Following the footsteps of pioneers, cross the French-Swiss border in the most epic way possible—by ski touring the world’s most renowned ski touring route. Set out on a 7-day Haute Route traverse, a journey through the heart of the Alps that skiers have been crossing off their bucket lists ever since 1911. With Chamonix-Mont-Blanc as your starting point, an alpine hut-to-hut venture takes you to the glacier paradise of Zermatt, lying at the foot of Matterhorn. Experience a daily change of surroundings as you make your way across steep passes and hidden valleys, or switch between mighty glaciers—and even mightier ski descents. This is ski touring at its best—dare to undertake this premiere alpine journey with an expert guide leading the way.
Haute Route is the mother of all ski touring traverses. Threading its way through steep Alps, the route takes you from hut to hut—from Chamonix, the birthplace of modern alpinism and ski mountaineering, to Zermatt in Switzerland—in a matter of 7 days. Cross some of the world’s most spectacular mountain terrain, and explore high mountain passes and broken glaciers. Expect a perfect mix of big Alpine days fused with European comforts, including local cuisine and fresh après-ski scene!
You’re meeting your guide and your group the evening prior to getting on the snow. The meeting point will most likely be the Moö Bar in Chamonix. If you’re not able to make it, you’ll meet your guide the following day at Aiguille du Midi.
Ease into your Haute Route adventure by doing mandatory classic laps on the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France. Shake the jet lag, stretch the legs, and prepare for the challenge ahead!
To kick off the Haute Route Traverse, you’ll ski down the Argentière glacier from the Grand Montets lifts. You have two options here: the classic option through the Col du Chardonnet or the Col du Passon. Both lines are similar in length and involve a steep snow section. Once through the Col, it’s smooth sailing to the Trient Hut, one of the highest ones on the route at 3,200m (10,500 ft).
Ascent: 1,100m (3,610 ft)
Descent: 1,600 (5,250 ft)
Length: 10km (6 miles)
This is a more gentle day to recover from the previous one. A short glacier ski through wild glaciers takes you to the most technical climbing section of the route, Col des Ecandies. A 200-meter (656-foot) bootpack sets you up for a 1,600-meter (5,250-foot) cruise down the Val Ferret to the Swiss village Champex. A one-hour taxi ride takes you to Verbier, a village in south-western Switzerland where you’ll spend the night.
Ascent: 200m (660 ft)
Descent: 1,800m (5,906 ft)
Length: 10km (6 miles)
Catch the first lifts to the top of Mont Gelé standing at 3,519m (11,550 ft) above sea level. A quick skin up the piste and over the Col de la Chaux takes you across a quick traverse, descending to the Lac du Petit Mont-Fort. From there, you start a long climb up to the Rosablanche mountain before a long descent to the Prafleuri. Treat yourself to a pint of good brew and get some well-deserved rest!
Ascent: 1,200m (3,940 ft)
Descent: 1,550m (5,085 ft)
Length: 11km (7 miles)
A quick early-morning climb up the Col des Roux sets you up for a long traverse above Lac des Dix. From the edge of the lake, a long skin takes you to what might just be the best hut of the trip, the Cabane des Dix. Once at the hut, you have two options: beer and rösti or more ski runs.
Ascent: 1,000m (3,280 ft)
Descent: 700m (2,300 ft)
Length: 9km (5.5 miles)
This day is a big up followed by a big down. First you’ll head up the Glacier de Tsena Réfien over the spectacular passage de la Serpentine and finally to the summit of the Pigne d’Arolla, the highest point of the route at 3,790m (12,440 ft) above sea level. Shed your skins and ski down the Glacier de Pièce to the steps of the Cabane des Vignettes for the evening.
Ascent: 1,000m (3,280 ft)
Descent: 750m (2,460 ft)
Length: 9km (5.5 miles)
An epic day ahead of you brings this traverse to an end. Pass over 3 cols, 7 glaciers, and 3,200m (10,500 ft) of descent, amounting to 29 km. This big day will certainly have you craving for a celebratory drink along with some traditional Swiss food. Your guides can organize transport back to Chamonix or they can arrange for your luggage to be shipped.
Ascent: 1,700m (5,580 ft)
Descent: 2,200m (7,220 ft)
Length: 29km (18 miles)
Fantastic mountain guides whom I would come back to anytime. My experience with Altus has been on three different occasions: ice climbing, ski touring and mountaineering, and each time had an awesome adventure. Their guides are extremely knowledgeable, inspiring, thorough, and able to cater to individuals’ preferences and needs
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
To enjoy this guided Haute Route Traverse, you need to be in excellent physical condition. Apart from that, you need to have previous backcountry skiing experience and advanced ski ability is required (black diamond runs). You will be on your feet for 7 full days for an average of 6 miles (10km) per day, with the last day amounting to 19 miles (30km). You will need to manage controlled descents and ascents in variable conditions, as the largest day requires 4,593 ft (1,400m) of climbing over 9,843 ft (3,000m) of elevation. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
To participate in this tour, you need to have extensive previous backcountry skiing experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for 5-7 hours every day. If you’ve never backcountry skied before, we suggest joining a guide for a day of touring in Chamonix and Mont Blanc.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented from one of the manifold rental shops in Chamonix. If you don’t have your own, you can rent:
Gear rental locations are in Chamonix and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and prices:
Backcountry skiing across the Haute Route Traverse can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
All participants must complete a liability waiver, which is sent to participants upon booking and must be completed online or in paper form before the trip date.
To get to Chamonix, most people fly into Geneva International Airport (GVA), one hour away. Once you arrive, there are several ways to reach your destination, including public transport. Looking to make airport transfers hassle-free? Check out Mountain Drop Offs—they provide door-to-door service in their comfy and spacious shuttles. Use the code 57HCHX to get a 5% discount!
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet. Most likely it will be the Moö Bar on day 0 or Aiguille du Midi on day 1. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in France and Switzerland, please refer to France Diplomacy’s COVID-19 Information and Switzerland’s Travel Advisory by the Federal Office of Public Health.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
A 30% deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 2 months (60 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
Excellent guide service. From the moment of booking to the end of the course, the staff and guides were helpful, enthusiastic, patient, and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.