Hi All,

Thanks for all the help! We finally did the Haute Route (Section of it this year, had covered the remaining section 3 years back) - Chamonix to Zinal and the bus/train to Zermatt. At Zermatt did a day hike to the Hornlihutte.

I will try to write a trip report later, but for the time being selected photos are posted here - https://plus.google.com/photos/10116947 ... 9132383009

Thanks again for all the help, which was invaluable for the planning of the trip.
Regards,
John

Amazing photos! What was your route? I'm trying to plan a haute route honeymoon but am having trouble deciding on a route and deciding if we want to do a guided section.

Did you ever wish you had a guide so you could go further up?

Great Photos...I did a traverse of Mt Blanc de Cheilon this past summer. Beautiful part of the world! Did you stay at the Dix hut looking up at its North Face?

If interested in the Haute Route, suggest you buy Kev Reynolds book Haute Route available on Amazon. Used it in 2013 and did not need a guide...never got lost. Used hotel.com to find hotels in the towns we stayed in and the book gives email addresses and phone #s for any huts. Save your $$ and don't hire a guide.

Spiffae wrote:Amazing photos! What was your route? I'm trying to plan a haute route honeymoon but am having trouble deciding on a route and deciding if we want to do a guided section.

Did you ever wish you had a guide so you could go further up?

Hi Spiffae,

Attached is the schedule for our trip; including details on the places where we stayed. We had done the section from Zinal to Zermatt before, so this time we focused on Chamonix to Zinal and then took the train over the Zermatt. At Zermatt, we did a few day hikes (Hornlihutte, etc.). We had limited time so it worked well!

Hiking Plans/Schedule:


Its very well documented in (Kev Renyolds - Walker's Haute Route book - http://www.amazon.com/Chamonix-Zermatt- ... 1852845139). In addition, I found the following website also very useful - http://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en. I used the site to plan day by day routes and printed them on waterproof paper before we left. It was really helpful during the trip. I also picked up a SWISSCOM SIM card (~$50 for the entire duration of the trip) with unlimited data from Geneva airport when I landed there. So I was able to access the mobile version of the Swiss Topo site on the go.

It is a fairly straightforward hike and is very well marked, so you do not need any guide (they are fairly expensive too). We used the planned schedule, and then called the hotel/cabins and day or two in advance to make the reservations. We had booked our Chamonix and Zermatt accommodations in advance before leaving the US, as these are tourist town and reasonably priced accommodation gets sold out early (also, last time we made the mistake of traveling when Tour-de-France was schedule, so we found it difficult to get accommodation)

As long as you are in decent physical condition, you can easily do the hike without any guide. I am also including my packing list for reference

Let me know if you have any questions and I would be very happy to help.

Packing List:

bidasking wrote:Great Photos...I did a traverse of Mt Blanc de Cheilon this past summer. Beautiful part of the world! Did you stay at the Dix hut looking up at its North Face?

Hi Bidasking,

Yeah we did cross a section of the tour of Mt Blanc de Cheilon but did not stay at Cabane Dix. Yeah, it is really beautiful there and we are hoping to go back again this year to do the Tour of the Matterhorn (which crosses certain sections of the Haute Route).

Regards,
John

sm176811 wrote:

Spiffae wrote:Amazing photos! What was your route? I'm trying to plan a haute route honeymoon but am having trouble deciding on a route and deciding if we want to do a guided section.

Did you ever wish you had a guide so you could go further up?

Hi Spiffae,

Attached is the schedule for our trip; including details on the places where we stayed. We had done the section from Zinal to Zermatt before, so this time we focused on Chamonix to Zinal and then took the train over the Zermatt. At Zermatt, we did a few day hikes (Hornlihutte, etc.). We had limited time so it worked well!

Hiking Plans/Schedule:

HikingPlans.JPG

Its very well documented in (Kev Renyolds - Walker's Haute Route book - http://www.amazon.com/Chamonix-Zermatt- ... 1852845139). In addition, I found the following website also very useful - http://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en. I used the site to plan day by day routes and printed them on waterproof paper before we left. It was really helpful during the trip. I also picked up a SWISSCOM SIM card (~$50 for the entire duration of the trip) with unlimited data from Geneva airport when I landed there. So I was able to access the mobile version of the Swiss Topo site on the go.

It is a fairly straightforward hike and is very well marked, so you do not need any guide (they are fairly expensive too). We used the planned schedule, and then called the hotel/cabins and day or two in advance to make the reservations. We had booked our Chamonix and Zermatt accommodations in advance before leaving the US, as these are tourist town and reasonably priced accommodation gets sold out early (also, last time we made the mistake of traveling when Tour-de-France was schedule, so we found it difficult to get accommodation)

As long as you are in decent physical condition, you can easily do the hike without any guide. I am also including my packing list for reference

Let me know if you have any questions and I would be very happy to help.

Packing List:

PackingList.JPG

Thanks for the reply! The early section of the photos looked like you were crossing glaciers - ok to do without a guide? We have lots of multi-day trekking experience but near zero mountaineering. If you say it's ok...

