The Haute Route is the classic ski touring adventure that links the two Alpine centres of Chamonix-Mont Blanc in France and Zermatt in Switzerland. The main Haute Route season runs from mid march to late April when the mountain huts are open and the glaciers are safely snow-covered.
It was first completed as a glacier trek during the summer of 1861 by the British Alpine Club, then first skied in 1903 by a group of Frenchmen who translated the name to the Haute Route ski tour. It has since become part of ski mountaineering history and remains one of the most famous and most coveted ski tours in the world, with fantastic scenery and exhilarating skiing.
The Haute Route will test your stamina and endurance and is by no means a walk in the park as it will entail long days at high altitude on mountain glacier terrain, so a good level of fitness and ski touring experience is needed. You will, however, be rewarded with exhilarating scenery and a close up view of magnificient alpine peaks such as the Dent Blanche and the Matterhorn.
You will start your journey at Les Grands Montets in Argentiere at the northern end of the Chamonix valley before crossing over a number of stunning alpine cols into Switzerland and the canton of Valais. At the end of each day you will stay in warm and cosy mountain huts such as the Trient, Prafleuri, Dix and Bertol as you cross glaciers, skin up mountains, ski fabulous off-piste terrain as you get ever closer to the magnificent Matterhorn.
This is ski touring at its best; high in the mountains, from refuge to refuge, with long climbs and stunning descents. There are constantly changing views of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Grand Combin and Monte Rosa.
Starting in the heart of the Mont Blanc massif and ending up in the shadow of one of the most famous mountains in the Alps, the Matterhorn, this is a journey that every experienced ski tourer should undertake at least once in their lives.
Chamonix Experience’s Haute Route consists of 7 days of ski touring. The itinerary has been updated this year to ensure maximum descent and to stay in the most spectacularly located mountain huts along the way.
This is an all-inclusive ski touring trip. There are NO HIDDEN COSTS such as taxis, lifts or huts added on to your expenses during the trip. Everything is taken care of by your mountain guide, so you can just relax and enjoy the fantastic ski touring. The only thing you should budget for are your daily lunches and drinks. Your mountain guide will make sure that you have time to pick up what you need during the trip.
If you are travelling with a group of friends or just wish to ski the Haute Route on your own, let us know! We will be delighted to organise a custom made, private Haute Route guided ski tour for you.
Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know the dates of your holidays, your previous ski touring experience and your expectations. We will create and organize a tour that suits you and your friends the best!
1550€
Price per person for a group of 6 participants
| 2018 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start Date | End Date | Spaces | |||
|
G
|
Apr 17 | Apr 23 | Full | ||
|
G
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Apr 23 | Apr 29 | Full | ||
| 2019 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start Date | End Date | Spaces | |||
| Mar 17 | Mar 23 | 6 | |||
| Mar 24 | Mar 30 | 6 | |||
| Mar 31 | Apr 06 | 6 | |||
| Apr 07 | Apr 13 | 6 | |||
| Apr 14 | Apr 20 | 6 | |||
| Apr 21 | Apr 27 | 6 | |||
7 days of guiding and instruction by a UIAGM qualified mountain guide.
6 nights accommodation in mountain huts with breakfast and dinner included.
Any transport that is required during the course including the return trip from Zermatt to Chamonix.
Ropes, safety equipment, etc will be provided when needed by your guide.
Our team is based at the foot of the Aiguille du Midi cable car and will be happy to help you with any questions you may have before, during or after your trip to Chamonix.
The cost of any lift access that is required during the course for the itinerary described above.
Please see the "Equipment" tab to find out what you will need. Anything that you do not already have can be rented here in Chamonix, if there is anything you need then please contact us and we will be happy to organise it for you.
For private customised guiding, please contact us directly to confirm your persoanlised kit list.
We strongly recommend that you take our Search and Rescue mountain insurance - we can organise this for you on request.
The price does not include lunch or snacks. You can bring your own food and we can stop for a picnic, or there may be the option to buy lunch at a mountain hut. Please make sure that you are carrying sufficient water and snacks as we will be in the mountains for a number of hours.
The price does not include flights, airport transfers or any other travel to/from Chamonix. However, we can organise airport transfers for you on request, please contact us for details.
If you whish to stay at the Yeti Lodge, teh extra cost is 340€ including a shared based room, breakfasts, diners and afternoon tea.
