Haute Route Ski Tour

The Haute Route Ski Tour is justifiably world famous and makes for an amazing weeks skiing, traversing across the high alpine glacier systems between Chamonix and Zermatt. The route has everything you’d expect of a high mountain ski tour; with great scenery, big climbs and long descents each day. Like many alpine ski tours, good weather and snow conditions are necessary on key parts of the route, but our guides know the route intimately and our 7 day tour has a spare ‘weather day’ programmed in, which increases your chances of reaching Zermatt. The Haute Route is an Advanced Level trip for experienced ski mountaineers. Huts: For overnights in the high mountains we will use mountain huts. For more info please read the Using Alpine Huts article which provides an overview of typical facilities, average costs to help you budget for lunches/drinks and general info on hut etiquette. Also, our Ski Touring FAQs page answers some of the most common questions we are asked about multi day ski touring and logistics etc. Sample Itinerary: Please Note: there are numerous different combinations of huts and accommodation along the route and we frequently vary our itineraries to make best use of bookings and current weather and snow conditions. For example – if there is a significant fresh snowfall, the guide will often re arrange hut bookings in order to keep the team safe and increase the chances of success. Subject to weather and snow conditions, we aim to take the Skiers Verbier Route which gives the most reliable passage to Zermatt: —---------- Saturday: You should arrange outward travel on Saturday, arriving by 6-7pm latest in time for the briefing at your accommodation. Your guide will run through kit checks and safety routines, as well as hand out any rental equipment, before going on to discuss the current weather and mountain conditions and how these affect our plans. Overnight in the valley. —---------- Sunday: Ascent to Argentiere Hut or Albert Premier Hut Before setting off on the Haute Route, we do some warm up runs at the Grands Montets, before donning skins and heading out of the patrolled ski area. This leads to a great 500m descent with stunning views down on to the Argentiere Glacier, and onwards to our first mountain hut of the tour. En route we refresh on some key skills, which may include kick turns, transceiver training or crampon and ropework. During this day your guide will make an assessment of your fitness, ski level and touring skills, to make sure it is safe for every team member to set off on the next section of the tour. Typically ~400m ascent (or ~700m if ascending to the Albert Premier Hut). —---------- Monday: Argentiere Hut to the Trient Hut or Relais D’Arpette (Champex) From the Argentiere Hut a choice of routes now presents itself – either the Col du Chardonnet or Col du Passon. Both are the same distance, but in recent years the Col du Passon has become more popular, since the Col du Chardonnet has dried out and become a lower/abseil rather than a ski descent. We follow which ever route is in best condition, as both lead eventually to the Swiss border and the Trient Hut, or the Relais D’Arpette above Champex a little further along the route. This first day is a long one, with 1250m of climb and two or three sections of roped climbing on foot – however the views and high mountain ambiance are amazing. 1250m ascent, 800-1900m descent ~6-8hrs OR Albert Premier Hut to the Mont Fort Hut (Verbier) If we start from the Albert Premier Hut on Monday morning, we have a slightly shorter and less strenuous day. This will allow us to press on into Switzerland and a night in the Mont Fort Hut above Verbier, or a nearby Verbier/Le Chable hotel. Hut choice on this day depends on the group, current conditions and the best overall combination of hut bookings for the week. 600m ascent, 1900m descent ~4-5hrs —---------- Tuesday: Val D’Arpette – Verbier – Prafleuri Hut From the Trient hut, the day begins with a few hundred metres of descent down the right bank of the Trient Glacier, followed by a section of Via Ferrata on rock to reach the Col des Ecandies at the top of the Val D’Arpette. This deep, north facing valley gives a wonderful long ski run right down to Champex, where we meet a pre arranged minibus to take us the few kilometers down the valley to the Verbier lift system. (NB If staying at the Relais D’Arpette, we’ll cross the Col des Ecandies and ski the Val D’Arpette at the end of day 2, rather than the start of day 3) After lunch on the slopes in Verbier, we head to the Prafleuri Hut we set off in the afternoon to traverse 3 cols with short descents in between, which leads to the glacier below the Rosablanche and a good north facing decent down to the Prafleuri Hut. This is a long day and we usually arrive at the hut around 4-5pm. 700m ascent, 1300m-2400m descent ~6-9hrs. Mont Fort Hut – Prafleuri Hut If staying at the Mont Fort Hut above Verbier on Monday night, we can get up a little later before heading to the Prafleuri Hut, approached as above. We may also take in an ascent of La Rosablanche (3336m) en route, which gives a good north facing descent to the hut. 1050m ascent, 850m descent ~5-6hrs. —---------- Wednesday: Prafleuri to Dix Hut From the Prafleuri Hut, an hours skinning leads to the Col des Roux, where the long descending traverse above the Lac de Dix begins. This section of the route is south facing, so in warm weather, must be completed early in the day. In good conditions with a fast team, various alternatives may be taken here, in order to find some fresh snow. Either way, at the end of the lake the long climb up to the Dix Hut begins – usually in the afternoon sun. On paper this is quite a short day from the Prafleuri Hut, but the uphill finish in the afternoon heat makes it feel much harder. Luckily the Dix Hut is in a superb position, with a great sunny terrace where you can enjoy the view and a well earned beer before dinner. 900m ascent, 600m descent ~5-7hrs —---------- Thursday: Pigne D’Arolla to Vignettes Hut or Nacamuli Hut At 3790m, the Pigne D’Arolla marks the highest point reached on the trip and is a wonderful viewpoint across the whole of the Western Alps. The ascent from the Dix Hut involves 900m of climb and takes about 3 hours, passing through some steep glacier terrain, including the passage of the Serpentine, which often has to be climbed on foot. From the summit, it’s a 600m descent down to the Vignettes Hut, which lies perched in a spectacular position on a rocky ridge crest. Here again, in the right conditions it’s sometimes possible to take a different line in order to find fresh snow. If staying at the Vignettes Hut, this is quite a short day. However, in good weather it’s also possible to continue a further 2.5 hours to the Nacamuli Hut in Italy, which is less well known and makes the last day a couple of hours shorter 950m ascent, 700m descent ~4hrs (1250m ascent, 1350m descent ~6.5hrs to Nacamuli). —---------- Friday: Final Day to Zermatt The final day of the Haute Route is always one of the most memorable days out in any ski mountaineers career – crossing three cols and six glaciers, with a final huge descent down to Zermatt under the North Face of the Matterhorn. An early start is required to make the first climb up the Col de L’Eveque, before a nice descent and second climb up to the Col du Mont Brule. The final section of this is steep and frequently climbed on foot. From the Col Brule, the Col Valpelline doesn’t look that far away, but it always takes a good two hours to reach. Cresting the final col, the Matterhorn rears up ahead, opening the way to the final 1900m descent down the Stockji and Zmutt Glaciers to Zermatt. 1250m ascent, 2800m descent ~8-10hrs from the Vignettes. From Zermatt, we take a minibus taxi back to Chamonix and our starting hotel. Overnight in Chamonix —---------- Saturday: Spare Day – to allow for weather delays. We’ve been guiding the Haute Route for many years now and are well aware that having an extra day in the itinerary significantly increases your chances of completing the route. It makes the trip a little more expensive, but you have 7 days skiing and it’s definitely worth it if you are serious about reaching Zermatt. If the bad weather prevents progress for a day earlier in the trip, we can often sit out the weather and use the extra day to reshuffle our hut bookings (depending on availability) and use Saturday to ski between the Vignettes and Zermatt. Or, we can split the big final day into 2 shorter days by staying in the Bertol hut, and therefore finish the tour on Saturday. If we reach Zermatt on Friday and return to Chamonix, then Saturday will be a spare day to ski off piste/tour around Chamonix, eg a descent of the famous Valle Blanche from the Aiguille du Midi. PM Overnight in Chamonix valley. —---------- Sunday: Return travel should be arranged on Sunday morning, after your final nights accommodation.

