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Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE
wp-content/uploads/2024/01/silvretta_ski_tour01.jpg

Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE
Les Cerces 5-day guided ski tour Chamex

Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE

Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE
wp-content/uploads/2024/01/silvretta_ski_tour01.jpg

Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE
Les Cerces 5-day guided ski tour Chamex

Ski touring

CHAMONIX EXPERIENCE

Hut to hut

Take your ski touring skills to the next level with one of our carefully planned and constructed hut to hut ski touring trips led by our passionate UIAGM mountain guides in the French and Swiss Alps.

Guided hut to hut ski tours in the Alps Our courses have been designed especially for those with prior ski touring experience who are looking to progress from simple day touring in resort, to more challenging multi day trips out in the wilderness. We have both beginner to advanced options available, aimed to help you consolidate and build upon your existing skills and develop the endurance required to find longer and more challenging tours, and ultimately to make your experience more enjoyable. Our introduction course is the perfect preparation and precursor for more committed touring trips such as the famous Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.

Haute Route with Chamonix Experience

The Haute Route, also known as the High Level Route or Mountaineer’s Route, is the winter ski tour or summer hiking route linking Chamonix in France with Zermatt in Switzerland. Originally, it was a summer mountaineering route, first completed mid-19th century by members of the English Mountain Club. It wasn’t until 1911 when the Haute Route was undertaken on skis for the first time. Since then, it has become one of the most popular ski challenges in the Alps. Long and physically demanding ski days, varied and often challenging snow conditions and exposure to high altitude demands high requirements from the skiers. Good fitness levels, expert off-piste skiing ability and crucial ski touring experience are all pre-requisites to sign up for one of our Haute Route ski trips.

These days there are many hut-to-hut itineraries referred to as “Haute Route”; however, the Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route is the original. It traverses the most dramatic alpine landscapes, spans mighty glaciers, goes around and over high Alpine peaks, and features overnight stays in remote high mountain huts. It starts and finishes with views of the two most iconic peaks of the Alps: Mont Blanc and Matterhorn. There are many variations of this ski tour from Mont Blanc to Matterhorn, each one taking slightly different routes across the high Alpine mountains. Each variation can also have many optional passages and additional summits to climb if the team are strong and motivated. Our guides are more than happy to customise your Haute Route trip with any extras and variants whenever possible.

We run our Haute Route trips on both a group and private basis. If you are a single traveler and wish to share this unique ski experience with other people, please check our itineraries and dates available by clicking on the icons below. If you are a group of friends and prefer to have your own private guide, contact us directly for a customised itinerary. All our Haute Route packages are all-inclusive. We take care of all the logistics (transport, lift passes, hut reservations, etc) – all you need to do is relax and enjoy the amazing skiing. Your trip with us starts and ends at our office in Chamonix. There are no hidden costs; the only expenses you have to cover are packed lunches, drinks and snacks in the huts, and personal spending money – we can advise on how much you will likely require. If needed, you can also store your luggage in our office while you are on the trip. Contact us now to start planning your Haute Route ski touring experience.

Private hut to hut trips

If you wish to join a hut to hut trip with your friends or family, we can organise a customised private trip just for you. We guide everywhere in Europe. Just let us know your level of experience, your goals and the time frame of your holidays and we will propose some of our selected favourite itineraries.

Intermediate

You are a confident off-piste skier in all snow conditions. You’re comfortable on slopes of up to 35°. You have practiced companion rescue, and are familiar with basic traveling methods in avalanche-prone terrain. You have already done some ski touring, and are somewhat familiar with the equipment and the techniques used (skins, touring bindings, ski crampons, kick turns).

Advanced

You regularly practice backcountry skiing and have a solid repertoire. You ski confidently in all types of backcountry snow, and are comfortable in couloirs (gullies) up to 35°. You’d like to improve by learning the methods of ski alpinism – climbing couloirs with an ice axe and crampons – skis on the backpack, skiing longer and more committing itineraries. Randonnée (ski touring) applicants are comfortable with the necessary techniques and material for, and have participated in, longer hut tours – spending consecutive nights in mountain huts.
chamex expert level

Expert

You ski often and at a high level. You ski both sidecountry and backcountry, as well as ski-alpinism. You are steady and comfortable on any terrain. You ski couloirs (gullies) of up to 40° and would like to improve your steep skiing and mountain skiing skills. You are familiar with avalanche companion rescue techniques and glacier safety methods. You have previous experience with crampons on ice and mixed ground, and can belay and rappel. You have participated in assorted multi-day, hut-to-hut ski tours in the Alps.