We end the Haute Route by skiing under the North Face of the Matterhorn and into Zermatt. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions about the Haute Route. If you love the high mountains and enjoy leaving your tracks in sun-warmed corn snow, you will understand why the Sierra High Route has become the standard by which we compare all other ski adventures! I guess it depends on your goals for the trip. Recently a guide asked me about it and that sparked me to modernize the “plan” using the new tools available. The intention is to display ads (via third party services) that are relevant and engaging for individual users. The Haute Route is the ultra classic high mountain traverse linking Chamonix to Zermatt, sleeping in huts at night and only going back to the valley flooronce, to connect Champex to Verbier [...]. This article by Alexandre Buisse was originally published on Switchback Travel in 2012, and we’ve kept it on the site due to the incredible imagery and inspirational value. The 1:50,000 maps are actually published in a skiers version and have relatively accurate ski route lines printed directly on the map. You are also going to be able to do the trip for less than half of what it costs to go with a guided group. Le Massif du Grand Paradis et le Massif du Mont Rose constituent l’opportunité de skier des sommets de plus de 4000m. , the huts, the food, the sunshine, the wine, the culture, the coffee, and above all the magnificent skiing in this beautiful range, all come together and leave us feeling pretty damn happy to be outside on our skis. Whilst the Haute Route is undoubtedly very popular, our carefully selected route allows you to enjoy all the high points of the Verbier variation but avoid over-trafficked areas. Overnights on the route are spent in mountain huts and, ideally, you will have experienced a hut night before. Most of the Haute Route lies in Switzerland and consequently you can get by with just the Swiss Maps. You have to be able to hike and ski for about 6 hours without getting too tired the next day. On day 3 you ski to the Prafleuri Hut, and then on Day 4 you ski to the Dix Hut. Ski Ability: The Haute Route is not an extreme ski route in any way. You can always use Euros at the hut, but the exchange rate will usually not be in your favor. To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Privacy Policy. Itinerary Prerequisites Equipment Weather Location Services Included FAQ. The toilet is outside, way down some steep metal staircase in a rectangular box, whose door doesn’t close, and to top it off, you stand on a see-through grid which offers a view on a pyramid of… well… you know. We expected wet slushy snow but found perfect conditions. While the Haute Route can be done at almost any time of year by staying in the unheated winter rooms of huts along the route, this misses the point which is to have someone else cook your food, carry your wine, and provide your bedding while you focus on the task at hand, great skiing in a beautiful setting with a light pack. Haute Route - advice please! The trip of course also involves some beautiful off-piste descents into the valleys. The Haute Route is a 6 to 7 day ski touring program best done in March & April. Geneva (airport code GVA) is the most logical if all you plan to do is the Haute Route. The Haute Route or high level route is about 6 days traverse across the mountains and the glaciers between Chamonix and Zermatt. User account menu. To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Privacy Policy. Close. The catch is that they will also demand proof of insurance or payment at the time of rescue and this will be enforced. Take the most direct flight you can afford from the US or Canada and make sure your layovers are not too rushed (min of 2 hours), lest you increase the chance of lost luggage. Most banks will shut your card down after a couple hundred dollars each day. With a non-guided group you have the flexibility to change the plan at any point in the trip. We will advise you how to reduce the size & weight of your backpack to minimum but you will still have to carry all the essentials. This should be reserved in advance. Log In Sign Up. The Haute Route is the ultra classic high mountain traverse linking Chamonix to Zermatt, sleeping in huts at night and only going back to the valley flooronce, to connect Champex to Verbier [...]. A kinder, gentler Haute Route without the huts. Que vous partiez de Verbier ou de Chamonix, vous rejoindrez Zermatt des souvenirs plein les yeux ! This will cover you for rescues in France on the day you hold your ticket. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Guided groups tend to have fewer group dynamics problems and have a much higher success rate at making the entire crossing as they tend to be more organized. One notable exception is a place called the Hotel Bahnhof in Zermatt. 