FAQ

ALPINE SECTION
The club caters primarily for adults. There are, however, some children who participate. Children’s participation is considered on a case-by-case basis. More info at the permanence, every Thursday from 18h to 19h30.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
Please contact the leader of the outing, to know whether it’s possible depending on the level of difficulty.

No, the club does not rent or sell equipment. And you will need your gear before you join an outing, since many of the ski resorts do not have convenient rental shops. Information on places to rent equipment in Geneva is available at the permanence. Seasonal rentals are reasonably priced.

ALPINE SECTION
Sign up is only possible online from Monday to Thursday before 20h.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
You can sign up either at the permanence on Thursday evenings, by emailing or phoning the hike leader (except for group Nordic skiing lessons, for which you need to sign up directly at the permanence).

ALPINE SECTION
Yes, we accept Postcard, Visa and MasterCard. There is an extra fee, depending on the card you pay with. We don’t however accept American Express or Diners.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
No, credit cards are not accepted (advance payments for weekends can be paid to a bank account according to the instructions given by the outing leader)

ALPINE SECTION
The club outings are suited for skiers of all levels, from first-time beginners to experts. Lessons for first-time beginners start in December and usually run through to the end of February. If you start early in the season, you will be a confident skier before the season is over.

NORDIC SECTION
Group lessons for all levels are given from mid-December to mid-February. The lessons take place in La Vattay (usually 4 times per season)

ALPINE SECTION
The day trips usually visit ski resorts in the nearby French Alps such as Les Contamines, Flaine, Argentière and Megève or Courmayeur in the Italian Alps.

NORDIC SECTION
For day trips, we usually go to Nordic resorts in the nearby French Jura (Les Rousses, Prémanon, etc.) or Swiss Jura (La Givrine, Le Marchairuz, etc.), sometimes to resorts in Haute-Savoie (Praz-de-Lys, Les Saisies, etc.).

SUMMER SECTION
We mostly hike in the Canton Vaud and Valais, as well as in nearby France (Jura and Alps).

ALPINE SECTION
The exact price depends on the destination. The coach transport costs CHF 35.-, a full-day lesson costs CHF 40.-, (for the Freeride classes CHF 50.-) and the ski lift ticket costs between CHF 30.- and 55.- So a day of skiing will cost about CHF 100.-
The weekend trips cost at least CHF 450.- (and include transport, ski pass, hotel, breakfast and dinner).

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
Transport is organised by private cars (carpooling) or by public transport. The costs depend on the destination. By car the costs are usually between 15 and 30 CHF, to which is added the 5 CHF fee per day.

ALPINE SECTION
Our service includes the travel to the ski resort and back by coach, the ski lift ticket and an entire day lessons given by a ski instructor with a Swiss diploma. We start from Geneva, at the place des Nations,at 7:30 am, and return the same evening at around 6:30 pm. The participants of a class generally eat lunch together in a restaurant. The price of the lunch is not included in the lesson price.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
The meeting time and place are decided by the leader of the outing depending on the destination and the activity. For outings in the Jura mountains, the meeting point is usually at the rue de Varembé, near the Place des Nations, where parking is available.

Although lessons are provided in French, many instructors also speak English. The participants speak every language imaginable.

The weekend outings venture a bit farther from Geneva usually to resorts in the Swiss and French Alps. The schedule is set at the beginning of each year and typically includes resorts such as Zermatt, Wengen, Zinal and Crans-Montana in Switzerland, and Val d’Isere and Les Deux Alpes in France. The weekend outings usually leave Geneva on a Friday evening and return on Sunday evening. There are no lessons given on the weekend outings. The weekend outings can sometimes take on a festive atmosphere.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
For the weekends, we usually venture a bit farther away, for example to Valais or Savoie

During the ski season, the club also organises snowboarding lessons, cross-country and snowshoeing outings, off-piste helicopter skiing, ski touring and nighttime ski and sledge outings. From Easter to October, the club also organises hikes, mostly in the mountains, and kayaking.
A few social events are also organised. 

ALPINE SECTION
Join the class 6 or the Free Ride class where you can do moguls,  ski down through steep gulleys join us at heli-skiing, float through waist-deep powder and perfect your high-speed ski technique.
If you are already an expert skier and would like to become a Swiss-certified instructor, you can receive your instruction through the Club. If you are already certified and would like to teach, please let us know. Ask for Raffaele at the permanence on Thursday evenings.

NORDIC SECTION
The Nordic skiing outings are usually for experienced Nordic skiers. We organize group beginners’ lessons and after a few lessons you can join the “easy” outings.

ALPINE SECTION
In case of a really bad weather forecast for the outing and closing of the ski resort, the organizers will cancel the outing on Thursday evening. If this happens, you will receive an email from the organizer (you have to be on the mailing list). If the outing is cancelled, participants will be fully reimbursed.

NORDIC SECTION
The leader will give instructions at the latest on the morning of the outing. If there is not enough snow for skiing or snowshoeing, the leader may decide to change the destination, or to organise a hike instead.

SUMMER SECTION
The leader will make sure to inform the participants whether a hike is taking place or is cancelled, this is usually done via email or telephone the day before the hike.

ALPINE SECTION
If an outing is held and you do not show up there will be no refund. You must understand that if you do not turn up, the club has already incurred expenses on the basis of your inscription (transport, teachers…) which must be paid for.

NORDIC AND SUMMER SECTIONS
Of the sum that you paid when you registered, we will neither refund the club tax nor any other costs that we had due to your registration. For non-members, the surcharge is refunded.

There is sometimes a ski outing during July or August. It goes to a very high resort, such as Tignes, where glacier skiing is available. More info at the permanence.

Information and registration are available at the “permanence” (weekly meeting) of the club, which is held every Thursday from 18:00 to 19:30 at the restaurant of the Varembé swimming pool – Avenue Giuseppe-Motta 46 – 1202 Genève. It is just a short walk from the Place des Nations (tram 15 and buses 5, 8, 11, 22, 28, F, V) see the map . If you drop by, you will find an information desk with people who can answer your questions, in both English and French.

ALPINE SECTION
No you don’t need to become a member. Non-members can participate in SCIG outings by paying an additional fee of CHF 20.- per outing for adults and CHF 10.- for children.

NORDIC SECTION
The surcharge for non-members is 10.- CHF per day

SUMMER SECTION
The surcharge for non-members is 10.- CHF per day