Itinerary
DAY 1 Arrival
in Geneva
We meet you on arrival at Geneva Airport and transfer
by road to our hotel in Argentiere, situated in the
Chamonix valley. Argentiere is very popular amongst
British walkers and mountaineers and to cater for them
there is an excellent British-run bar situated here.
We stay in a comfortable hotel in the centre of the
village within walking distance of all amenities.
DAY 2 Trek from
Chamonix to Argentiere
In the morning we travel into Chamonix town centre and
take the Brevent cable car up to the top station at
2525m. The viewpoint from here is absolutely stunning
and we can gaze across the Chamonix valley towards Mont
Blanc and a myriad of smaller peaks including the Chamonix
Needles and the Aiguille du Midi. This section of the
trek follows the Tour du Mont Blanc route as we traverse
across the sensational high level terrace of the ‘Grand
Balcon’ past La Flegere to the still waters of
Lac Blanc. With clear skies the reflection of the Mont
Blanc chain in the lake is one of the most photogenic
views on the whole trek. From this lake the path descends
in a wide series of zig zags back down to Argentiere
and our hotel. A few beers await in one of the town’s
several attractive hostelries.
DAY 3 Across the
Col de Balme to Trient
In the morning after a leisurely breakfast we prepare
our rucksack The second overnight stop on the trek cannot
be reached by vehicle so baggage transfer will not be
possible on this section. We will need to pack our rucksack
very carefully, omitting any non-essential items and
travelling as light as possible. We catch a local bus
up to Le Tour where, to help us get started, we take
the Col de Balme chair lift to the half-way station
at just over 1800m. From here we get straight on the
TMB path with a steady climb up to the Col de Balme
at 2191m. There is a small refuge on the crest of the
pass, which forms the frontier between France and Switzerland,
and if the guardian is in residence we may be able to
buy drinks and snacks from here. We have a great panoramic
view across the Valle D’Arve towards the peaks
of the Aiguilles Rouges whilst to the southeast we can
see the Aiguille du Tour (3544m) and the Aiguille du
Chardonnet (3824m). Descending on the east side of the
pass, we follow a good path, gentle to begin with but
steepening as we approach the bottom of the valley.
We stay overnight at the picturesque village of Trient.
DAY 4 Across the
Fenetre d'Arpette to Champex
We depart from the refuge early in the morning for the
long climb up to the Fenetre d’Arpette (2665m).
The path climbs high above the Trient Glacier and we
can look across the huge glacier bowl of the Aiguilles
Dorees towards the Aiguille D’Argentiere (3902m).
Crossing this pass can be one of the toughest days on
the whole trek. The ground is fairly rough and there
is a modest degree of scrambling, such that in poor
weather we would need to consider an alternative route
via La Forclaz. On the far side of the pass we descend
steeply across a boulder field into the Val D’Arpette,
pausing briefly at the refuge D’Arpette before
continuing down to the exceptionally beautiful village
of Champex situated by a tranquil alpine lake. We stay
overnight at a delightful chalet style hotel and will
be re-united with our baggage from Argentiere.
DAY 5 Trek to
the Mont Fort Refuge
We walk down the valley through delightful alpine pastures
to Sembrancher and then onto Les Chables in Val de Bagnes.
To avoid a very long uphill climb through a partially
residential and farming area we a telepherique and then
walk for about an hour to the Mont Fort refuge (2457m).
This is a relatively easy day which will be very welcome
if we have come over the Fenetre D’Arpette on
day 4. The Mont Fort refuge is a delightful old-style
alpine hut with great views and we can sit on the veranda
with a beer and watch the sun set over the mountains.
Among the peaks we can see from here are the Dents du
Midi, the Grandes Jorasses and the Grand Combin. Our
support vehicle is not able to reach the high mountain
huts so we will need to carry all essential items for
tonight, and for the following night as well.
DAY 6 Trek to
the Prafleuri Refuge
Today is the longest section of the trek so far, crossing
three high cols and climbing a substantial distance
, but we are rewarded with spectacular views throughout.
