Haute Route
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The Haute Route, (or the High Route or Mountaineers' Route) is a cross-country route running between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland. First charted by English adventurers at the end of the 19th Century, this route follows the 8+day, 100 km, glacier walk or ski from the Chamonix valley, home of Mont Blanc to Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn.
Walking Haute Route
The route's popularity has been hit lately due to dangerously collapsing glaciers. Some parts of the route have become virtually impassable. This is believed to be due to global warming; however the glaciers have been receding since the Little Ice Age of the 17th century.
There are a number of variations to the classic Chamonix-Zermatt route, including Grand Lui Variation, Zermatt-Saas Fee, Verbier-Zermatt. This article deals with the classic route.
The Haute Route--or High Level Route--ski tour is likely the most famous & coveted ski tour in the world. Using high mountain huts to allow skiers to stay high & cover substantial distances, it winds through the highest, most dramatic peaks of the Alps. It requires good weather, favorable snow conditions & strong effort to complete this line. Because of this, only 50% of the skiers who begin the tour complete it.
While all Haute Routes work their way between Chamonix & Zermatt, there are many variations of the HLR. The purest skiing line, & the most frequently done, is the Verbier variation. The Classic route is the route's original line which crosses over the Plateau du Couloir on the Grand Combin. It involves long climbs & mountaineering with ice ax & crampons.
Verbier Variation (ski)
Day 1: Argentiere village, France, over the Col du Chardonnay & the Fenetre du Saleina to the Trient hut.
Day 2: Champex-Lac via the Val d'Arpette. Bus or taxi to Verbier & the Mont Fort hut.
Day 3: Over the Rosablanche to the Prafleuri hut.
Day 4: Around Dixence reservoir & up to the Dix hut.
Day 5: Over the Pigne d'Arolla to the Vignette hut.
Day 6: A long day to Zermatt over the Col de l'Eveque, Col du Mont Brulé & Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn & Dent d'Herens.
Day 7: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.
Classic Route (ski)
Day 1: Argentiere village, France, over the Col du Chardonnay & the Fenetre du Saleina to the Trient hut.
Day 2: Champex-Lac via the Val d'Arpette. Bus or taxi to Bourg-St.Pierre.
Day 3: Long climb up to the Valsorey hut on the shoulder of Grand Combin.
Day 4: Over the Plateau du Couloir & down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the Chanrion hut.
Day 5: A long climb up the Otemma glacier to the Vignette hut.
Day 6: A long day to Zermatt over the Col de l'Eveque, Col du Mont Brulé & Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn & Dent d'Herens.
Day 7: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.
Vignettes Hut, near Arolla, Switzerland
Huts and villages on the walking route
- Le Tour village, France
- Albert Premier Hut
- Trient Hut or Orny Hut
- Champex town, Switzerland
- Valsorey Hut or Chanrion Hut
- Vignettes Hut
- Arolla village, Switzerland
- Bertol Hut
- Schonbiel Hut
- Zermatt town, Switzerland
Peaks and passes on the route
- Mont Blanc
- Pigne D'Arolla
- Col de L'Eveque
- Grand Combin
- Col du Mt. Brule
- Col de Valpelline
- Matterhorn
Reference
- Peter Cliff, The Haute Route: Chamonix-Zermatt ISBN 1-871890-21-7
External Links
- [Cosley & Houston Guides] This web-site includes an equipment pack list, maps, photos & route descriptions of the winter Haute Route.
- [Mark Seaton, Mountain Guide] This web-site includes an equipment pack list, photos of Haute Routes, links to snow, avalanche & mountain conditions on the Haute Route, stories about the Haute Route & other climbs, a blog with descriptions of recent trips & Google-Earth coordinates for the winter Haute Route.
- [Swiss Topo] the Swiss make beautiful 1:50,000 topographic maps with ski routes--including Haute Route variations--in red.
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