1:50,000 maps cost 22.50 CHF each and the 1:25,000 maps cost 13.50 CHF. Depending on your plans while in Europe there are many places to consider for departure cities. You are also going to be able to do the trip for less than half of what it costs to go with a guided group. Skiing the Haute Route From Chamonix to zermatt. While it is tempting to take a bigger ski, you want something that is reasonably light, has a relatively short turning radius, and is a true backcountry ski rather than a "slack country" tourer. Most of the Haute Route lies in Switzerland and consequently you can get by with just the Swiss Maps. There are no upcoming courses at this time. I personally prefer to spend a day or two in Zermatt so that I can ski some of the classic lines there and then move along to the next spot. La Haute Route ne laisse personne indifférent tant la beauté des paysages traversés est grande. Like the La Tapia, there is reliable wi-fi, which has become of staple need for ski guides operating in Europe. I try to make it all the way in 2 flights and have had good luck with all my gear making it to Europe on time. Where I live in WA there are basically no huts, so a winter ski tour is either done in a day, or is a brutish and nasty affair involving winter camping. If you want to ski the Haute Route with a guide… My wife, Olivia Cussen and I, have spent the last several years doing the Haute Route a couple of times each spring and at some point on every trip we look at each other and exclaim, "this is ridiculous!" If you do hire a guide, they must be IFMGA certified to work in Europe. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. With a non-guided group you have the flexibility to change the plan at any point in the trip. My wife and I run the Northwest Mountain School, and would be happy to send you details on our ski trips to Europe, or to answer questions related to the planning of your own trip. Many Canadian and American guides hold this certification, but not all. One notable exception is a place called the, The simple option is to jump on a train and head back to Chamonix that day. The people running the La Tapia are good folks and the view down valley is better than most of the € 300 places in town. Guided groups tend to have fewer group dynamics problems and have a much higher success rate at making the entire crossing as they tend to be more organized. If you want a bit more of a cultural experience than Geneva, consider flying into Zurich (airport code ZRH) which I personally find to be a more interesting city. Take a guide, take an ice axe and take the exhilarating challenge of skiing the legendary Haute Route. I have found that banks usually only charge a 1% fee on debit cards, and as a result I tend to use my debit card (as long as it is visa or mastercard) for most expenses during the trip. ): Chamonix and Zermatt. We need your consent to use marketing cookies. Please select the checkbox below to indicate your consent. The snow may also not be the easiest to ski … Haute Route - advice please! This spectaular route winds its way through the heart of the Alps: it heads eastwards from the base of Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak, and finishes in the unmistakeable shadow of the Matterhorn. With this in mind you will want to go when the huts are open and staffed, roughly from the 3rd week of March through mid-May. I was hoping to share the lead with some other guides because both the visiblity and the weather were really bad. Plan on about 100 CHF per day for huts, wine, etc. For those interested in a European ski traverse, the Haute Route is the first trip that pops into most people’s minds. It's the only store with the full G3 product line, including all accessories and replacement parts. Ski Haute Route Equipment List. Meeting halfway, we share the evening in celebration. If you purchase REGA and are not a Swiss citizen, this will not cover you in France, thus the need for Carre Neige or the Carte Neige, which can be purchased in increments of longer than one day, and may cover your while skiing in France and Switzerland, but will require you to front the money for a rescue occurring outside of France and then be reimbursed by Carte Neige. Haute Route ski tour guides for your private groups. Though not essential, some climbing experience is desirable and prior use of ice axe and crampons advantageous. It also helps to warn your bank that you will be traveling to Europe and ask them to raise your daily withdraw limit so that you can make a large enough withdraw to cover you in one or two transactions. When we are doing this on the cheap we simply show up in Zermatt with whatever we have in our pack, borrow a pair of loaner shoes from the ski room at the Hotel Bahnhoff, or visit the local Migros grocery store and buy a cheap pair of sandals to wear while in Zermatt. Haute Route and its variations are all physically and technically very demanding. We have stayed in a lot of different places in Chamonix. It takes about 4 hours and if you are ready to go by 4 or 5 pm you can make it all the way back to Chamonix. Free ground shipping on orders over $150! [...] Much to my dismay, no other parties or guides were on route that day. You can look up the Swiss Train Schedule here. If