Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in
Chamonix
We meet at Geneva Airport and then transfer to Chamonix,
the famous resort town that is centre of Alpinism in
France. Under the shadow of Mount Blanc, Chamonix is
a vibrant and colourful town, buzzing with people throughout
the year preparing to enjoy the mountains in all manner
of activities. We stay in the small resort of Argentiere
at the head of the Chamonix Valley. We shall meet at
5.00pm for an introductory briefing on the Haute Route
and an equipment check. After an evening meal together,
we enjoy a good night’s sleep in our comfortable
hotel.
Day 2 Chamonix
Valley to Albert Premier Hut
The first stage of our trek takes us from Argentiere
to the Albert Premier Hut (2702m). We take a leisurely
start, taking a short cable car ride from Le Tour to
Col du Balme where we can enjoy the impressive views
of the Chamonix valley and the Mont Blanc Massif. From
here we make the short two-hour walk up the moraine
to the hut where instructional skills will be taught
on Glacier travel, use of crampon and ice axe, tying
knots and simple crevasse rescue. The mountain huts
provide a surprisingly high standard of food considering
their isolation, and after a good meal we settle for
an early night.
Day 3 Glacier
du Tour – Col du Tour- Orney Mountain Hut
An early rise enables us to make use of the best snow
conditions under foot whilst the snow is still frozen.
We walk up the impressive Glacier du Tour, and as the
sun rises we can hope for views of Aiguille du Chardonnet
and Aiguille du Tour (3544m) catching the sun. As we
make our way up to the Col Superior du Tour (3289m)
we are rewarded with fantastic views of the Mont Blanc
range. Here we descend into Switzerland, as we drop
down onto the vast Trient Plateau. Passing close to
the Trient Hut we begin the descent of the Orny Glacier
before reaching our hut for the night, the Cabane d’
Orny (2831m).
Day 4 Descend
to La Fouly
If the weather is clear in the morning there are excellent
views from the Cabane d’Orny. After breakfast
we descend steeply down a long series of switch backs
which eventually leads to the pretty vallon d’Arpette
Saleina. Our route heads off on a path which traverses
across on the east side of the Val Ferret until we come
to the village of La Fouly where we stay overnight at
a hotel. La Fouly is a pleasant village – the
last we will pass through for some days – and
a good place to stock up on supplies.
Day 5 Trek to
Bourg St. Pierre
From La Fouly we follow a little-travelled route across
the Col du Neve de la Rousse (2752m). We follow the
paved road to begin with but this soon deteriorates
into a rough dirt track and eventually a steep zig-zagging
mountain trail. On the way we pass a small lake –
the Gouille du Dragon – where we can pause for
a rest and those brave enough can go for a swim. From
the crest of the pass we can climb a small summit -
the Pointe des Planards (2866m). This gives us excellent
views looking back towards Mont Blanc. From the pass
there is a long descent to the village of Bourg St.
Pierre where we stay overnight in a local gite. This
is the last place we can have a shower until we get
to Zermatt. It is also a re-supply point and we can
get access to our trek bags this evening.
Day 6 Trek to
the Cabane Brunet
From Bourg St. Pierre we have a long but gradual climb
up to the Col de Lane (3033m). The path goes through
a picturesque region of flower-filled meadows and simple
alpine hamlets. The final section to the crest of the
pass is a little steeper and somewhat rocky. From the
pass we descend a rough path on glacial moraine which
eventually brings us to the chalets at Nicliri (2492m).
We continue to descend more easily now to the Cabane
Brunet (2103m).
Day 7 Trek to
the Pannossiere Refuge
A relatively short day today for the 4 hour hike to
the Refuge Pannossiere. From Brunet we climb easily
to Les Plans and then follow a steeper path to cross
the Col d’Avouillons (2647m) We then descend past
a small lake to the Glacier de Corbassiere. We cross
this and so reach our overnight stop at the delightful
Cabane de Pannossiere (2669m). This is a small private
refuge, run by the same family for three generations,
and the food is excellent!
