Haute Route

Two alpinists on the Otemma Glacier on the Haute Route

The Haute Route, (or The High Route or Mountaineers' Route) is the name given to a route (with several variations) undertaken on foot or by ski touring between Chamonix, France, and Zermatt, Switzerland.

First charted as a summer mountaineering route by members of the Alpine Club (UK) in the mid 19th century, the route takes around 12+ days walking (or 7+ days skiing) the 180 km from the Chamonix valley, home of Mont Blanc, to Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn.

Originally dubbed "The High Level Route" in English by members of a British hiking club, the term was translated into French when first successfully undertaken on skis in 1911. Since then, the French prevails.

While the term haute route has become somewhat genericized for any of the many multi-day, hut-to-hut alpine tours, the "Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route" remains the original.

Walking Haute Route

There is occasionally a danger of collapsing glaciers which can render the path virtually impassable. However, a lower level variation exists that crosses no glaciers.

Huts and villages on the walking route

• Le Tour village, France
• Albert Premier Hut
• Cabane du Trient or Orny Hut
• Champex town, Switzerland
• Valsorey Hut or Chanrion Hut
• Vignettes Hut
• Arolla village, Switzerland
• Bertol Hut
• Schonbiel Hut
• Zermatt town, Switzerland

Low level variation huts and villages

• Chamonix town, France
• Argentière village, France
• Trient village, Switzerland
• Champex village, Switzerland
• Sembrancher village, Switzerland
• Le Chable village, Switzerland
• Verbier village, Switzerland
• Arolla village, Switzerland
• Les Haudères village, Switzerland
• Zinal village, Switzerland
• Gruben village, Switzerland
• St Niklaus village, Switzerland
• Zermatt town, Switzerland

Ski Touring Haute Route

View of Matterhorn and Dent d'Hérens from the summit of Tête Blanche, high point of the Haut Route (3,710 m (12,172 ft))

First successfully completed in 1911, The Haute Route ski tour is likely the most famous and coveted ski tour in the world. Using high mountain huts to allow skiers to stay high and cover substantial distances, it winds through the highest, most dramatic peaks of the Alps from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. It requires good weather, favourable snow conditions and strong effort to complete this line. Because of this, roughly half of the skiers who begin the tour do not complete it.

There are many variations of the HLR (High Level Route) that work their way between Chamonix and Zermatt, including those listed below. It is also possible to add ascents of a number of excellent ski peaks to any of the routes. The winter Haute Route deviates from the summer route to avoid terrain that is dangerous or impassible when snow covered.

Many people will also ski the Haute Route in the opposite direction, by variations that select better ascent and descents.

On 2 May 2008 Lionel Bonnel and Stéphane Brosse, members of the Fédération française des clubs alpins et de montagne, set the record in 21 hours and 11 minutes.

Classic Route

The winter Haute Route's original line which involves long climbs and mountaineering with ice axe and crampons.

• Day 1: Argentiere village, France, over the Col du Chardonnet and the Fenêtre du Saleina to the Trient Hut.
• Day 2: Champex-Lac via the Val d'Arpette. Bus or taxi to Bourg-Saint-Pierre.
• Day 3: Long climb up to the Valsorey Hut on the shoulder of Grand Combin.
• Day 4: Over the Plateau du Couloir and down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the Chanrion Hut.
• Day 5: A long climb up the Otemma Glacier to the Vignettes Hut.
• Day 6: A long day to Zermatt over the Col de l'Evêque, Col du Mont Brulé and Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens.
• Day 7: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.

Verbier Variation

The purest skiing line, and the most frequently done.

• Day 1: Argentière, France, over the Col du Chardonnet and the Fenêtre du Saleina to the Trient Hut.
• Day 2: Champex-Lac via the Val d'Arpette. Bus or taxi to Verbier and the Mont Fort Hut.
• Day 3: Over the Rosablanche to the Prafleuri Hut.
• Day 4: Around Dixence reservoir and up to the Dix Hut.
• Day 5: Over the Pigne d'Arolla to the Vignettes Hut.
• Day 6: A long day to Zermatt over the Col de l'Evêque, Col du Mont Brulé and Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens.
• Day 7: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.

Grande Lui variation

A longer, harder, more technical route that eliminates the road break of the Verbier and Classic variations.

• Day 1: Argentiere village, France, over the Col du Chardonnet and the Fenêtre du Saleina to the Trient Hut or down to the Bivouac Dorés.
• Day 2: Over the Grande Lui through the Col du Saleina or around it via the Swiss Three Cols and a long descent to the village of La Fouly.
• Day 3: Up the Val Ferret and over to Grand St. Bernard Hospice.
• Day 4: Down to Super St. Bernard and over the shoulder of Mont Vélan to the Vélan Hut.
• Day 5: Up the Grand Combin and over the Plateau du Couloir, down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the Chanrion Hut.
• Day 6: A long non-technical climb up the Otemma Glacier or a stiffer climb over Les Portons to the Vignettes Hut.
• Day 7: A long day to Zermatt over the Col de l'Evêque, Col du Mont Brulé and Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens.
• Day 8: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.

Vignettes Hut, near Arolla, Switzerland

"Backward" Haute Route

• Day 1: From Zermatt under the Matterhorn up to the Schonbiel Hut.
• Day 2: Over the Col de Valpelline and up to the Bertol Hut.
• Day 3: Down then up over Col Collon to the Vignettes Hut.
• Day 4: Over the Pigne d'Arolla and down Les Portons to Chanrion Hut.
• Day 5: Across the Otemma Gorge, up & over into the Aosta Valley. Hitchhike to La Palud.
• Day 6: Ride the lift to the Vallée Blanche. Descend to Montenvers and ski or take the cog train out to Chamonix.

Peaks and passes on the route

See the route descriptions.

Optional ski peak ascents along the listed Haute Route variations include the Mont Blanc, Rosablanche, Pigne d'Arolla, Mont Blanc de Cheilon, Mont Vélan, Breithorn. Some of these peak ascents will require an additional day or more, and range from easy to very technical and difficult.

See also

• Swiss Alps

References

• Cliff, Peter (1993), Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt: Guide for Skiers and Mountain Walkers, Menasha Ridge Press, ISBN 1871890217 .
• Reynolds, Kev (2007), Chamonix - Zermatt: The Walker's Haute Route, 4th Edition, Milnthorpe, UK: Cicerone, ISBN 1852845139 . Updates are available on the publisher's website.
• Stewart, Alexander (2008), The Walker's Haute Route: Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, Hindhead, UK: Trailblazer Publications, ISBN 1905864086 .

Further reading

• Waeber, Michael (2009), Haute Route de Chamonix a Zermatt/Saas Fee, Rother, ISBN 3763359982 . (In French). Also published in German as Haute Route: Von Chamonix nach Zermatt/Saas Fee, ISBN 3763359192.

External links

• The Haute Route: Chamonix – Zermatt 2009. Winter trip report with photos – English
• Haute Route Chamonix – Zermatt – General presentation and detailed routes – French
• Walker's Haute Route 2005 – trip report and PHOTOS
• Kev Reynolds Writer of The Walker's Haute Route
• Google Earth file of Haute Route features.
• Swiss Topo maps. The 1:25,000 series are very detailed, but too bulky to use as field maps for long tours. 5003: Mont Blanc – Grand Combin and 5006: Matterhorn – Mischabel cover the summer Haute Route. The winter Haute Route and its variations are covered by the following 1:50,000 maps which include ski-touring routes in red:

• 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]