Any accommodation additional to that provided during the course. If you wish to stay in Chamonix for a few days before or after your trip, we will be happy to help you find and book accommodation on request.
The group will meet at our office in Chamonix Sud the evening before the first day of the trip. You will have an informal chat with your guide about the week ahead, weather, conditions, itinerary, etc. The guide will also want to check all of your equipment and make sure everything is in order.
You start with some steep ski runs on Les Grands Montets. Your guide will want to check that you all have the right ski level before you set off and make sure that there are no issues with any of your equipment. After lunch you will ski down the Rognon glacier and across the Argentière Glacier to the Argentière Refuge (2771m). You will spend your first night there. Enjoy the beautiful views of the Argentière Basin!
Descent 800-900m • Ascent 200-300m • Time 4-5 h
The day will start with a short descent from the hut down to the glacier, where you will put on your skins and climb up to the Col du Passon (3028m). From the col it’s a short descent before putting the skins back on for a short climb to the Col du Tour (3282m). Then the route takes you across the magnificent Trient plateau and up to the Trient hut where you will spend the night.
Descent 300m • Ascent 1100m • Time 6-8 h
This is a long day, which is rewarded by long descents. It starts with descending the Col des Écandies (2796m) followed by a descent by the Val d’Arpette down to the village of Champex (1500m). Transfer by taxi will be arranged to take you to a cable-car station in Verbier. Climb up to the Col de la Chaux (2940m), followed by another descent. Then hike up to the Col de Momin (3015m) and to the highest summit of the trip, the Rosablanche (3336m). From the summit you have a great ski down the Glacier de Prafleuri to the Prafleuri hut (2624m) where you will spend the night.
Descent 2700m • Ascent 900m • Time 7-8 h
This day starts with a steep climb over the Col des Roux before starting the long traverse above the Lac Dix. At the head of the lake there is a steady climb to the Pas du Chat and then a little more traversing before a short climb to Refuge des Dix hut (2928m). Here you will leave some of your equipment before setting out for either the Col de Cheilon (3237m) or to the summit of La Luette (3548m) for some extra descent before you dinner. This add on is optional!
Descent 450m . Ascent 800m . Time 5h
From the hut you will cross the Glacier de Cheilon to climb the Glacier de Tsena Refien towards the Col de la Serpentine and on to the Col du Brenay. It is then an easy climb to the summit of the Pigne d’Arolla (3772m). Now you have a great descent to the Col des Vignettes and the spectacularly situated hut (3160m) of the same name.
Ascent 850m • Time 6 h
The day will start with a quick descent to the Col de Charmottane (3037m) followed by a hike up to the Col de l’Evêque (3382m). A beautiful, long descent of the Arolla Glacier to the Plans de Bertol is followed by a long, but absolutely spectacular, hike up to the Bertol hut (3311m), where you will spend the last night in the of this trip.
Descent 750m • Ascent 1100m • Time 7-8 h
Fun day! A hike up to the second highest point of the trip, the Tête Blanche (3707m) is followed by a brilliant, long and relatively complex descent of the Stöckji and Zmut glaciers. You will be making your way through crevasses and around rocks as you go. The views of the Matterhorn are always changing and always spectacular.
Eventually you will reach the edge of Zermatt’s huge piste area and stop for a well-earned beer at a piste-side bar before continuing to Zermatt. From here you will catch the train to Tasch to meet the minibus waiting to take you back to Chamonix, a 2.5 hour drive. Once back in Chamonix you will have a short debrief over a coffee at our office, where you can also swap photos before heading home.
Descent 2100m • Ascent 500m • Time 6 h
Warm hat
Thermal underwear
Fleece or woollen layers
Light puffer jacket
Windproof and waterproof jacket
Windproof and waterproof trousers
Warm gloves
Thin gloves
Sun hat
Ice Axe
Harness
Telescopic poles
Ski goggles
Screwgate carabiner
60 - 120 cm tape sling
Belay device
35 - 45 litres rucksack
Crampons
Ski / splitboard skins
Ski poles
Ski touring skis
Ski touring boots
Sunglasses
Water bottle (1 litre minimum)
Sun cream high protection (for lips and face)
Headlamp with fresh batteries
Sleeping bag liner
This trip includes breakfast and dinner every day. You will responsible for organising your packed lunches, drinks and snacks. You will need to bring some cash to pay for these, about 20€ and 200CHF should be sufficient for the trip.
