Ski Touring
Demanding
Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt
The classic glacier traverse between two great mountain towns. Seven days, six huts and the Matterhorn waiting at the end.
From, per person
€2,450
Guide fees, group equipment and planning included. Dates on request.
Overview
What to expect.
The Haute Route links Chamonix and Zermatt through the high glaciers of the Valais. It is the best known ski tour in the Alps for good reason: every day crosses a new col, every night is spent in a high hut and the last descent ends under the Matterhorn.
You need to be a confident off-piste skier and fit enough for six to eight hours of skinning a day. We follow the classic Verbier variant and adjust the stages to the snow and weather each spring.
Itinerary
Day by day.
Plans follow the weather and the group. Your guide confirms each day the evening before and adapts the route when conditions call for it.
Day 1. Grands Montets to the Argentière hut
Lift up, a short descent onto the Argentière glacier and the first skin to the hut. Transceiver and rescue practice in the afternoon.
Day 2. Col du Chardonnet to Champex
Over the Col du Chardonnet and the Fenêtre du Saleina into Switzerland, then down to Champex for the night.
Days 3 to 4. Verbier to the Prafleuri hut
Lifts above Verbier, then the Rosablanche and a night at the Prafleuri hut. Day four crosses to the Dix hut below the Mont Blanc de Cheilon.
Days 5 to 6. Pigne d'Arolla and the Vignettes
An optional summit of the Pigne d'Arolla at 3,790 m, then the Vignettes hut perched on its cliff edge.
Day 7. The long day to Zermatt
Three cols in a row and a long glacier descent past the Matterhorn into Zermatt. Train back to Chamonix in the evening.
Practical
What is included, what to bring.
Included in the price
- IFMGA guide for seven days
- Six nights half board in huts and one hotel
- Lift passes and the train back to Chamonix
- Group glacier and rescue equipment
What to bring
- Touring skis, skins, ski crampons and boots
- Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe
- Harness, ice axe and crampons
- Warm layers and a light down jacket
- 35 to 40 litre pack
Your guides
Who leads this tour.
Every departure is led by an IFMGA mountain guide who knows the route well. Open a profile to read about their background.
Enquire
Ask about dates for this tour.
Send us your preferred dates and a line about your experience. A guide replies within one working day with availability, a kit list and anything you should train for.
Phone
+33 4 50 00 00 00Keep exploring
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