take a vacated slot and pays all money due, all payments made by the cancelling party will be refunded less a $50 processing fee. If no one is available to take a vacated slot, all money paid in will be refunded less $1,000 dollars.
Cancellations after May 15th 2016 or closer to the departure: No refund will be made.
Participants are strongly encouraged to purchase travel/cancellation/evacuation insurance.
After you are accepted on the trip, don’t wait to purchase your travel insurance!
Please sign and date the application, and return it to the trip leader. You cannot sign up for the trip with CMC until the trip leader approves this application.
I have read and agree to the Personal Risk Statement and the Payment and Cancelation Policy.
I have completed this application truthfully.
______
SignatureDate
Welcome Letter11/13/2018