Ski touring – Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt in 6 days

Who hasn’t dreamt of skiing the legendary Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt? The Haute Route is surely the most famous ski tour in the Alps, which connects the two famous alpine centres Chamonix and Zermatt, via a series of stunning 3000m mountain passes.

The magnificent scenery, the glacial terrain every day, the tough climbs, and the long and steep descents make it a must for ski tourers!

During this 6-day hut to hut traverse across the Alps, we will cross multiple passes and finish with the ascent of the famous Pigne d’Arolla at 3800m, located at the foot of Matterhorn.

This trip is led by Olivier Amiguet, international mountain guide from the area and who knows the Haute Route intimately.

What’s the plan?

Day 1 – Argentière – Refuge d’Argentière

You meet your guide in Argentière at 10:30. From there, you take the cable car to Grands Montets, usually just called “Les Grands” because everything is so massive! This first day on the Argentière glacier is relatively short and easy, and we spend our first night at the Refuge d’Argentière at 2770m.

Day 2 – Refuge d’Argentière – Cabane du Trient

We start the day with a short descent before going up to Col du Passon (3028m). We then cross the Tour glacier and cross the Col du Tour (3280m). After the traverse of Plateau du Trient, we arrive at Cabane du Trient where we spend the night.

Day 3: Cabane du Trient – Cabane de Prafleuri

After slightly going down the Trient glacier, we get to our first mountain pass of the day, Col des Ecandies (2793m) and ski down all the way to Champex. From there, we take a taxi to Le Chable in Val de Bagnes and go up to Col des Gentianes (2869) with the cable car. From there, we ski to the next pass, Col de la Chaux (2939m), and ski all the way up to our first mountain peak of the trip, Rosablanche at 3335m. Descent to Cabane Prafleuri at 2622m, where we spend the night.

Day 4: Cabane de Prafleuri – Cabane des Dix

This day starts with a climb to Col des Roux (2803m), before a gentle descent along the huge reservoir Lac des Dix. After crossing the Pas du Chat, we make our way to Cabane des Dix at 2928m and spend the night there.

Day 5: Cabane des Dix – Cabane des Vignettes

A very long climb to Col de la Serpentine (3542m), but worth the effort as it will take us to the highlight and highest peak of the week: Pigne d’Arolla at almost 3800m! From there, great descent to Cabane des Vignettes at 3152m, where we stay overnight.

Day 6: Cabane des Vignettes – Zermatt

Three mountain passes for the last day of this unforgettable tour: Col de l’Evêque (3379m), followed by a very short moment in Italy and the crossing of the Arolla glacier that leads us to Col du Mont-Brûlé (3214m) and back to Italy again. And last but not least… The Col de Valpelline (3552m) and the final descent to Zermatt, just below the gorgeous Matterhorn.

Technical information and requirements

Good levels of skiing experience and physical fitness are required to ski in all snow conditions and skin up at a good pace every day, 6 days in a row.

Fitness level

Ascent: up to 1200 meters per day
Duration: 4 to 9 hours of exercise per day
Backpack with mountaineering equipment

Technical level

Varied slopes (up to 35º), a few technical sections.

You need to be a very good off-piste skier and to have some ski touring knowledge (i.e. how to use skins, ski crampons, crampons, ice axe, avalanche devices, etc.). If you are a good off-piste skier but would like to get familiar with ski touring and mountaineering equipment before the Haute Route, feel free to join our Introduction to ski touring weekend on 11 – 12 December 2021.

Insurance

It is the participant’s responsibility to get health and accident insurances that cover mountain rescue, including extreme sports. Becoming a Rega patron is highly recommended (CHF 40 per year only for emergency medical assistance from the air).

How to get there?

If you are traveling from Zurich by public transport, we recommend you to take the following:

-Monday: Zurich HB 06:02 – 10:26 Argentière (Haute-Savoie)
-Saturday: Zermatt 14:37 – 17:58 Zurich HB (depending on what time you finish)

Kit list

Clothing essentials

-Skiing trousers
-Base layers
-Skiing socks
-Fleece
-Spare warm clothes
-Down jacket
-Waterproof jacket
-Buff
-Warm gloves
-Thin gloves
-Warm hat
-Sun hat
-Sun glasses (take a spare one if possible)
-Ski goggles

Night essential

-Base layers
-Socks
-Sleeping bag liner
-Pillow case
-Lightweight towel
-Ear plugs

Technical equipment

-Ski poles
-Ski touring skis
-Ski touring boots
-Ski skins
-Ski crampons
-Ski backpack 30-40L with the possibility to fix your skis on
-Dry bags
-Avalanche set: transceiver, probe, and shovel
-Ski helmet
-Crampons (already adjusted for your ski boots)
-Ice axe
-Harness
-1x locking carabiner
-1x 120cm sling
-1x ice screw (provided if you don’t have one)

Electronics

-Multi-USB socket (the number of plugs in huts is very limited)
-Charging cables
-Power bank
-Headlamp and spare batteries

Toiletries

-Toothbrush and toothpaste
-Toilet paper
-Soap/shampoo

Food & Beverages

-Packed lunch for day 1
-Snacks
-Thermal bottle for tea
-Water bottle

Pharmacy

-Sun screen
-Lip protector
-Plasters (Compeed) and basic medicine
-Face mask & hand disinfectant

Miscellaneous

-Cash for drinks at the huts
-ID
-Health insurance card
-Mountain rescue membership card (Rega, Air Glaciers)

Equipment rental

If you need to rent some equipment, please make sure you rent it from your local outdoor stores before the start of the tour, such as Transa, Ruedi Bergsport, Baechli, etc.

Pricing

The price for this event is CHF 1600.

Included in price

-6 days ski touring with an international mountain guide
-5 nights of accommodation in mountain huts
-5 dinners (Monday – Friday)
-5 breakfasts (Tuesday – Saturday)

Not included in price

-Transport to Argentiere and back from Zermatt
-Packed lunches (possibility to buy in the huts)
-Cable cars
-Drinks
-Snacks

Group size

Minimum number of participants: 4
Maximum number of participants: 6

By signing up for this event, you agree that you have read, understood and will adhere to our Terms and Conditions.