you plan things well you can often share the cost with other skiers coming from Chamonix. The Haute Route is a challenging ski touring journey involving some long ascents and equally some incredibly long descents. Some sound Haute Route advice for anyone thinking of skiing the world’s most famous ski tour: The Haute Route is well known as one of the all time classic mountain journeys in the world, with good reason. I can often find cheaper flights to Zurich and I should admit that I gratly enjoy riding the trains of Europe, so the extra few hours on the train is no problem for me. This book has sufficient information to allow you to make do without the guide by Peter Cliff, but we chose to buy both. You should also have had many backcountry ski days under your belt and possibly a previous multi-day ski tour. Participants on the Haute Route Ski Tour should be advanced intermediate or stronger skiers, have a high level of cardio vascular fitness, and have experience skiing in the backcountry. Posted by 2 years ago. If you get hurt skiing in Europe and there is decent visibility, you actually have a really good chance of getting picked up by helicopter. Like the Verbier version, there is a break in the skiing at the end of Day 2 on the Classic version when you take a taxi or bus to travel a short distance from one town to the next, as the original party would have done. The Haute Route was first done as a ski trip in 1911. For a guided ski tour you need to have experience using skins on steep and sometimes hard pack snow. If you want solitude and a higher possibility of good snow then look at late March or early April and ski mid-week to avoid the crowds during the trip. If I fly into GVA I then take a shuttle to Chamonix. This results in accidentally locking in and then needing to stop, take my ski off, and turn the rear piece with both hands as I need to disengage the brake. Although Italy is amazing and the food is orgasmic (let’s not be afraid of words here ;-) ), they are architects of toilets. Haute Route Advice for Skiers. Using a splitboard, different techniques and lines are required on a number of sections of the route, which means we are unfortunately unable to accept bookings for splitboards on our Haute Route trips. These are published by Swisstopo and can be ordered online. Along the Haute Route ski tour you will enjoy exciting ski mountaineering challenges, great descents, comfortable Swiss mountain huts, and spectacular high alpine scenery. Brakes are worth the weight as a lost ski would be a disaster on the Haute Route. Join North Cascades Mountain Guides, on what is surely a trip of a lifetime, the fabled European High Route. The train ride to Chamonix at the start is a bit longer, but the trip to the airport from Zermatt at the end is about the same. With a guide you generally get to skip the route planning, the guide handles all the logistical details, and it gives your group some structure for decision making. The Haute Route is a lifetime trip for those who love to ski, combining adventure with unsurpassed beauty. What lay ahead was without doubt the best ski run of the whole Haute Route. The fourth day, we skied up and over to the Pigne D’Arolla via the Serpentine [...]. Over 6 days we traverse the Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt on skis. This website uses cookies for various purposes, including enhancing your website experience. If you are not planning to go back to Chamonix you can have your luggage shipped from Chamonix to Zermatt for about 240 Euros. The two routes come together either at the Vignettes Hut or on top of the Pigne d'Arolla depending on which version of each route you select. Below is a sample itinerary for both the “Regular” and the “Classic” Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. We took the lift to the “Col des Gentianes”. I thought that we wouldn’t leave until 9am, giving the people arriving from the Trient hut enough time to get to Verbier. Les Guides de Verbier vous emmènent sur la mythique Haute Route. The route has a more alpine feel and gets you closer to the magnificent Grand Combin, but does see less traffic. There are dozens of other traverses in the alps that rival the Haute Route in terms of pure downhill skiing (The Berner Oberland), comfortable huts (The Ortler Ski Circuit), wilderness experience (The Ecrins Traverse) and other qualities that make for a good week of skiing, but like running the Grand Canyon in a dory, or climbing El Capitan, the Haute Route stands out as a monkey that most backcountry skiers will eventually want to get off their back. Some friends and I are planning on doing haute route this coming year. This 11-day trek has a more leisurely pace and some shorter ascents-still with spectacular mountain scenery. They are also widely available in shops in Chamonix and Zermatt as well as other places. The large 1:50,000 maps … Sign up for the G3 Newsletter and be the first to get product and brand news, 1366 1:25,000 Mont Velan (For Classic Haute Route Only), We have stayed in a lot of different places in Chamonix. - 