Grading: An Overview

There’s no precise science to grading the physical nature of our trips. However here’s a breakdown of how we’ve put together our framework for the grading of our trips. There’s two important things to bear in mind:

1. We’re always happy to chat to you about what you’re looking to do and discuss whether it’s the right trip for you. Simply get in touch with us however you’d like.
2. All of our trips are customisable so if there’s something you don’t fancy doing, don’t reckon you’d be able to or simply don’t want to take any risks, let us know.

We categorise our trips into four levels. Whilst we have a range of active trips specifically designed for people looking to be constantly on-the-move, most of our trips have days where you might be hiking, cycling or walking around a city so require a reasonable level of general fitness.

Easy

These trips are going to be suitable for most people in good health and for a wide range of ages. Trips rated as easy generally only include the odd activity and where there is, it won’t be overly strenuous.

• Activities: There might be the odd activity that requires a reasonable level of good health but there’ll be alternative options if you’re not feeling up to it. Plus, on private trips, your guide can tailor the activity to your level of fitness. Examples might include stand-up paddle-boarding, taking a scenic walk or sightseeing by bicycle. 

Moderate

Whilst exerting yourself physically might not be the main purpose of your trip, there’s going to be moments where it feels that way! We’d recommend a reasonable level of fitness for these trips (i.e., regularly active). Here’s a few of the things you might encounter on a trip rated moderate:

• Activities: Overnight hikes, cycling around ancient cities or paddling yourself around a lake. There might be a range of different activities throughout these trips so they’re best for people who enjoy being regularly active but not necessarily fitness fanatics.
• Frequency: The activities you’re doing might not be at altitude, take all day or be the main purpose of the holiday but there’s going to be plenty of them throughout the trip. You’re not going to be doing multiple days in a row but there will be multiple days you’re on-the-move. 

Challenging

Challenging trips are going to see you on-the-move more often than not. They’ll feature one or several activities throughout the itinerary that will be physically challenging. We’d recommend that you have a strong level of fitness related to the activity you’re going to be doing and be well prepared before you go. Here’s a few examples of what you might expect:

• Altitude: You might be exerting yourself at high altitudes or making significant altitude gains in short periods of time. You won’t be spending sustained periods at altitudes above 4,500m-5,000m though. 
• Endurance: This might mean cycling or trekking for several hours for multiple days in a row. Possibly at altitude and in challenging or remote places. There might be the odd long day where you’ll be up before dawn.

Extreme

These are for the serious adventurer. They’re deliberately designed to be physically and mentally challenging. We recommend that you’ve previously done some multi-day activities or endurance events. You’ll most likely need to have done plenty of training before you go. Here’s a few of the things you might expect on an Extreme trip:

• Altitude: You might be spending several days at high altitude or making significant altitude gains in a short period of time. The effects of altitude are indiscriminate and can challenge even the fittest people on the planet.
• Equipment: You might be required to use specialist equipment such as crampons, ice-axes or fixed ropes. We don’t run trips that require you to already possess mountaineering skills but there’s a significant challenge in using unfamiliar gear in extreme environments. 
• Endurance: You’re going to need to be completely confident in your ability to exert yourself physically for multiple days in a row, for several hours a day and in challenging conditions. You’ll have several days that will be extremely long and in remote conditions. 
• Conditions: You’ll likely be operating in extreme conditions. Expect glaciers, headwalls or to be in remote areas where creature-comforts are rare or absolutely non-existent. 

Conclusion

This isn’t an exhaustive list of what to expect from the different trips that we offer but hopefully it gives you a reasonable understanding of how we’ve determined the rating for each itinerary. 

If you’re unsure, have any questions or simply want to chat to someone about your plans, please just get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your next adventure!