Day 8 Cross the
Col des Otannes to the Chanrion Hut
The day begins with a long steep climb to the Col des
Otannes. The views from the pass are outstanding and
include the Grand Combin. We then descend to a long,
traversing path which eventually brings us down to the
side of the Lac Mauvoisin. We then have a steep climb
to reach the Chanrion hut (2462m) which is our destination
for the evening. The Chanrion Hut is said to be one
of the best huts on the Haute Route, situated opposite
Mount Avril, it is located on summer pastures. There
are bergeries nearby from where it is possible to buy
some local cheese. The well known, but very rare Edelweiss
can be found here.
Day 9 Chanrion
Hut - Dix Hut
This is a very fine day, long and varied but with incredible
views throughout. We find ourselves in more rugged mountain
scenery, traversing some glacial ice and moraine before
joining our path up to the Col de Lire (3115m). It is
usual to see of herds of ibex on the slopes. Crossing
the remnant glacier between this pass and the next,
the Col de Mont Rouge (3325m), we may well have to put
on our crampons as there is a steep snow slope to be
negotiated. Beyond this pass, we cross the upper part
of the Gietro Glacier to reach the Col de Cheilon (3243).
A short glacial descent then takes us down to our overnight
stop at the Cabane des Dix (2928m) that has a deserved
reputation for great food.
Day 10 Dix Hut
- Vignettes Hut via the Pigne d’Arolla
Up before dawn today, as we head for the main summit
and the highest point of our route. We make a short
descent from the hut onto the Glacier de Cheilon, which
is initially bare of snow. Before beginning our ascent
of the Pigne d’Arolla (3796m). We rope up and
put on our crampons as the start of the route crosses
dramatically crevassed glacial terrain, leading up to
the Col de la Serpentine. From here we cross a short,
but steep, ice slope. This is the crux of the route,
giving us access to the easier upper slopes of the Pigne
d’Arolla. From the summit the view must rank as
one of the finest in the Alps. It stretches from Mont
Blanc to the Grand Paradiso, with awesome views of Matterhorn,
the Dente Blanche and the Bernese Peaks. A short glacial
descent takes us to the impressively situated Vignettes
Hut that perches dramatically at 3160m.
Day 11 Vignettes
Hut - Bertol Hut
Today we cross beneath the north face of the Petit Mont
Collon on glaciated terrain to reach the Col de L’Eveque
(3386m). This takes 3 t o4 hours. From here, we descend
onto the Haute Glacier d’Arolla, traversing snow
slopes and then bare glacier. At the snout of the glacier,
we pick up a trail leading towards a bergerie on the
eastern slopes of the valley. Beyond this, we are faced
with a 600m ascent to the Col de Bertol (3268m). Our
overnight halt is at the Cabane de Bertol, which is
spectacularly located at the head of the col. Access
to the hut is via a string of exciting ladders up a
rock face, directly after a challenging snow slope,
making reaching the hut even more rewarding! There are
stunning views towards the Matterhorn and the Dent Blanche.
Day 12
Bertol - Tete Blanche - Schonbiel Hut
Weather dependent, we shall attempt the summit of the
Tete Blanche. We descend the ladders from the hut, rope
up and start the long, gentle ascent of the Mont Mine
Glacier, heading for the peak of easy snow peak of the
Tete Blanche (3724m). This takes 3 to 4 hours and our
reward is even more impressive views of the Matterhorn,
surely the most generic and famed of mountain views.
We descend by way of the complex and heavily crevassed
Stockji (a rocky island in the middle of this glaciated
terrain). Here, we pick up a narrow trail which traverses
steep slopes, leading to an improving alpine path on
a moraine on the north side of the valley. Finally,
we cross the huge rock-covered glacier below the Zmutt
Ridge of the Matterhorn and pick our way up the Schonbiel
Hut.
Day 13 Descend
to Zermatt
Today we make our way along good trails through the
beautiful Swiss meadows to Zermatt. From the rugged
mountain scenery, we soon find ourselves among pleasant
woodland and pretty hamlets. This is a splendid walk
with the north face of the Matterhorn and Dent d’Herens
hover above us- a time to reflect on the journey just
undertaken. We have the remainder of the day to explore
this car-free Alpine haven before enjoying the luxuries
of our comfortable hotel.
Day 14 Depart
Zermatt
After breakfast we transfer to Geneva Airport for the
homeward flight.
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