126/93/114) is going to to do the best job for you on a tour as varied as the Haute Route. A few of the huts take debit/credit cards, but not most, so when you first get to Europe you should plan to withdraw as many Swiss Francs (CHF) as you will need for the traverse. That being said, the hut was lovely… less lovely was getting out of there and back on the main Haute Route the next morning, touring up some SW facing refrozen steepness. If doing the most common version of the Haute Route, the Verbier Haute Route, most parties take 6 days to ski from Chamonix to Zermatt. You can provide consent by clicking the "I Consent" button or by cancelling this cookie notice. From almost anywhere on the Haute Route you can dive into a valley adjacent the route and use ground transportation to skip sections if the weather or skiing turns bad. It takes about 4 hours and if you are ready to go by 4 or 5 pm you can make it all the way back to Chamonix. What skiers call the Classic version of the Haute Route follows the path of the 1911 skiers and is often skipped in favor of the Verbier Haute Route because the Classic version requires more mountaineering objectives and you spend less time actually skiing than on the Verbier version. If you are not planning to go back to Chamonix you can have your luggage shipped from Chamonix to Zermatt for about 240 Euros. The Gite D’etape La Tapia has simple shared rooms for 16 Euros per night as well as wi-fi, and cooking facilities. My wife and I run the. In the past I have paired this with a Dynafit STS binding, but I am pretty psyched to be on the G3 Onyx for two reasons: 1. This is ski touring at its best, high in the mountains, from hut to hut, with long climbs and stunning descents, only once dropping to valley level. Great, right? Every outdoor activity has a few very iconic trips. Archived. Verbier Haute Route – Open Course 25-29 March 2019 (with options for another Haute Route training & warm up day in Chamonix on Sunday 24th March and to ski the Vallee Blanche on Saturday 30th March – making a brilliant 7 day programme). [...] We arrived at the hut in time for the delicious Rosti, specialty of the Dix Hut. I have listed a few options here. By the end of the day you should be in Switzerland at which point you will want insurance purchased for about 30 CHF from REGA, a Swiss company that provides insurance for skiers in Switzerland. This list is intended for guests skiing in guided groups and those without a guide may need extra equipment. It was actually really nice to have so few people along. Pro Guiding Service has guided this super classic ski tour from Chamonix to Zermatt about 40 times in 5 different variations. On the Haute Route we utilize a system of huts, and their bunks and meal offerings enable us to stay high in the mountains for most of the route and to travel with extremely lightweight packs. ASI guides a double High Route: one group begins on the east side of the Sierra, the other on the west. I do, by the way, use a brake on my bindings for the Haute Route. Most people do not realize that there are multiple versions of the Haute Route. They also have one of the better plat du jour lunch specials in Chamonix. The guide also can manage avalanche forecasting and snow stability assessments that less frequent backcountry skiers may need. The simple solution is to by a single days worth of insurance when you purchase your lift ticket at Grand Montets in Argentiere. Depending on conditions and time available, we may have the option to climb several summits along the way. Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route. Overall, you need to have your equipment … Most credit cards these days charge a foreign transaction fee of 3% of any transaction. Haute Route Ski Tour . A few years back a client lost a ski and I managed to make a diving catch, but the result had I not caught the ski would have likely been a very, very long day. © G3 Genuine Guide Gear Inc. 2021.All Rights Reserved. While travelers as far back as the Romans as well as shepherds, traders, and others crossed through this part of the alps, it is unlikely that anyone bothered to connect the passes leading to the present high level route prior to the English. Guide pratique pour s’initier au ski de haute route PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE. It does, however, require participants to be decent skiers. At the beginning of this century I built a Haute Route Ski Tour plan that was passed around a lot amongst American Mountain Guides. Many Canadian and American guides hold this certification, but not all. With over 10 years of experience guiding hut to hut ski tours in the Alps, IAG owner and director and IFMGA/UIAGM certified ski guide Dave Miller leads the Haute Route ski tours personally. A good guide should also be able to show you the best line on any given section of haute route and should be able to get folks from Chamonix to Zermatt that might not make it on their own. Maps. A good guide should also be able to show you the best line on any given section of haute route and should