Team Building Hike
Grenoble → Vercors
A successful company project comes down to a shared goal, a tight team and the ability to adapt when something unexpected happens. Hiking in the mountains is the same, except it happens for real, on the trails of the Vercors.
Walking side by side for a few hours brings down the hierarchical barriers and gets people talking. The best part: you don't need to be sporty. A hike in the Vercors is the most inclusive team-building activity around.
Why hiking for your team building?
Walking in the mountains isn't a pretext. It's a natural training ground for what you really want from your team:
- Shared goal and mutual help: reaching a summit or viewpoint together is a shared win. The leader paces the effort so everyone arrives, whatever their level.
- Informal communication: on a trail, statuses fade. People speak differently and listen better. Conversations flow without a meeting room.
- Going further together: encouraging a colleague through a tough section, adjusting the pace so no one is left behind, are behaviours that carry back to the office.
- Reconnection and well-being: the Vercors is an antidote to stress. The break in nature, the forest, the panoramas over the Alps recharge people far better than an after-work.
- Teaching approach: our leaders share their knowledge of the environment (wildlife, flora, geology) so every step is also a discovery. Shared curiosity is a real lever for cohesion.
A typical day
A team-building hike is not a minute-by-minute programme. It is a framework that our State-certified mountain leaders shape to your group from the first contact.
Morning: departure from one of the Vercors villages (Villard-de-Lans, Autrans-Méaudre, Lans-en-Vercors, Corrençon) after a friendly briefing. The leader presents the route, the safety rules and the rhythm of the day. The leader's pace: neither too slow nor too fast, the one that lets everyone move forward together.
Along the way: discovery of the environments we cross, observation breaks (chamois, vultures, orchids of the limestone meadows), free conversation. The mountain does the rest.
Lunch break: a local-produce picnic in the wild, or a meal in a Vercors refuge for a warm pause.
Afternoon: continue the route or rest at a viewpoint, back to the start in late afternoon.
A 100% tailor-made hike
Your group has mixed abilities? That's the norm, and it's covered:
- Half-day or full day to match your retreat schedule
- Adjusted elevation gain, from 200 m to 600 m D+ according to the group's level
- Sub-groups by level if your team is very mixed: several leaders for parallel routes that meet up at the summit or refuge
- Meal options: local-produce picnic, lunch in a refuge or extension into a bivouac for groups who want to go further
- Year-round: every season has its magic in the Vercors. Flowery spring, summer on the highlands, golden autumn, and winter to combine hiking with snow activities
The hike can fit into a multi-day corporate retreat and combine with other Pied Vert activities.
Book your team building hike
Directly with one of the Pied Vert leaders who will run your outing.
- 07 66 64 90 96
- contactpiedvert.com
Reviews
They ran their team-building hike with Pied Vert: ILCO Telecom, BD, Hardis, Expectra, Cimalp, ARaymond, Rossignol, Schneider Electric, Arkéa, Les Compagnons du Tour de France, and many more.
I highly recommend Pied Vert...★★★★★ Comment sent by Lina Morelin Mayon GoogleI highly recommend Pied Vert as guides. My team and I tried the 'Fire Challenge' activity and the 'on the trail of the wolf' walk up to the Clariant restaurant. We had fun and learned loads about Vercors wildlife. A huge thank you to the Pied Vert team for taking such good care of us!
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be sporty for a team-building hike?
Not at all. That's precisely the strength of hiking: it's accessible to everyone. The leader matches the pace and the route to the real level of the group. The leader's pace makes sure everyone arrives.
Can you do a half-day hike?
Yes. The half-day is in high demand to fit into a busy retreat agenda. In three hours of walking, you already reach striking viewpoints over the Vercors. A solid opener before a refuge lunch or another activity.
Is a team-building hike possible all year round?
The Vercors suits hiking from March to November, with ideal conditions in spring and autumn. In winter, depending on snow cover, some routes can be done on snowshoes (see our winter team-building activities). We will recommend the best option for the date of your retreat.