Practical info for participants
On this page you will find:
- Regulations 12-hour Challenge
- Itinerary examples
- Package tours
- Accommodations tips
- Material supplies
- Preliminary program
- Route & travel tips
Answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found on our FAQ page.
Is your question not listed? Feel free to call or mail:
mail: charlotte@bibianmentelfoundation.nl
tel: 06-1680 9919
Itinerary
For participants from the Netherlands, we recommend the itinerary below, so you can start the Challenge rested and still have time around it for some extra descents.
Short variant:
Date | Planning |
---|---|
do 20-3: | trip to Switzerland |
Fri 21-3: | daytime skiing or boarding in Saas-Grund, piste exploring |
Fri 21-3: | end of afternoon (approx. 4:30 p.m.) riders briefing with important info for all participants |
Sat 22-3: | 00:00 to 12:00 the 12-hour challenge, followed by lunch, après ski, after party and in the evening sleep well |
Sun 23-3: | daytime skiing or boarding in Saas-Fee (10 min. from Saas-Grund, free ski bus) |
Mon 24-3: | 09:00 to 12:00 1st day Mentelity Games: come watch participants go up the mountain for the first time 09:00 to 12:00 possibility of tandem flight paragliding (depending on the weather) Around 13:00 departure back to the Netherlands |
Longer variant:
Date | Planning |
---|---|
Wed 19-3: | trip to Switzerland |
do 20-3: | skiing or boarding in Saas-Fee (10 min. from Saas-Grund, free ski bus) |
Fri 21-3: | daytime skiing or boarding in Saas-Grund, piste exploring |
Fri 21-3: | end of afternoon (approx. 4:30 p.m.) riders briefing with important info for all participants |
Sat 22-3: | 00:00 to 12:00 the 12-hour challenge, followed by lunch, après ski, after party and in the evening sleep well |
Sun 23-3: | skiing or boarding in Saas-Fee (10 minutes from Saas-Grund, free ski bus) or in Zermatt (45 minutes by car) |
Mon 24-3: | skiing or boarding in Saas-Grund, watch as the Mentelity Games participants experience their 1st day on the slopes possibility to make a paragliding tandem flight (depending on the weather) be welcome to the official opening of the Mentelity Games at 15:00 and meet the participants |
di 25-3: | return trip to the Netherlands |
Package tours
Upcoming edition you can also book a package that includes everything (this applies to both individuals and companies). The following packages are available:
Short trip:
- Thursday, March 20 to Monday, March 24
- 2 ski days + 12-hour Challenge
- Ski resorts Saas-Fee & Saas-Grund
From € 551 per person based on 1 team; from € 504 per person based on 2 teams, included:
-
- Starting license 12h Challenge incl. breakfast & lunch on March 22
- 4 nights in apartment
- 2x ski pass for 1 day (1x Saas-Grund, 1x Saas-Fee)
- Access Mentelity Games (viewing on the 1st day of class)
Long trip:
- Wednesday, March 19 to Tuesday, March 25
- 4 ski days + 12-hour Challenge
- Ski resorts Saas-Fee, Saas-Grund & Zermatt
-From € 798 per person based on 1 team; from € 726 per person based on 2 teams, included:
-
- Starting license 12h Challenge incl. breakfast & lunch on March 22
- 6 nights in apartment
- 4x ski pass for 1 day (2x Saas-Grund, 1x Saas-Fee, 1x Zermatt)
- Cab Shuttle from Saas-Grund to Zermatt (return)
- Access Mentelity Games (come watch the 1st day of classes, Opening & Après Ski)
Starting License based on Early Bird Rate - rate valid until October 15, 2024. While supplies last.
Interested? Send an email to Charlotte(charlotte@bibianmentelfoundation.nl) and receive all options!
Accommodations
Below is a list of accommodations we have a price agreement with.
Book directly with the accommodation and mention that you are a participant of the Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge.
In the village of Saas-Grund:
Montela Apartments:
Modern apartment complex a 5-minute walk from the gondola.
There are apartments for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people, all with balcony or terrace.
Price depends on the type of apartment and your length of stay; for participants there is an offer (3 nights for the price of 2 or 5 nights for the price of 4). You can assume rd. CHF 70 per person per night. The larger the apartment and the longer you stay, the lower the price you pay per person per night becomes. In the apartment you have your own kitchen where you can prepare your own breakfast and dinner (eating out is a bit more expensive in Switzerland than in NL, by cooking in the evening you can save some costs). Request your offer directly through the form on the Montela website or send an e-mail to info@montela.ch.
