Mile by mile on the car journey from Geneva airport to my destination, the scenery seems to become ever more spectacular as we go along. And I near my mountainside base for the next few days – Chalet Pelerin in the tiny Savoie village of Le Miroir – I glance at my watch to see two-and-a-half hours have actually passed, or rather flown by. Easing myself from the car, my neck aches from looking up at the snow-capped peaks, elevated forests and waterfalls along the way, but I soon discover those views are actually just a prelude to the main attraction.
Chalet Pelerin is one of a portfolio of worldwide adventure lodges owned by experiential travel company Eleven, which has a solid customer base in the US and is keen to grow awareness here. Confusingly, there are 12 properties in the portfolio, despite the name. And as he shows me around the chalet, experience manager Thomas Carrier explains these are as far-flung as North America, Iceland, Alaska, New Zealand, Chile and the Bahamas.
“The company started with just one lodge: the owner was a fan of cult comedy Spinal Tap and, like the volume on the eponymous band’s guitar amp, he wanted his clients’ experiences ‘to be turned up to 11’,” Carrier says.
Views with a room
Chalet Pelerin provides the ultimate high-end Alps adventure, and the daily, full buyout rate is inclusive of the services of a housekeeping team, all meals, soft and alcoholic drinks, plentiful snacks, and a range of expert-led activities from glacier hiking and whitewater rafting to canyoning and fly fishing.
Across its three levels, the property accommodates a maximum of 12 people in four double bedrooms and two bunk-bed rooms. I’m lucky enough to be staying in the master suite, named “Mont Pourri” after the glacier guests can spy from its private balcony on the second floor.
I’m here to check out the summer offering and it’s 30 degrees when I visit, but I can imagine the room’s private log fireplace blazing in winter as guests enjoy an apres-ski tipple. The Alpine theme continues into the sizeable bathroom complete with freestanding bathtub, steam shower and toiletries by cult brand Aesop.
Nice touches include scannable QR codes to access WiFi, a programmable music system and TVs through which clients can access popular platforms such as Netflix and YouTube by logging on with their own account details. The other double rooms are slightly smaller but nevertheless impressive, each named after local peaks such as Aiguille Rouge, Sassiere and Fogliettaz. Kids, meanwhile, will be fighting over who gets top bunk in the chalet’s other sleeping quarters.
The huge living area/breakfast room on the floor below my room boasts another open fireplace plus a well-stocked bar, while a country-style kitchen is for the use of both guests and staff, with a fridge packed with local cheeses, fruit and a selection of drinks. Walk beyond the main door and you’re onto the main terrace with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, plus an elevated outside dining area from where you can enjoy the scenery from yet another angle. Moving down another storey, you arrive at the chalet’s R&R area, with a small pool, steam room, outside hot tub (with more Alpine vistas), fire pit, plunge pool and surprisingly large sauna.
For high-net-worth guests celebrating landmark events, there’s also the option of hiring Chalet Pelerin’s sister property opposite, Chalet Hibou, a modernised 17th-century building that accommodates up to 16 people in its six double rooms and bunk bed quarters.
The high life
Impressive as the chalet is, I can’t wait to get out into the open air and sample one of the alpine experiences that come with the package. Bright and early next morning, Eleven’s France guide manager Jean Noel Gaidet leads an excursion across the border into Courmayeur, Italy for a glacier hike on majestic Mont Blanc.
It’s 2,700 metres above sea level at the drop-off point, and it takes two separate cable cars to get there: for someone like me, who rarely ascends higher than the top deck of a bus, the sudden, dramatic climb induces a wave of nausea. Thankfully, Jean Noel and Jake Beren, adventure operations manager, have seen it all before and the latter talks me through some simple breathing exercises to acclimatise my body to the high altitude.
Five minutes later and I feel back to normal as we don hiking boots and crampons, and clip into safety ropes for an exhilarating trek across the ice and snow, lungs working overtime to cope with the thin air as we take in the stunning landscape.
It’s a magical experience but one which, sadly, is at risk from the effects of global warming. Jean Noel says he’s witnessed the glaciers receding at an alarming rate, and many structures on the mountains and hillsides are prone to collapse as the packed ice that holds the ground beneath them together melts for ever.
It’s a phenomenon that’s also shortening the traditional skiing seasons in the region, leading destinations, hotels and operators to extend their spring and summer shoulder seasons. Chalet Pelerin’s client base (and Eleven’s in general) is mainly US travellers, and although the brand does work with UK agents, it’s keen to increase its profile and extend its reach by engaging more with the trade to encourage Brits to visit its portfolio of properties.
Perfecting the experience
Over a chef-prepared three-course dinner on the terrace that evening, I chat to Chalet Pelerin’s general manager Julie Gaidet, who, it turns out has a strong personal connection to the building. “It was built in 1960 by my husband’s father,” her husband being none other than Jean Noel.
“Eleven bought it in 2011 and opened it in 2013 after making renovations but it didn’t operate fully for another two years until it had perfected the staff service and the brand had been developed. Now, with all the variety of organised activities and prepared dinner and breakfast, guests say to me it really is the perfect holiday, as they don’t have to think about anything. That’s really down to the team – it’s like looking at a swan, very serene above the surface but you know they’re paddling like mad below the water to keep things moving.”
I couldn’t have put things better myself, and if you’re harbouring an ambition to live the high life, you won’t find a more elevated experience than Chalet Pelerin.
How to book it
Summer 2023 rates at Chalet Pelerin start from $7,480 (£5,712) per night for private chalet buyout based on 10 guests. Price includes private concierge, full guide service, all gear for activities, pre-arrival planning with an Eleven Experience Manager, use of the chalet’s alpine outpost, the Alpage, plus all meals and house alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
