Haute Route Ski Tour

Introduction

This is undoubtedly the most famous ski tour in the Alps, traversing through spectacular high alpine terrain. It is a fantastic ski journey featuring fabulous mountain scenery, with demanding climbs and exhilarating descents.

Opened up by adventurous English mountaineers towards the end of the 19th century, this classical ski tour commences in the alpine centre of Chamonix and traverses the highest mountain range of France and Switzerland to finish in the stunning resort of Zermatt. For six days, you have the opportunity to complete 120 km of traverse from Chamonix to Zermatt. You will enjoy endless ice landscapes and the ever-changing mountain views of Mont Blanc, the Grand Combin, Rosa Blanche and the Matterhorn. Awesome scenery, fantastic ski ascents and descents. This famous high mountain adventure is a journey every ski tour enthusiast should undertake at least once in a lifetime.

There are many interesting and varied options to this ski journey. The chosen route will depend on weather and snow conditions. The route we follow is the Verbier variation which is the most popular version of the Haute Route and offers more options if we encounter poor weather.

Difficulty: Challenging

Duration: week

Quick Facts

The most famous high level ski route: Chamonix to Zermatt
Nine day trip
120km of ski touring
Seven days in the mountains
Six nights in mountain huts
Qualified Alpine guiding

Itinerary

Please note: the outlined programme may vary depending upon weather and conditions. An element of flexibility is built in to the itinerary to give the best opportunities for enjoyable ascents optimal snow conditions during the week.

Day	Activity
Saturday	Arrive in Chamonix; Stay overnight in the valley
Sunday	Meet the guide. Equipment check and trip briefing. Warm-up day around the Chamonix ski area. An opportunity to test your equipment and for the guide to check your skiing ability. Overnight in Chamonix for a second night
Monday	An early start: take Grands Montets lift and ski down to the Argentière Glacier. Long skin up to the Col du Chardonnet (3323m); descend into Switzerland onto the Saleina Glacier. Skin up to Fenêtre de Saleina (3261m); cross the Trient plateau to the Trient hut
Tuesday	Great ski down the Val d'Arpette into Champex. Take taxi to Le Chable: stock up with food. Take Verbier lift system and short ski to the Mont Fort Refuge (2457m)
Wednesday	Four to five hours of skinning uphill to summit of Rosablanche (3336m); great descent to the new Prafleuri refuge (2624m)
Thursday	Early start: traverse the west side of the Lac des Dix, including steeper uphill to the Dix refuge (2928m); arrive in good time for a relaxing afternoon at the hut
Friday	A very spectacular day: from the Dix refuge, a four-hour skin up to the Pignes d'Arolla (3790m), the highest point on the Haute Route. From the Pigne d'Arolla, a good ski descent leads to the Vignettes refuge (3160m)
Saturday	The longest day of the tour. Skin across to the Col de l'Evèque (3,386m), a short descent, and another skin up to Col du Mt Brulé (3,213m). A rising traverse to the Col de Valpelline (3,568m). Long descent down to the Zmutt glacier, passing underneath the Matterhorn and on to Zermatt for a well deserved beer; a waiting minibus takes us back to Chamonix and the hotel for a welcome hot shower and a comfortable bed.
Sunday	Depart after breakfast

Note: This is only a guide to your itinerary. This trip involves travel to high altitudes and to areas where a short notice change of itinerary may be necessary. The details of the itinerary may be altered to suit the particular participants, inclement weather or for any other reason deemed necessary.

Insurance

It is necessary for you to have the appropriate insurance for this trip. Make sure it is relevant for mountain sports, and that it includes liability insurance, helicopter rescue from mountains, and repatriation. There are other factors you should also consider. Our insurance partner TAGIS will be able to advise you on all your insurance needs.

Please click here to enter the TAGIS insurance site.

Guides and Group Size

Your guides for the week are full UIAGM or aspirant guides. UIAGM the highest recognised guiding qualification in the world, and is a prerequisite for guiding in the Alps. All guides have a long history of personal climbing and skiing experience throughout the Alps as well as years of guiding experience.

Course Requirements

You should be able to make smooth parallel turns on steep black runs before booking on to this course and have some off piste experience. The challenge of ski touring arises in one's ability to manage poor snow conditions which can vary greatly from windblown icy terrain to heavy wet snow.

Your fitness must be of a good standard - it is recommended that you take regular cardiovascular (e.g. cycling) and strengthening work (e.g. gym step machine) before the course. We will send you a fitness regime on confirmation of the trip. Please consult with your doctor or a fitness professional.