Haute Route
The Haute Route is the best known ski tour in the Alps for a good reason. It is a high level journey through the heart of the heavily glaciated Western Alps. This height of land formed a natural barrier which became the boundary between Switzerland, Italy and France. Today it is not so much a barrier as an alpine playground. We will travel from country to country, between languages and cultures, all on skis.
Our tour starts in Zermatt with a ride up the ski lifts and a traverse under the north face of the Matterhorn. The next two days take us from the German to French speaking area of Switzerland. A magnificent 1400m (4600 ft) ski run takes us down to the tiny alpine village of Arolla (hotel and hot showers). Again ski lifts to take us out of the valley and up to high mountain huts. Over the next three days we wander our way through the glaciers and over the passes, making ski ascents of the Pigne d’Arolla 3772m (12370 ft) and Mt Blanc de Chelion 3827m(12552 ft). From Mt Avril, it is a long ski descent to green fields and the tiny Italian village of Glacier. We transfer by vehicle to Courmayeur, which rests 12000 feet below the south face of Mt Blanc (4808m, 15770 ft). In the morning we take the lift up for our long ski descent between the granite spires of the Valle Blanche. It will be with a sense of achievement that you walk down the main street in Chamonix a week after leaving Zermatt.
Starting the Haute Route in Zermatt provides us with several advantages. There will be less people while skiing and in the huts. There will be more nights with hotels on the route, so less time without showers. We are also less likely to have cancel or change sections of the tour due to weather or conditions. Doing the ski tour this way means less time walking or climbing with crampons and more time on your skis. There are many options for more challenging ski descents or climbing peaks if weather and conditions permit
Price: $1700 US
Meeting Place: Zermatt
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| Property Amenities |
Restaurant |
Business Center |
Steam Room |
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Bar |
Internet Connection |
Wheelchair Accessible |
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Room Service |
Conference Facilities |
Animal Friendly |
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Laundry Service |
Swimming Pool |
Concierge Desk |
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Storage Areas |
Gym |
Travel Desk |
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Car Park |
Sauna |
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Additional: Food and drinks are available at the mountain huts, allowing us to travel with light packs. Three nights hotel accommodation are also included.
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Meal Options |
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Non-Veg (all) |
Vegetarian |
Organic |
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Non-Veg (fish/chicken) |
Vegan |
Ayurvedic |
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Diabetic |
Low Salt |
Low Fat/Cholesterol |
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Kosher |
Hindu |
Muslim |
| Additional |
Guiding service
Accommodation in the mountain huts
hotel accommodation in Zermatt, Arolla and Courmayeur
breakfast and dinner
Ground transportation during the tour
All ski lifts
Use of avalanche transceivers |
| Nearby Attractions |
Ski past the Matterhorn, Mount Blanc and many other 4000 meter peaks of the Alps. |
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Day 1 May 1: Meet in the evening at the Hotel Sarazena and go through gear. If you need to rent or buy gear, arrive in the early afternoon to allow enough time. We will be leaving early the next morning. Dinner is not included this night.
Day 2 May 2: Breakfast at the hotel and ride the lift to the Swartzsee. From the lift station we will climb up towards the Hornli ridge of the Matterhorn and then ski down under the North face of the Matterhorn and arrive at the Schonbiel Hutte (2694m) on time for drinks and dinner. (4-5 hours)
Day 3 May 3: A big day with a long ski decent into the tiny town of Arolla. We get an early start and pass through the Col de Valpelline (over 3500m) and the Col de Mt Brule before skiing down to the small hotel in Arolla. We have hot showers and a chance to get more lunch food at the small store. (7 hours)
Day 4 May 4: In the morning we start by taking a ski lift and then skin the rest of the way up to the Pas e Chevres. There is a section of ladder that we decend on the other side of the pass and then a short ski up to the Cabane de Dix (2928m 2.5 hours). If time and energy permit we can make ski ascent of Mt Blanc de Cheilon (3869m 3 hours).
Day 5 May 5: Another early start, we ski up the Pigne d=Arolla (3796m) and then a long ski descent down the other side to the Chanrion Hut. (4-5hrs up 2 down 3000= elevation gain)
Day 6 May 6: We pass over over the Fenetre de Durrand, into Italy and down into the busy town of Courmayer, at the foot of Mt Blanc. There is an optional ascent of Mt Gele (3518m) if conditions permit. We will take a taxi for the final portion into Courmayer. Our hotel is near the lift station which is about 3km from the town centre and food stores (7-8 hrs).
Day 7 May 7: This is one of the most spectacular portions of the trip. We take the ski lift from Courmayer to 3800m where we are deposited on the top of the Valley Blanche. Depending on how low the snow goes, it is a 10 mile, 9000 vertical foot run into Chamonix. If the snow doesn’t go down to the valley we take a ski lift and train down. Dinner and hotel not included this night.
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| Required Skill Level |
Experienced
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| Required Equipment |
Not Included
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| Our Certificatons |
IFMGA Mountain Guide Larry Dolecki is internationally certified and leads all trips. We have been running this tour for 6 years and have the experience and local knowledge to offer you the best possible ski trip |
Ski & Snowboard Styles |
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FreeStyle Boarding |
Cross-country Skiing |
Alpine Skiing |
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FreeRide Boarding |
Telemark Skiing |
Carve Skiing |
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FreeCarve Boarding |
FreeStyle Skiing |
Speed Skiing |
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Kite Snowboarding |
Ski Jumping |
Heli/Cat |
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Off Piste |
HalfPipe |
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Additional: Ski Touring
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Basics & Backgrounds
Chinese
Dutch
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