AMC 20s/30s Launches First Adventure Travel Trip: Hike the Via Alpina in Switzerland

The Appalachian Mountain Club is thrilled to launch the first-ever Adventure Travel trip for 20s/30s Young Members—and it’s one of the best hikes in the world: Switzerland’s breathtaking Via Alpina. Running from July 18-26, 2026, this 9-day trip will focus on the heart of the Swiss alpine region. 

As the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the US, we’ve been connecting people to the outdoors for 150 years. Although we consider Maine to Virginia our stomping grounds, the spirit of loving and protecting the outdoors knows no bounds. That’s why for nearly a century, AMC has been sending adventurous members across the globe in pursuit of mountain peaks, cultural exchange, and unforgettable outdoor experiences. Our popular Adventure Travel program offers volunteer-led trips that explore some of the most spectacular places across the U.S. and around the globe by foot, bicycle, skis, or boat. Excursions range from U.S. national parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Olympic to overseas destinations like Spain, Italy, Vietnam, Albania, Cape Verde, Fiji, and more. 

In 2026, for the first time in AMC history, the Adventure Travel program will begin trips designed specifically for the 20s/30s Young Member affinity group. 

This inaugural 20s/30s trip is a poetic nod to AMC’s first organized trip outside of North America in 1925, when a group of nine adventurers set out for France and Switzerland to hike and climb in the Alps. A full report of the adventure was published in an early issue of Appalachia, in which the hikers were described as “much above the average” and “tough, wiry, and tireless footsters.” If that sounds like you, sign up today! 

The Via Alpina — AMC Style 

Backpacker magazine has ranked Switzerland’s Via Alpina as “The World’s Best Hike”for its 100 miles of scenery, cheese, and chocolate. “Your first view of the Eiger massif will spoil you for the rest of your hiking days,” the editors wrote. 

The Via Alpina consists of a network of five long-distance hiking trails across the alpine regions of Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France & Monaco. AMC’s 20s/30s trip follows the Swiss National Route #1 from Altdorf, where the Swiss Federation was born, to finish in Kandersteg.  

The trip will be led by the dream team of Rami Haddad, a long-time Adventure Travel leader who has traveled the world extensively and has been guiding AMC members on trips for 15 years, and Selene Berube, the current chair of the AMC New Hampshire Chapter, who has been leading AMC trips since 2021.  

So, why would you fly to the Alps to sweat up and down the mountain trails with a bunch of strangers?  

The real question is: why wouldn’t you? 

“You’re in Switzerland with 10-12 other people that you’ve never met before, you had a maybe not even an hour phone conversation with them, and then you’re with them for nine days. In a foreign country. And you’re spending all waking hours together,” Rami says. “But it works. It works.” 

Rami comes to the trip leader position from a place of service. He wants to pass on the outdoor skills he’s learned, and he cares deeply about giving back to the AMC community. In his fifteen years of guiding, Rami has watched countless groups come together and create lifelong bonds. “I do this because it brings a lot of joy,” he says. “There is already a common ground in [the AMC] community. There’s a passion for the outdoors. There’s a passion for the AMC mission in terms of conservation and love of nature, the love of an active lifestyle.” 

“There is a lot to love about Switzerland,” Rami says. “In a lot of other places around the world–and I’ve been to a lot of them–you can almost always find something, like the most beautiful mountains or the best food. But to find this combination of all of them in one small place is very unique. The majestic mountains, the on-time trains, the flowers, the cheese, the chocolate, the beautiful terrain, the friendly people, the active lifestyle. It all comes together in a very nice package.” 

This part of the route, Rami says, is the “crème de la crème” of the Via Alpina. “The most magnificent part of the trail.” 

Join the AMC 20s/30s Trip to Switzerland

AMC 20s/30s  

Selene had an unusual entrance to AMC in 2021, when her dad nudged her to check out membership after graduation. “I got home from college and he said to me, ‘I’m so sick of you complaining about not having friends to hike with. You should look into AMC,’” she says. When she went to search for events, the first one that popped up was a New Hampshire leader training. “I was like, Oh yeah, I’ve got no experience with AMC whatsoever, this sounds like a great first class,” Selene says. “And it was.” 

When Selene discovered the 20s/30s Young Members group, something clicked. She started leading trips, and it wasn’t long before she found herself in leadership positions. That same year she became the NH 20s/30s Chair, and she later served as the Chapter Vice Chair in 2022. “A hard launch is the best way to describe it,” she says.  

For Selene, the best thing about being a part of the 20s/30s group was the community she found. 

“It’s been really rewarding,” she says. “It has given me my current boyfriend, my current group of best friends. It’s given me people to not only just go out and hike with, but also to confide in. When you suffer together for a few days, it makes it pretty easy to open up about other items and so when my mom passed away a couple years ago, I had this whole network of people that were there for me.” 

Making friends as an adult is hard for many of us. With AMC 20s/30s, Selene found people in her age group who shared her love and passion for the outdoors.  

“What I love about not only the AMC in general, but the 20s/30s, is that people are very genuine,” Selene says. “These are people who are willing to say, ‘I felt alone for five years,’ or ‘I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere.’ I’ve always been the outdoorsy friend of my college group. I’m into sports, but my favorite weekend activity is crushing out 30 miles with a heavy backpack on. And there aren’t a lot of people like that.” 

Find AMC 20s/30s Activities Near You

The Alps are Calling 

Whether you’re a seasoned trekker or looking for your next big challenge, AMC’s 20s/30s trip to the Via Alpina is not one to miss. 

“It’s going to be super rewarding on every level,” says Selene. “I’m looking forward to sweating it out.” Some of Selene’s favorite outdoor memories involve hiking through tough conditions with friends – mud, wind, rain, cold, or long days. “These are stories that you constantly talk about. I look back very fondly on that stuff,” she says. “I’m excited to share that with a new group of folks.” 

The authors of the 1925 Appalachia article advised aspiring hikers of this route to proceed with caution, though. “One warning ought to be given to the would-be Alpinists who long had a vague wish to go, and who feel that it would be well to go once in order to gratify that wish,” they wrote. “Let such rather stay at home, because after one visit, or even more, the longing will not be satisfied, but merely whetted.” 

Swiss Alps not your cup of tea? AMC develops trips for all experience and difficulty levels. As the 20s/30s Adventure Travel program gets underway, they want to hear from you! Fill out this quick survey to tell them what you’re looking for and suggest your dream trip.