be able to get folks from Chamonix to Zermatt that might not make it on their own. I pair all of my skis with a skin cut wall to wall, my current favorite being the G3 Alpinist Climbing Skin. The regular haute route travels through Verbier and is slightly less technical than the classic itinerary. A ski like the G3 Spitfire (177 cm - 3.5kg/7/7 lb. It differs from the Classic Route by moving to Les Chables, Switzeland on day 2 and then taking a tram to Verbier, and eventually staying at the Mont Fort Hut inside the Verbier ski area. Trips taken in late March have a better chance of powder skiing, and consequently also seem to have a higher chance of whiteout conditions and less stable snow. If you like the Apres Ski scene, and the associated noise, the Hotel Gustavia is nice, close to the train station, and you will be near they party. When skiing with a guide, all the pre trip planning, technical and safety aspects of the tour are taken care off - so you can concentrate on the challenge and enjoy the skiing. The guides directory allows you to find the coordinates of a guide, a company or an office. For very precise navigation you might also consider the 1:25,000 maps, which have a higher level of detail. High-level skiing on the Haute Route Tom Robbins leaves the crowded resorts behind to take on the world's most famous ski tour challenge, a six-day ski trek from Mont Blanc to … Enjoy never-ending ice landscapes while skinning over spectacular passes and peaks on your way to the next mountain hut. The large 1:50,000 maps actually include the start of the trip in France, and then the entire Haute Route fits nicely onto 2-1:50,000 maps. L’arrière pays s’avère un terrain de jeu incroyable pour les skieurs et planchistes. One reputable taxi-luggage shipper is, I guess it depends on your goals for the trip. He has led over 14 Haute Route ski … It was done as a summer route and called “The High Level Route” as Englishmen made the first crossing. The weather wasn’t looking good in Chamonix or in Switzerland, so I suggested to my friend/client. Things you should feel comfortable doing include: skiing with a backpack, skiing a wide variety of snow ranging from powder to breakable crust to corn, and climbing and descending 3500-4500' on skis for a week. If budget is not a huge concern then there are infinite nice hotels to be found online. March and April are the ideal months to do the best ski tour from refuge to refuge: the Haute Route (or the High Route). The parties that were already there had started from the Mont Fort Hut, on the Verbier pistes. It also includes a luxurious mid-tour spa day, laundry service and excellent excursions. It made the experience much more relaxing and enabled us to have more a “wilderness experience”. The skills and experience needed here are dependent on whether you are going on a guided Haute Route ski tour or tackling it on your own. All the guides are bilingual or more, they have travel the world, ski and climbed in many mountain ranges. If you want something a bit cheaper, consider a Gite. 5. You can also find a guide from a given location. Skiing down the piste, we had to ski pole to pole to remain on the piste because the visibility was at the most 5m out. It is easy to forget that Chamonix is in France, therefore they use Euros, whereas all the huts are in Switzerland and they use Swiss Francs. La Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt entre le Mont Blanc et le Cervin est certainement le raid à ski le plus connu des Alpes. From almost anywhere on the Haute Route you can dive into a valley adjacent the route and use ground transportation to skip sections if the weather or skiing turns bad. You also stand a far higher chance of skiing all the way to Zermatt, as a guide will make progress in less than ideal conditions and get a team to Zermatt who wouldn't always be able to do it on their own. We enjoyed a nice and very long ski down to Zermatt with a stop in Furi for some beers and Croute au Fromage… or was it Rosti again ? They also have wi-fi and you can walk there in about 10 mins. It passes … This website uses cookies for various purposes, including enhancing your website experience. 2019 Haute Route Dates & Prices. from the main train station. I have had a consistent problem with my STS's switching on their own from tour mode to ski mode when I am touring in spring snow conditions. As you stumble off the plane well lubricated by free booze, and a bit jet lagged, be sure to remember to raid the ATM at the airport. You can use a credit or debit card for most things in France and Switzerland. If you plan things well you can often share the cost with other skiers coming from Chamonix. With one more day on the schedule, we skied down to Furi (the mid station in Zermatt) and took the cable car up to the Klein Matterhorn and finished the trip with an ascent of the Breithorn, the most accessible 4000m peak around. There is some level of freedom in showing up with a credit card, your ski gear, and the clothes on your back.

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