• Technical Clothing

• Waterproof Jacket

• Overtrousers/ski pants

• Fleece mid layer

• Socks

• Wicking thermal top

• Thermal leggings or ski pants

• Thin inner gloves

• Warm ski gloves or mittens

• Warm hat

• Water container

• Personal medications and blister kit

• Lightweight head torch

• Ski goggles

• Sun glasses

• Sun and lip cream

• Wallet, passport, Alpine Club/BMC card

• Small wash kit

• Spare lightweight t-shirt/socks/pants

• Silk sheet liner

• Ear plugs

• Rucsac 35/45l

• Ski mountaineering boots

• Skis with touring bindings

• Ski strap

• Ski poles

• Climbing skins

• Harscheisen

• Metal snow shovel

• Avalanche probe

• Avalanche transceiver

• Harness

• Crampons

• Ice Axe

• Helmet

• Guides on Oak are verified by Oak, but users should independently confirm a guide’s qualifications.

• Participants are responsible for ensuring their skill level and fitness are suitable for the activity.

• Individuals should only attempt techniques or terrain they feel personally confident with.

• All instructions and safety guidance from the guide should be followed at all times.

• Users must ensure their own equipment is appropriate and in safe working condition.

• Mountain activities carry inherent risks, and participation is at the user’s own discretion.

• Adequate insurance covering mountain travel and rescue is essential.

• Relevant medical information should be shared with the guide.

• Plans may change due to weather or safety considerations, and users should be prepared for this.