Intro: I have been hoping to do the Haute Route (a high alpine trek from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland – there is a lower ‘Walkers’ HR also) for the last 3 years and finally decided that this summer was it. In talking to some hiking buddies, fellow VFTTer, Nancy, said she had been hoping to do the same thing, so we planned to do it.
I had found a guide company out of Canada that looked good, OnTop Mountaineering, and we signed up with them.
Now that the trip is done, I can highly recommend OnTop for any trip they do. The owner Jorg and his wife Heather are very personable and helpful. Similarly, our guide Flory, who also runs a heli-ski operation in Russia was fantastic! He knows the Western Alps like his ‘pocket’ and has climbed/guided most of the key peaks. Below are their websites:
http://www.ontopmountaineering.com/hautes.php
www.flory-kern.de
Nancy and I agreed to go 3 days early to the Chamonix Valley to get settled and acclimatized.
Too much to say…here are the trip highlights -
3 Days in the Chamonix Valley (pre-Haute Route)
Notes:
-Incredible cheese, great house wine, English preferred over German (if you can't speak French), rough exchange rate with the Euro : (
-Views of ~5 huge glaciers, numerous trails to hike and countless, awesome views, trials marked in hours (not distance)
-Chamonix - busy, easy to get around, touristy, incredible setting, mountaineering & ski foundation
-Argentiere - township up-Valley, quaint, cozy, get to know the locals and open-store times : )
-Bastille Day (French Independence) - there was a cheesy band playing outside our window until late...or early
-Goat Festival – releasing goats up to high meadows for the summer
-Learning to save cash by eating at the bakery or grocery store
Haute Route Group – (Cohesive group)
Flory - German, International Guide, world-class skier, friendly, funny, kick-a$$
Nancy - fellow VFTTer, professional food photographer, lead British-culture investigator
Heather - Montana-based, world traveler, sailor - 'boat girl', walked the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband 'boat boy' = the 'boat people', EMT
Martin - Brit, MD, new to high altitude, expert card player, gentleman in difficult bunk situations
Hanna - VFTTer, TR author
Haute Route:
Day 1 - late start, drove to Tour, gondola to chairlift to trail, meadow walk onto moraine to Albert Premier Hut (very busy), had lunch, went out onto the nearby glacier to practice crevasse rescue - Flory rescue a big rock : ) Seafood stew for dinner with bread, wine and dessert. First night in a hut and sleeping next to strangers (we got accustom to this - or tried)
Day 2 - early start, glacier travel up and onto the Plateau de Trient. Group was very strong, so we decided to climb Aiguilles de Tour – a bit exposed; long, hot glacier traverse to Trient Hut. Arrived early, got settled, had lunch, played cards, guys laid low, girls scrambled up peak behind the hut.
Day 3 - normal start, glacier travel across from this slide that was constantly sounding off like a cannon shot before sending down a mini-rockslide; onto trail, to chairlift. This is where we learn that one of Flory's guide friends who was guiding Gasherbraum (Pakistan) had been seriously injured in an avalanche and 2 clients had been killed. A respectful quiet overcomes the group. Chairlift to taxi that takes us over 2 valleys of 'uninteresting' terrain to Mauvoisin for lunch. Some have a 'lite' lunch while others do the full roesti (fried potatoes, with cheese, ham & an egg - I can't imagine moving after this feast - luckily I had the salad.) See the Mauvoisin damn and walk along the damn lake for a long time up into a green meadow where Flory stops and announces we will be roping-up. He soon easily admits to not wanting to carry the rope any longer, but gets no help from the rest of us : ) Green meadow to steep downward trail to a great gorge, over the bridge and up again to that night's hut. This evening is full of warm character and languages - WITH THE EXCEPTION of a bunkmate. An older French man who is grumpy about many things and likes to share them, but our group does not understand...later he shines a light in Martin's face and moves around Martin's feet.
