Discovery cani-hiking with Alpes'Huskies

An extraordinary experience in Villars

First of all, you should know that I've never been very comfortable with dogs. At the mere thought of hearing the howling of the huskies, literally overexcited to leap out of the van, I'm already hesitating to play sick and turn back ... but I'll take my courage in both hands and decide to live this new experience to the full!

Eyes full of stars with Violaine

Alpes'Huskies is a sled dog company made up of 3 enthusiasts, including Violaine - musher and 2024 world champion - a family-run kennel of sporting dogs and a shop dedicated to harnessed dog sports. They offer 4-season tourist activities with 18 Siberian huskies, as well as coaching and animal mediation. Today, we're going to spend a special moment in the heart of nature on an easy trail (sentier des Renardeaux), situated a little way up from the village of Villars-sur-Ollon. Lasting a minimum of 1 hour, the activity was a great success and we'd like to share it with you now.

Getting started and following safety instructions

Before setting off, you need to fit a harness around your hips and listen carefully to the safety instructions. The dogs are docile and very affectionate, but you soon get the impression that they have a lot of strength. If they're well trained, Violaine tells me that they can pull twice their weight over 100 km in a single day. Simply impressive endurance and explosiveness!

World skijoëring champion in 2024 and winner of the Mono-Dog World Cup in 2024, Violaine introduces us to our travelling companions for the ride: ‘Sky’, ‘Noku’, ‘Kyros’, ‘Isis’ and ‘Raissa’. Purebred, they all weigh between 17 and 27 kg. Real batteries of electricity. The location of the hike is new, so their excitement is heightened tenfold. One last piece of information before you set off: to guide them to the right, you have to say ‘djee’ and ‘naw’ to go left!

A panoramic route through the forest

Although the loop is relatively short, the gradient is still quite steep. The route winds through the forest and we move at the pace of the dogs. You really feel in osmosis with the animal. Violaine is full of anecdotes about the personalities of all her dogs. The moment of sharing and complicity is just extraordinary!

An activity available all year round

The activity can be booked directly above, with more available in April so that you can discover the experience in spring. Enjoy a moment of complicity with the huskies as the seasons change!