From Mont Fort we follow a narrow path which clings
to the hillside under huge cliffs with occasional metal
chains for assistance. We have great views of the Grand
Combin and back to Mont Fort. The first pass of the
day is Col Termin and this is followed rapidly by the
Col Louvie (2921m). Ibex are often seen on these remote
passes. A steep descent leads to the Grand Desert, the
moraine-strewn snout of a dry glacier, which we cross
to reach the Col de Praefleuri (2987m) and a final steep
climb to the new Praefleuri refuge (2624m). A tough
day!
DAY 7 Across the
Col de Roux to Arolla
Another long day beginning with a short climb up to
the Col de Roux (2804m) and then a steep descent to
the Lac des Dix. In poor weather conditions we may opt
to take a lower route which avoids the col and follows
the lake shore. By either route we reach La Barma and
continue on the westerly side of the lake and directly
south of us at the far end of the lake we can see the
great north face of Mont Blanc de Cheilon (3870m). The
path now begins to climb above the Glacier de Cheilon
heading for the Riedmatten Pass (2928m) which we cross
and make a descent of nearly 1000 metres to reach the
pretty village of Arolla. We stay in a comfortable hotel
with ensuite twin rooms and are re-united with our baggage
which has been driven around from Champex.
DAY 8 Down the
valley to La Sage
From Arolla we follow a pleasant path through pine forests
to the small Lac Bleu. Occasionally it is possible to
buy local cheese from the farmer here. We descend to
the village of Les Hauderes in Val d’Herens where
we can have lunch before continuing to climb up to the
little hamlet of La Sage. We stay overnight in simple
dormitory accommodation.
DAY 9 Cabane de
Moiry
We have two options today, both involving the crossing
of a high pass. Normally we would plan to cross the
Col de Torrent (2919m) and descend to the barrage at
Lac de Moiry. But an alternative is the Col de Tsate
(2868m) which is somewhat more direct. Either way brings
us to the Lac de Moiry where there is a small café.
From here we trek up to the beautifully situated Cabane
de Moiry.
DAY 10 Across
the Col de Sorebois to Zinal
We follow a series of steep switch backs to the Col
de Sorebois (2840m) where in clear weather there is
an incredible panorama across to the Central Mischabel
Alps including the Weisshorn (4506m), the Schalihorn
(3978m) and the Zinal Rothorn (4221m). We drop down
into the delightful Val D’Anniviers and the pleasant
village of Zinal (1675m). There is an option to use
a cable car for the final 800 metres descent into the
valley. In Zinal we stay at a comfortable hotel and
once again will have access to our baggage.
DAY 11 Across
the Meidpass to Gruben
We climb to the crest of the Meidpass (2790m) where
our eye will be drawn by the tremendous glaciers of
the Weisshorn, the Bishorn (4153m) and the Brunegghorn
(3833m). We drop down a short distance to the little
lake at Meidsee where we can have lunch before embarking
on the long descent to the village of Gruben (1822m)
in the Turtmanntal valley. We stay in at the Hotel Schwarzhorn
and will be re-united with our baggage.
DAY 12 Across
the Augustbord Pass to Zermatt
One final big day over the Augustbordpass (2894m). The
climb to the pass involves about 1000 metres of ascent
from Gruben, but at the top we are greeted with a sensational
view across to a range of peaks not seen up to this
point on the trek. The Dom (4479m), the Lenzspitze (4294m)
and the Taschhorn (4490m) are the tallest of a great
chain of peaks lying high above the Mattertal Valley
and stretching south all the way to Monte Rosa and the
Matterhorn itself. As we descend into the pretty Augustbord
valley we are rewarded with some of the finest views
on the whole trek. The final steep descent to St. Niklaus
can be cut short with a cable car from Jugen. We board
a mountain train for the short ride up to Zermatt and
our hotel at the foot of the Matterhorn, where we will
be re-united with our baggage.
DAY 13 Travel
home
After breakfast we depart from Zermatt. Most members
will be travelling by train for the journey to Geneva
Airport and a flight back to the UK.
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