Photo credits: Mark Seaton collection, Charles Sherwood, John Norris, Jeff Brown & Faerthen Felix.
Site design: Faerthen Felix, 2005.

The Haute Route starts in Argentiere--six-kilometres up the valley from Chamonix--and finishes in Zermatt, thus connecting the two spiritual homes of mountaineering & the two most famous Alpine peaks: Mont Blanc & the Matterhorn. It is the most famous and sought after ski-touring route in the world (see title image at top of page).

Download a Google-Earth file showing cols, ski peaks, towns & huts along the major Haute Route variations (right click & save to your computer, then open the file in Google-Earth)

The following itinerary is aimed at people who are good, strong and fit off-piste skiers but who may have limited experience of mountaineering. In order that everyone is thoroughly confident in their equipment and has had a chance to find their skiing legs, our first day together is spent training, being well briefed about what to expect, and gaining valuable acclimatisation.

Part of the magic of the legendary Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route is the multitude of variations possible. The following itinerary is the purest ski-touring line & the most frequently done. Many other options are available but most require basic mountaineering skills: that is, mandatory use of ice ax & crampons for some ascents. If you are interested in an alternate, more difficult variation but lack basic mountaineering skills, you should plan on another day or two for mountaineering training.

More Haute Route information: Story | Photos

Day 1: Training in the use of ski touring equipment and the use of avalanche transceivers, plus all the other skills necessary to complete the trip safely.

Day 2: Set off on the Haute Route from Chamonix. From the top of Grands Montets, we firstly ski down the Glacier des Rognons before tackling the long ascent to the famous Col du Chardonnet. The first night is spent in the beautiful setting of the Trient Hut.

Day 3: Ski down the stunning Val d`Arpette to Champex and take a taxi to Verbier. Catch the cable car up to the Mont Fort Hut.

Day 4: Mont Fort Hut to the Prafleuri Hut, via an ascent of the Rosablanche (3600 meters.)

Day 5: Prafleuri Hut to the Dix Hut via Lac du Dix.

Day 6: Dix Hut to the Vignettes Hut, making an ascent of the Pigne d'Arolla. This is a major alpine peak with breathtaking views across the Alps. It is the highest point on the trip. (3800 metres)

Day 7: Vignettes Hut to Zermatt, staying in Zermatt. This is a long hard day. We will pass through some of the most dramatic alpine scenery to found anywhere in the world.

Day 8: Spare day in case of bad weather. If unused we will make an ascent of the Breithorn on skis. The Breithorn is one of the Alps coveted 4000-meter peaks; we then transfer from Zermatt to Chamonix by taxi.

If you like to do arm-chair research, good guidebooks in English to the Haute Route & other Chamonix or Zermatt area ski tours include:

• Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt: a Guide for Skiers and Mountain Walkers, Peter Cliff. Classic English guide with good beta but horrendous maps.
• Alpine Ski Mountaineering: Western Alps, Bill O'Connor. This, the most recent guidebook, contains many other Alpine tours in addition to the Haute Route. O'Conner appears to be a good researcher, though some of his suggested tours are perversely inhuman.
• High level route, Chamonix, Zermatt, Saas: Ski mountaineering in the Mont Blanc range and Pennine Alps, Eric Roberts. Out of print & outdated but includes interesting variations & day tours not covered in other sources.
• Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Rouges a Ski, Anselm Baud. Baud was one of the originators of extreme skiing in the 1970's, so even many of the easier routes in this guidebook are pretty serious undertakings. The hard ones are strictlly for the bleeding edge: extremely fit, risk-tolerant & skilled ski-mountaineers who are willing to wait decades for the right conditions. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see what has been done & learn a bit about the history of these routes. You can also buy it anywhere in Chamonix.
• Chamonix Off-Piste, Burnier & Potard. A good guide to lift-served backcountry skiing in the Chamonix area.

Swiss topo maps are gorgeous & make excellent souvenirs or references for planning your next year's outing. You can order them here. The 1:25,000 series are beautifully detailed, but too bulky to use as field maps for long tours. The Haute Route & its variations rest mainly on the following 1:50,000 maps:

282 S Martigny 1:50,000
283 S Arolla 1:50,000
284 S Mischabel 1:50,000 [includes Saas Fee extension & Zermatt day-tours]