4000m peaks
Eighty-two peaks in the European alpine arc from east to west have a 4000m peak status. Climbing 4000m peaks is a popular activity during the alpine summers and is a great way to challenge yourself, experience sunsets, feel the cold fresh air, and obtain great satisfaction.

Almost everyone has heard about mountains such as the Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. These are amongst the most famous summits in the world and part of the alpine 4000m peaks. The Mont Blanc is the highest, and the Matterhorn is the most striking (seen from Zermatt). But how about, “Zinalrothorn”, “Weisshorn”, “Aiguille Verte”, “Weismies”, “Nadelhorn”, “Rimpfishhorn”, “Alphubel”, “Piz Bernina”, “Grand Paradiso”, “Grand Combin”, “Aletschhorn”….and the list goes on.

Only a few of the most committed mountaineers can pride themselves on climbing them all. To do so is a feat well respected by alpinists and mountaineers and a task that, for most people, would take a lifetime of climbing and total commitment. Without going for this goal, climbing several of the best and most interesting 4000m peaks is an excellent path to becoming a better alpinist/mountaineer and a magnificent journey into the alpine environment.

We advise you to approach climbing 4000m peaks progressively. Learning techniques and becoming more proficient takes time. The best way to ensure the best experience, success, and safety is to start with the easier peaks and evolve from there. After years, with more experience and knowledge, the quest to tick off the more difficult ones becomes possible.

Only a few 4000m summits can be reached as day trips. Most require one or more overnight stays in mountain huts.

The Mont Blanc massif
The Mont Blanc 4810m reigns above the Chamonix valley and is the highest of all the 4000m summits. It is popular and scaled by its regular routes by numerous groups daily during the summer when the conditions and the weather are fair.
Other 4000m peaks in the Mont Blanc massif, such as “Dent du Geant”, “Aiguilles de Rochefort”, “Mont Maudit”, “Bionnassay”, “Les Droites”, “Grands Jorasses”, and plenty of other satellite summits with 4000m peak status are much more complex propositions.

Grand Paradiso
Not far from Chamonix is the Grand Paradiso. This summit is very popular with groups coming from Chamonix. It is the only 4000m peak in the area and has two good regular routes. It is a great mountain and well suited in your attempt to climb a 4000m peak.

Valais – Monte Rosa
We often travel to the Valais canton in Switzerland and climb peaks around Saas Fee. “Saas” is a great place to climb several interesting 4000m summits within one week using the excellent high mountain huts and lifts network.
Zermatt, the valley over from Saas Fee, is also surrounded by great 4000m peaks. The most famous is the Matterhorn, but peaks such as Dufourspitze (the second highest in Europe), the Obergabelhorn, Zinalrothorn, and the Breithorn mountains can also be accessed from Zermatt.

Vallée d’Aosta / Monte Rosa
Access by Italy makes reaching plenty of 4000m summits from Chamonix easy. From the Vallée d’Aosta, some long valleys take us up against the southern side of the Monte Rosa massif. A network of huts makes for a logical itinerary, and within a week, you can bag a handful of 4000m peaks. The selection of 4000m peaks in these areas ranges from easy to moderate difficulty, mainly providing good summer conditions. We also enjoy the great Italian hospitality at a lower price than what we find on the Swiss side.

Southern French Alps
Barre des Ecrins is the only 4000m peak in the Isere region and the most southern 4000m peak. It is not considered a tough climb, but the route has exposure to falling ice on the regular route, which makes it pretty dangerous. We don’t offer this climb but can propose a guide bureau in this region.

Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina is part of the Bernina range of mountains and is the most easterly 4000m peak. A trip to this area could involve moving up from the valley towards the high Marco E Rosa hut to attempt the Piz Bernina by the regular route. To end the trip, a traverse of the Piz Palu, by its long and exciting ridge, would be a good idea.

Small teams

Most 4000m peaks are best climbed in teams of 2 clients per guide. This ratio allows us to have the best success rate and flexibility in our choice of routes. On a few peaks, we can be 3-4 clients per guide, and on the hardest, a strict ratio of 1-1 is imposed.

We are happy to propose a custom program for you to tackle 4000m peaks during a week of climbing.

Also, have a look at our proposed programs for climbing, including ascents of 4000m peaks:

5-day Grand Paradiso climb
5-day Saas Fee 4000m 
Mont Blanc – 6-day climb
Matterhorn – 6-day climb

Number of days?
We recommend booking guides for 4-6 days. Depending on your starting level and experience, we can move straight onto climbing mountains or spend 1-2 days training skills and acclimatising before attempting 4000m peaks.

We will propose a program that is appropriate for your group’s size, experience, time, budget, etc.

A few 4000m summits are climbed as day trips, but most require one or more overnight stays in huts. We often go to the Valais in Switzerland and climb peaks around Saas Fee and Zermatt, but we will also use the access from the Italian side to reach 4000m peaks in the Monte Rosa massif.

In the Mont Blanc massif, we offer courses for climbing the Mont Blanc but consider the other 4000m peaks in the area reserved for the more experienced climbers and will demand a 1-1 ratio.

We can help you maximise your time reaching several of these peaks within a week.

In the high season (July – August) most guides work in blocks of weeks so make sure to book well in advance.