Hey there, most of these things have probably been answered somewhere in the annals of summit post but I can't find the info in other threads.

We want to do the 3 peaks (+ some others) early summer next year. A few questions:

Is there a guide book that covers all of those peaks? I know about the 100 finest book, which peaks does that cover?

Is it feasible to travel by train to the different peaks? Would renting a car do us any good? How expensive would the travel be on the train?

What else would be a classic to climb in this broad area?

Thanks for any info you may provide.

A car would help, but you can use trains quite easily too. I made a quick search on the swiss railway system, and normal price for Geneva - Zermatt - Grindenwald is about 150CHF (as much in USD). If you book early enough, you can probably find deals too, so I would say that it is worth considering.

Mt. Blanc and the Matterhorn you will find in:

The Alpine 4000m Peaks by the Classic Routes
by Richard Goedeke

The Eiger does not quite reach 4000m, so it is not included. Depending on the route you want to climb, there should be enough info at various places on the Internet if you don't want to buy a separate guide. The West Flank is very complicated, but the Mittellegi and South Ridges are very straight forward.

I would advise using the train system for all 3. It will save you time and hassle. You can't drive to Zermatt anyway.

Thanks for replying. I'm into this train idea. I wonder if it'd be worth it to get a train pass for France and Switzerland like this: http://www.eurorailways.com/products/tr ... /index.htm

The problem with the train idea is luggage I think. Sounds like most trains are carry on only and only some offer baggage carts, AND its possible it will show up on a different train multiple days later.

Hey,

I'm also planning on doing these peaks early next summer. A train pass is very useful, and will save you some $$ in the end. If you have large bags, you can usually put them in the large bag section of the train and just find a seat nearby and keep an eye on them. I've traveled around on the trains in Switzerland with my snowboard and it's no problemo-it's a common site to see snowboarders/skiers on the trains in winter and climbers/hikers/bikers on the trains in the summer with all their gear.

Need another partner for any of the climbs?

Sounds like you are doing the Alp Trilogy? One of my dream climbs as well. I hope all goes well. Can't wait for your trip report!

Yes, never had any problems with luggage on trains, even when I was moving houses (didn't try taking the furniture in, though). There may be interesting offers on a rail pass, but if you are only taking the train 3 or 4 times and then climb for a while in between, I doubt that it would be advantageous.

Do the Eurail pass thing - you can select from a variety of options that would work best for you. However, Eurail passes are not honored on some of the smaller rail lines, like the one from Martigny to Chamonix nor on the final Jungfrau train from Kleine Scheidegg, if you decide on doing the Mittellegi or decide to descend via the Mönchjöcher. Not an issue, if doing the Eiger West Flank.

Take your baggage with you on the train. You otherwise have to check it several days before if you want it there when you arrive and it's expensive.

If you will be longer in Switzerland, they offer a half price abonnement where there are 1/2 price or similar discounts on trains, buses, many trams and the like. Pays for itself very quickly.

The train is a good option, but car would be a luxury...
For Mont Blanc you can fly to Geneva Airport and from there there are shuttle buses for Chamonix at around 40 Euro. In Cham you do not need a car.
To go from Cham to Zermat you could take the train, but you will have to change the train a number of times, doable depending on you luggage...or after you are done with Mont Blanc you can rent a car in Cham.
It takes about 3 hours to drive to the main town in the valley from where you head to Zermatt, I do not remember the name of it, but if you drive you want to leave the car there because if you drive to Zermatt you will be forced to park the car into a public parking outside the town were you pay a lot per day (in Zermatt motor vehicles are not allowed), if you leave it down in the valley and take the train up the parking is free.
I never been in the Eiger area I would not know what is the best way to get there.
In Cham you will have a lot of choice on where to stay, but in Zermatt I would suggest the hostel, it is about the only "cheaper" place in the town, Zermatt is really high end...
What routes are you going to do? North Faces? I may be doing the Innominata Ridge on Mont Blanc this summer.

Unless you want to, there is really no need to stay overnight in the town of Zermatt. You can easily get to Zermatt via train and from there to the hut in one day from almost anywhere in Switzerland and I would think also from Chamonix. Moni and I did it easily in one day from Zurich.

You probably will need to spend the night in Chamonix since getting to the huts from there is a relatively full day.

Like Zermatt, Grindlewald is very expensive and crowded. But again, there is no real need to stay in that town. You can find cheaper lodging elsewhere and reach the hut in a day from most anywhere in Switzerland. We have done the Mönch as a day climb from Kandersteg.

sjarelkwint wrote:

Moni wrote:Do the Eurail pass thing - Switzerland.

Inter rail is it's name i believe

No, in the US you can buy a ticket from a program called Eurail It is not available in Europe nor is it avaialble to Europeans.

Oh man this europass thing is perfect. Thank you.

Hostels are definitely what we are going for. Zermatt would be the Matterhorn Hostel?

I already have a partner, but if he bails I'll let you know.

climbxclimb wrote:What routes are you going to do? North Faces? I may be doing the Innominata Ridge on Mont Blanc this summer.

Routes: Very tentative at the moment but: Blanc: 3 peaks traverse but starting with the cosmiques arete. Eiger would be that long ridge that most people do, descending? Probably the Hornli or Lion on Matterhorn. Looking for other options too if we have more time.

The Cosmique ridge is not really on the way to Mont-Blanc, you are actually going away from it. And since you will probably want an early start to the 3 Mont traverse (to get a better chance under the Tacul seracs), the linkup doesn't really make much sense. As an acclimatization climb on the previous day, on the other hand, it is a fun and accessible climb.

The Hostel in Zermatt is called Zermatt Youth Hostel. It supe clean and way above average for its category.
In Chamonix you can stay in a Gite d`etape, which is like hostels but smaller and is more family style. There you can either have a private room or a shared bedroom this at about 20 Euro a night.
I suggest one called La Tapia, it is a little out of town but you can still walk in Cham, and it is much quiter and cleaner than others.