Day 4 - early start, trail to dry, lonnnnnggg glacier (approx. 7 miles) of an ice-covered rock conveyer-belt. This is where smiling Beub meets his end - see Nancy’s pics. (things really start to get interesting here as far as the trail) All the time we are heading toward the Vignettes Hut for lunch...one of the more spectacularly situated huts. Ask about pink snow... Anyway, the lunch is a plate of roesti (fried potatoes) that a line-backer couldn't finish. The bathrooms were even more interesting - the toilets open up to the rocks/glacier ~1000ft below. Heather was the first to try them out. She returned and reported she was okay until 'the toilet seat shifted'. Indeed not a sight you would want to look at for multiple reasons. We roped up again and headed down to the high alpine town of Arolla for a shower and the evening.
Day 5 - Short mileage - 4 miles or so, but 4,300 vertical climb - first on a trail, then a snowfield with apparent rockfall hazards. We didn't waste any time getting up to the highest hut in the Alps - Bertol Hut. This was accessed by a steep snowfield climb to a rocky ridge scramble with fixed chains, to 300 ft of ladders, to another ridge with fixed chains to a fixed grate of stairs. The glacier is sitting somewhere approx. 1000 ft below. We had lunch and amused ourselves until dinner, which isn't so appealing above 10K ft. After dark, cozy in the bunks a strong thunder and hail storm sounded like it would take down the building - luckily we were in the basement @ 10K+ ft : )
Day 6 - up at 3:45, breakfast at 4am, urged down the ridge and ladders by Flory at 5am. It was difficult, but beneficial, as all groups for the day followed thereafter. Inches of wet snow had fallen the night before and it was a slow, deep slog to the summit of Tete Blanche at 12K+ ft. It was intermittently cloud-covered and as we arrive on the summit, the Matterhorn and other great nearby peaks emerged. It was an intense heaven-on-earth moment! Down a crevasse-ridden glacier for the next couple of hours to a steep rocky island called Stockji. Onto moraine and boulder section and finally up a sketchy rockfall area to a trail. We stopped, the journey almost done, and sat on our packs in the sun and chatted. Headed to Zmutt for lunch and (I napped in the sun) all the while having the strong presence of the Matterhorn. Next to Zermatt for a shower and to celebrate the trip’s end with a fondue dinner.
More later…
My pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/albu...fun&track_action=/Owner/ViewActions/FullAlbum
Nancy's pics:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/560057438cjOWVu?vhost=outdoors
I had found a guide company out of Canada that looked good, OnTop Mountaineering, and we signed up with them.
Now that the trip is done, I can highly recommend OnTop for any trip they do. The owner Jorg and his wife Heather are very personable and helpful. Similarly, our guide Flory, who also runs a heli-ski operation in Russia was fantastic! He knows the Western Alps like his ‘pocket’ and has climbed/guided most of the key peaks. Below are their websites:
http://www.ontopmountaineering.com/hautes.php
www.flory-kern.de
Nancy and I agreed to go 3 days early to the Chamonix Valley to get settled and acclimatized.
Too much to say…here are the trip highlights -
3 Days in the Chamonix Valley (pre-Haute Route)
Notes:
-Incredible cheese, great house wine, English preferred over German (if you can't speak French), rough exchange rate with the Euro : (
-Views of ~5 huge glaciers, numerous trails to hike and countless, awesome views, trials marked in hours (not distance)
-Chamonix - busy, easy to get around, touristy, incredible setting, mountaineering & ski foundation
-Argentiere - township up-Valley, quaint, cozy, get to know the locals and open-store times : )
-Bastille Day (French Independence) - there was a cheesy band playing outside our window until late...or early
-Goat Festival – releasing goats up to high meadows for the summer
-Learning to save cash by eating at the bakery or grocery store
Haute Route Group – (Cohesive group)
Flory - German, International Guide, world-class skier, friendly, funny, kick-a$$
Nancy - fellow VFTTer, professional food photographer, lead British-culture investigator
Heather - Montana-based, world traveler, sailor - 'boat girl', walked the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband 'boat boy' = the 'boat people', EMT
Martin - Brit, MD, new to high altitude, expert card player, gentleman in difficult bunk situations
Hanna - VFTTer, TR author
Haute Route:
Day 1 - late start, drove to Tour, gondola to chairlift to trail, meadow walk onto moraine to Albert Premier Hut (very busy), had lunch, went out onto the nearby glacier to practice crevasse rescue - Flory rescue a big rock : ) Seafood stew for dinner with bread, wine and dessert. First night in a hut and sleeping next to strangers (we got accustom to this - or tried)
Day 2 - early start, glacier travel up and onto the Plateau de Trient. Group was very strong, so we decided to climb Aiguilles de Tour – a bit exposed; long, hot glacier traverse to Trient Hut. Arrived early, got settled, had lunch, played cards, guys laid low, girls scrambled up peak behind the hut.