For some reason I don't have access to your image uploads. I'm a new member, is there something I have to do to see them? I'll look into it. Thanks again for the info! What dates were you up there/how was the weather?

Hi Spiffae,

John's first series of images are not from the Haute Route, but from a glacier high on Mont Blanc. Wonderful scenery, but not something I'd do without a guide. You need to go to his image #65 or so to begin viewing the actual hike.

I did the Haute Route several years ago. It's definitely the finest hike I've ever done in the Alps. You want to do it sometime between mid-August and mid-September (but no later) when the weather is best.

If you don't have time for the entire two week trek, John's decision to do only Chamonix - Zinal is wise - it's the most scenic and exciting section, especially between Cabane du Mont Fort and Zinal.

You can easily to the hike without a guide. If you choose to hike via Cabane Dix (John didn't, but it's an excellent variant) you will have to cross a glacier, but the route is clearly marked and very safe. This variant also involves scaling two vertical ladders up a rock face to reach the Pas de Chèvre, which is quite thrilling (not least because I proposed to my future wife up on the narrow and exposed ridge).

Do buy the Kev Reynolds book from Cicero - it's all you need to plan the hike.

Thanks for the great info! The book is ordered and looking more closely, I see that the images of the glacier seem to be taken from the Aguille du Midi gondola and the stop up top. I've reached out to Chamonix Guides to see if they can maybe suggest an off-piste glacier overnight or two, but I'm liking the idea of the walker's haute more and more.

John, your spreadsheet is amazing! I will never ever be that organized.

That's right the first few photos are not on the haute route, they around Chamonix high on the glacier. You should look at Chamonix guides for what they have to offer during your travel days (http://www.chamonix-guides.eu/activites ... vities.htm)

Then you can come down to Chamonix or join the haute route from montvers.

Spiffae wrote: John, your spreadsheet is amazing! I will never ever be that organized.

Thanks

Research and planning was equally enjoyable

I can mail you the excel file; Summitpost didn't allow me to upload the xlx file. Each section has detailed descriptions from various internet sources and are hyperlinked.

John

Great info! Got the Reynolds book and have been looking at various options. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations re:

Going from Arolla to Bertol hut for an overnight? Guided/unguided - and then back to Arolla and continuing to Zinal.

Doing the Walkers Haute to Arolla, and then completing it guided Bertol>Schonbiel>Zermatt? - That does cut off two days of the Mont Fort - Zinal section that rovsingo says is a highlight.

My wife and I hiked from Arolla to Cabane Berthol two years ago. It's highly recommendable, although we found the last section on the steep snow slope very hard going. The view from Berthol may be the finest from any hut you can reach as a hiker anywhere in Switzerland. And the final climb up the ladders to the hut is quite thrilling.

You don't need a guide. Route finding is easy - you can clearly see the hut up on its perch on the ridge while you're still on the trail. And as exhausting as the snow slope was, we were never the slightest bit nervous.

We also looked into the very tempting idea of hiring a guide for the Berthol - Schonbiel trek over the glacier. The problem is, you have to pay for the guide's return to Arolla, so it ends up being an expensive proposition. But it would certainly make for a grand adventure, so it might just be worth the high cost.

Once you get to Zermatt, there' a great one day hike you can consider if you have time to spare. Most people hike up to the Hörnli hut at the starting point of the Matterhorn climbing route, but the best hike from Zermatt is up to the peak of Mettelhorn. It's a beautiful and exciting hike with a bit of exposure at the end, and an incredible view of Matterhorn from the steep and small summit at 3.400 meters.

Thanks for the reply Rov! I'm awaiting hearing back from some guiding companies, but it looks like they want about CHF 550 per person to do Arolla to Zermatt which is expensive, but like you said may be worth it. That comes out to a total 9 day trek, six days without a guide on the walkers haute, and then a cut across the glacier into Zermatt... I'm getting excited!

Hi Spiffae,

Good luck with the guide. $1000 dollars for a day's work makes me wonder if I'm in the wrong business! I think the easy detour to the summit of Tete Blanche is often included.

You know, the hike across the glacier could probably be done at a one-to-four guide-to-client ratio, so you could advertise for another couple of hikers who'd like to join you for that segment. Heck, we might be up for that!

If in rhe end you decide that the glacier crossing is too expensive, do remember that the Arolla - Zinal hike is very worthwhile in its own right. From Arolla you cross a high pass, descend to a valley and then ascend to the Cabane Moury, which is overlooking a huge and dramatic ice fall. Next day you walk high above the splendidly blue Moury lake before you reach the Sorbois pass with a stunning view of many of the most important peaks in Valais. Zinal is deep below that pass.

From Zinal you can do an overnight at Cabane Tracuit, from where competitively priced guides can escort you on an easy glacier hike all the way to the top of Bishorn, probably the easiest 4.000 meter peak in all of the Alps, but with a wonderful close-up view of beautiful Weisshorn.

worth considering!

Jesper