Rob chats with adventurer and writer Elise Downing and her dad Dave about their five-day trip around the Tour des Fiz, a quiet alpine loop near Chamonix. They talk about choosing this as Dave’s first big outing after hip surgery, the joy of slower days, navigating tiny French huts, run-ins with sheepdogs, gear they always carry, and why this lesser-known trail is such a good entry point for hut-to-hut hiking.
- What and where the Tour des Fiz actually is
- Why they chose this as a comeback adventure
- Slow, short days and why they loved the change of pace
- The difference between this trail and the Tour du Mont Blanc
- Hut life: tiny dorms, friendly hosts, and endless cheese
- Wildlife highlights (marmots, ibex, the world’s angriest sheepdog)
- Walking as a father and daughter — silence, pace, and faff etiquette
- What they carried and the kit they swear by
- Elise’s wider philosophy on accessible adventure
- Why this route is ideal for beginners to hut-to-hut hiking
- Their standout moments — and the one they never want to relive
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