Embark on a guided trek along the heart of the world-famous Walker’s Haute Route, which runs from Chamonix to Zermatt. Begin near the ever-exciting Verbier and end in the quaint mountaineering village of Arolla, crossing remote mountain passes and landscapes only recently scoured by nearby glaciers.
Your English-speaking, Swiss-American dual-citizen guide will take you safely through this dramatic landscape, sharing local insights along the way and ensuring a pace that matches your ability and motivation. He will handle all of the arrangements from the time you meet in Martigny until you return to Martigny 4 days, and a trip of a lifetime experience, later.
This rugged trek traverses some of the most wild landscapes in Switzerland, high above treeline where you'll earn views normally reserved for the Ibex and Chamois. We'll start our adventure in from Verbier, home of Freeride World Cup events and a year-round adventure vibe. We'll traverse to Cabane de Louvie where we'll stay overlooking its gorgeous alpine lake.
From there, we'll cross our first big pass en route to Cabane de Plafleuri, tucked at the base of the Rosablanche where we'll be rewarded with cold beverages and 360 degree views. Day three takes us alongside Lac des Dix, held back by the world's tallest gravity dam, where its almost iridescent azure blue color will keep us gazing most of the walk. We'll end the day at Cabane des Dix, perched on a rock outcropping at the base of the imposing icefall on the North Face of Mont Blanc de Cheilon. It's a view you won't soon forget.
On our last day, we'll cross beneath the Glacier de Cheilon and over our last pass with the help of some ladders bolted to the vertical rock only recently scraped by the glacier. With the rocky passes behind us, we'll stroll through alpine meadows to the small village of Arolla, an early mountaineering hub during the Golden Age of Alpinism in the late 19th Century. After a celebratory beverage, we'll board the bus that will take us down the picturesque Val d'Hérens to our train back to Martigny.
On this trek, we'll spend our nights in high alpine huts, enjoying immersion in the core of Switzerland’s Valais Alps. We'll eat family-style at the huts each night, with a soup, main course, and dessert. Breakfasts at the huts are simple and hearty, usually including local cheeses and fresh-made breads along with other mountain fare. Beer, wine, and spirits are available at each hut but are not included in the price of the trek.
The hiking on this trek is moderately difficult with some rough trail over rocks, some exposed sections, and a climb up a fixed ladder. The first two days you’ll climb a bit more than 1000m up each day, with notably less climbing (and more descending) the last two days.