Visit website Montela
The Montela Apartments
Hotel Bergheimat:
This hotel is a 3-minute walk from Saas-Grund and has a cozy bar and restaurant where many participants (as well as locals) go.
Price edition 2024: CHF 57 per person per night including breakfast, CHF 75 per person including dinner. Soon we will mention here the prices for edition 2025.
Visit website Hotel Bergheimat.
Hotel Primavera
This family-run hotel is located right next to the valley station of the Saas-Grund ski area. In the hotel are a restaurant (half board possible or eat à la carte) and a cozy bar, in front of the hotel is the Tipi tent where you can go after skiing for the Après Ski. There are hotel rooms (1-3 persons per room) and apartments (2-8 persons per apartment) available. Staying in a double room costs CHF 79.50 per person per night including breakfast and tourist tax.
Visit website Hotel Primavera
Hotel Primavera, right next to the valley station of the gondola
On the mountain:
Mountain hut Weissmieshütte (NOTE: for Tour Challenge participants only):
Stay overnight on the night of March 15-16 during the challenge at the Weissmieshütte on the mountain. This costs CHF (Swiss Francs, prices 2024) 58 during the night of the challenge, including dinner. Breakfast is included in your Tour Challenge starting license. Staying longer? You can! Other nights it costs CHF 73 per night including dinner and breakfast. Bookable via this website stating: Mentelity 12h Tour Challenge.
Visit website Weissmieshütte
Hohsaas Hütte (NOTE: only for Distance and Fun Challenge participants):
Stay overnight on the night of March 15-16 during the challenge at the Hohsaas Hütte. This costs CHF (Swiss Francs, prices 2024) 45 during the night of the challenge. Stay longer? You can! The other nights this costs CHF 60 including breakfast or CHF 83 including breakfast and dinner. Reservations can be made via: https://www.hohsaashuette.ch/ stating: Mentelity 12h Challenge.
Visit website Hohsaas Hütte
Equipment and safety
The regulations for participating in the 12-Hour Challenge can be found here:
In terms of equipment, each participant in the 12-hour Challenge is required to wear the following:
- Helmet
- Back protector (not required, but advised)
- Front light (white, the brighter the better, at least 300 lumens)
- Rear light (red, bicycle light will do)
- Race-BIB (vest, handed out at the briefing)
- GPS tracker (will be handed out at the briefing)
It is possible to purchase 1 or 2 sets of lamps per team and share them within your team.
Keep in mind that transferring the lamps does take some time.
Suggestions for lights:
- Black Diamond Cosmo (mount on your helmet with elastic), 350 lumens, example
- Running Sport LED vest with lights front and back like this
- High-end work-head lamp with 1600 lumens like this one
Preliminary Program
Below are some key program points in advance.
Around December 2023, the full program of the Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge will appear here.
Friday, March 21
- 5 p.m.: mandatory riders briefing in Saas-Grund (village)
- 22:00-22:30: all participants take the gondola to the Saas-Grund ski area
- 22:30-23:30: opportunity for participants to explore slopes
- 11:45 p.m.: participants gather at the starting location
Saturday, March 22
- 00:00-12:00: Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge
- 12:00 -14:00: Communal lunch at Kreuzboden middle station.
- 2:00 p.m.: Prize-giving ceremony & Apres Ski at Kreuzboden middle station
Route & Travel Tips
The Hohsaas 12-hour Challenge is organized in Saas-Grund, Switzerland. Should you come with your own transportation, we recommend you take the car train Lötschbergbahn to cross the mountains between Kandersteg and Goppenstein.
You can also choose to travel to Saas-Grund by train. There is a good (direct) train connection from Utrecht to Basel; from Basel take the train via Bern to Visp. From Visp, the Postbus takes 42 minutes to Saas-Grund. With this train connection you come to a total travel time of about 9:30 hours.
Car-pool
Do you still have a free spot in your car or looking for a place to ride along?
Then use the platform TaxSki.nl for free. Using this Dutch platform you can easily car-pool (find and offer free spots), in addition you can use them to book a cab from the airport or train station to the ski resort and find other winter sports people to share a cab ride with. Use of the platform is free and after making contact with your car-pool buddy, you make arrangements directly with each other to share costs and the like. We encourage our participants and volunteers to travel together through this platform as much as possible.