Day 3 - normal start, glacier travel across from this slide that was constantly sounding off like a cannon shot before sending down a mini-rockslide; onto trail, to chairlift. This is where we learn that one of Flory's guide friends who was guiding Gasherbraum (Pakistan) had been seriously injured in an avalanche and 2 clients had been killed. A respectful quiet overcomes the group. Chairlift to taxi that takes us over 2 valleys of 'uninteresting' terrain to Mauvoisin for lunch. Some have a 'lite' lunch while others do the full roesti (fried potatoes, with cheese, ham & an egg - I can't imagine moving after this feast - luckily I had the salad.) See the Mauvoisin damn and walk along the damn lake for a long time up into a green meadow where Flory stops and announces we will be roping-up. He soon easily admits to not wanting to carry the rope any longer, but gets no help from the rest of us : ) Green meadow to steep downward trail to a great gorge, over the bridge and up again to that night's hut. This evening is full of warm character and languages - WITH THE EXCEPTION of a bunkmate. An older French man who is grumpy about many things and likes to share them, but our group does not understand...later he shines a light in Martin's face and moves around Martin's feet.
Day 4 - early start, trail to dry, lonnnnnggg glacier (approx. 7 miles) of an ice-covered rock conveyer-belt. This is where smiling Beub meets his end - see Nancy’s pics. (things really start to get interesting here as far as the trail) All the time we are heading toward the Vignettes Hut for lunch...one of the more spectacularly situated huts. Ask about pink snow... Anyway, the lunch is a plate of roesti (fried potatoes) that a line-backer couldn't finish. The bathrooms were even more interesting - the toilets open up to the rocks/glacier ~1000ft below. Heather was the first to try them out. She returned and reported she was okay until 'the toilet seat shifted'. Indeed not a sight you would want to look at for multiple reasons. We roped up again and headed down to the high alpine town of Arolla for a shower and the evening.
Day 5 - Short mileage - 4 miles or so, but 4,300 vertical climb - first on a trail, then a snowfield with apparent rockfall hazards. We didn't waste any time getting up to the highest hut in the Alps - Bertol Hut. This was accessed by a steep snowfield climb to a rocky ridge scramble with fixed chains, to 300 ft of ladders, to another ridge with fixed chains to a fixed grate of stairs. The glacier is sitting somewhere approx. 1000 ft below. We had lunch and amused ourselves until dinner, which isn't so appealing above 10K ft. After dark, cozy in the bunks a strong thunder and hail storm sounded like it would take down the building - luckily we were in the basement @ 10K+ ft : )
Day 6 - up at 3:45, breakfast at 4am, urged down the ridge and ladders by Flory at 5am. It was difficult, but beneficial, as all groups for the day followed thereafter. Inches of wet snow had fallen the night before and it was a slow, deep slog to the summit of Tete Blanche at 12K+ ft. It was intermittently cloud-covered and as we arrive on the summit, the Matterhorn and other great nearby peaks emerged. It was an intense heaven-on-earth moment! Down a crevasse-ridden glacier for the next couple of hours to a steep rocky island called Stockji. Onto moraine and boulder section and finally up a sketchy rockfall area to a trail. We stopped, the journey almost done, and sat on our packs in the sun and chatted. Headed to Zmutt for lunch and (I napped in the sun) all the while having the strong presence of the Matterhorn. Next to Zermatt for a shower and to celebrate the trip’s end with a fondue dinner.
More later…
My pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/albu...fun&track_action=/Owner/ViewActions/FullAlbum
Nancy's pics:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/560057438cjOWVu?vhost=outdoors
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