Haute Route Shack - Photo: Dustin Robertson
March and April are the ideal times to head across the pond for the hut-to-hut-tour to end all hut-to-hut tours: the Haute Route. The Haute Route, or High Route, traverses from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. It usually takes seven to ten days to travel through 60 miles of the most stunning scenery in the world: glaciers, mountain passes, and 14,000-foot peaks in every direction.
As the most revered ski tour in the Alps, the Haute Route is the lifelong dream of fanatical off-piste skiers everywhere. Most everyday powder hounds, however, think of the Haute Route as strictly an elitist affair – made for expert backcountry skiers or thrill-seeking rich guys. Not so. Nearly anyone can ski the Haute Route—as long as you have some time and extra cash.
Haute Route - Photo: Dustin Robertson
Companies like Mountain Tracks offer all-inclusive nine-day trips that will set you back roughly $1400. So about $150/day – meals, accommodation, and a guided trip through the Alps backcountry … that’s not half bad.
Of course, you have to get over there first, which isn’t exactly cheap anymore. But check out fares to hubs like London or Frankfurt and then bus it, train it, or find one of those discount airlines like EasyJet
The route starts under the shadow of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, and ends with a panorama of the Matterhorn. Before you set out, the experts at Mountain Tracks test everyone’s backcountry ability with a day ski tour to a high alpine pass.
The Haute Route is no walk in the park. You have to be in good shape, a decent skier, and able to endure hours of touring. The journey takes you through tricky, crevasse-ridden, and avalanche-prone terrain with numerous 2000ft+ vertical climbs. And then there are the descents:
-Dustin Robertson
Ladder Descent
The Haute Route takes you through some of the most awe-inspiring mountains in the world, and it provides a uniquely European experience. It’s not uncommon to ski 4000 vertical feet of creamy snow down to a hamlet in the Swiss Alps for some Gluhwein and wurst.
Haute Route Gear
The guides at On Top Mountaineering created a full list of gear.
Obviously, you can find whatever you need at Backcountry.com
If you forget something or can’t buy all your gear beforehand, you can always rent from Mountain Tracks or pick up some overpriced gear at a shop in France.
Do the Haute Route
When you get to France, you have three options regarding the Haute Route:
On Your Own
We don’t recommend this unless you have many years experience in the backcountry and are an expert in navigating over glacial terrain. You must be familiar with the avalanche-prone French and Swiss Alps and with the perils of traveling through a high alpine environment. You must also be fluent in French. If you’re lucky enough to meet these requirements, call up your expert ski buddies and skin up in Chamonix.
Sign up for a Tour
If you’re not an expert-backcountry-French-speaking-glacier-extraordinaire, you can always just arrange a tour with Mountain Tracks or one of the other guiding services. This is a good option if your group has a wide range of ski abilities – you won’t ski the craziest lines, but you’ll live to tell the tale.
Hire a Guide
If you can get five or six expert skiing buddies together (who are willing to fork over some cash), you can hire a Mountain Tracks guide. The French and Swiss Alps are home to extreme skiing, and with the proper guide and group you could spend 10 days skiing some of the sickest lines on the planet.
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Tags: backcountry skiing, hut-to-hut trips