We suggest you bring plenty of snacks that you can take into the mountains with you each day; things like cereal bars, dried fruit and nuts, chocolate, sugary sweets or your favourite trail snacks are ideal. You can buy all of these things in Chamonix.
We highly recommend that you bring or hire modern and light ski equipment for this trip. Skiing with a heavy backpack is very difficult and tiering. We recommend using modern touring skis ideally 85 - 95 mm under foot - using skis that are too skinny will be hard work in deep powder and skis that are too wide are not great for skinning on a hard-packed snow. Prior to the trip, make sure that your equipment is freshly serviced (waxed and sharpened edges) and in good working order.
If you need to hire your skis or other equipment, please let us know at least 2 weeks in advance as the hire shops can have limited availability in the busy season.
You can collect your equipment the evening before the start of the course and return it in the evening at the end of your course. We work with the following Chamonix ski hire and mountain shop :
• Concept Pro Shop which is conveniently located directly next door from our office. Open 7/7 08:00-19:00
Thermos – not essential due to weight, but it can be comforting to have a hot drink on a cold day.
Water Bottle – should be at least 1.5 litres and durable.
Camelbak hydration systems are good as long as they are kept clean, but not recommended as the tube tends to freeze up.
Extra Gloves - a pair of spare gloves is essential.
Extra Goggles - spare goggles are highly recommended.
Haute Route and its variations are all physically and technically very demanding.
You have to be able to hike and ski for about 6 hours without getting too tired the next day. Remember that skiing with a rucksack is more tiring than skiing without one. We will advise you how to reduce the size & weight of your backpack to minimum but you will still have to carry all the essentials. The snow may also not be the easiest to ski if windblown or crusty - you can expect all snow conditions along the way. In short, the fitter you will be more fun you will have on this trip. Best way to prepare is to regularly exercise - running, biking and uphill hiking will keep you stamina at a good level.
You have to have very good skinning technique and know how to efficiently use your equipment (skis, skins, boot crampons and ice axe, ski crampons). Therefore it is very important that you have good ski touring experience and done some technical tours with use of crampons and ice axe. Ideally, you have already done one hut to hut tour and know how to be energy efficient while hiking and skiing. Since Haute Route season starts closer to the spring time, you have plenty of time to ski and ski tour prior the trip.
Q1 I am a very strong off piste skier but have no ski touring experience. Can i join you for the Haute Route trip?
No you can not. You will need very good skinning technique to be quick and to preserve energy - this can be achieved by extensive ski touring experience. You should also have previous hut to hut ski touring experience to join this tour. if you have never ski toured before, join our Introduction to Ski Touring course. If you did few day ski tours but no hut to hut trip yet, join our Introduction to Hut to Hut trip.
Q2 I am on a snowboard. Can i join this trip?
We do accept snowboarders on our Haute Route trips. You have to have good splitboarding experience and have already recently completed a hut to hut trip. Please note that we do not mix splitboarders and skiers on our collective trips. We will be happy to organise splitboard friendly itinerary for a private group.
Q3 Do i need a sleeping bag for the huts?
No, you just need a sleeping bag liner. All huts are equipped with warm covers but they do not have fresh linen. The liner serves as a personal linen, it is for hygienic purposes.
Q4 How fit do i have to be?
You will be skiing and hiking in hight Alpine environment for about 9h per day for 7 consecutive days. You have to be fit and strong to complete the day pitches without getting too tired the next day.
Q5 When is the best time to ski the HR?
The Haute Route season starts mid March and ends at the beginning of May. The huts are closed outside of this time span and the snow conditions / weather are rarely favourable for this trip. If you enquire for this trip for a private group, you can chose any dates within this time-frame as long as you place your booking with us by the end of September. Check with us for later booking, we may still be able to reserve your places in huts. If you wish to book for a group trip, please check the dates we have on our website.
Q6 What skis and other equipment should i take for this trip?
You want to have as light gear as possible. Modern ski touring skis are light and still perform well in deep and varied snow. You want to have skis maximum 95mm under the foot fitted with a low tech bindings. You certainly want to take true ski touring boots - light and comfortable. If you wish to bring a helmet, bring a light climbing helmet instead of the heavy and hot ski helmet.
Q7 Do i need a special insurance for this trip?
Yes, a search and rescue insurance is obligatory on these trips. Contact us if you need help organising this prior your arrival.
Q8 Is there wifi and mobile reception on the huts?
There is no WIFI on the huts and the mobile reception is very limited.
