On our group tours, we follow the popular Verbier variant of the Haute Route. This itinerary offers group tours the best chances of a successful trip and tremendous and exciting touring and downhill skiing.

Note: The program is a suggested itinerary. If needed, the guide in charge will modify the itinerary to ensure the team’s most successful and safe passage but aim to follow the program as described. We book all huts well in advance.

Day 0 – Sunday. Arrival in Chamonix. This day can be booked as an additional training day*.

A group meeting will be organized in the afternoon on the day before our departure. The guide in charge will share the latest information about the trip and conditions on the route. This is a chance to get acquainted with the guide and the rest of the team and get answers to last-minute questions.
We suggest those who need to make gear rentals or purchases, etc., arrive early to get it sorted. The following morning, we will not have much time to sort out equipment, as we are often on our way before the shops open.

* book an extra day with the guide before the group program to ensure all the gear is suitable for the trip and receive additional training.

Day 1 – Monday. Argentiere – Refuge d’Argentiere / Refuge d’Albert Premier

We have a great first day ahead of us. From around 2800m altitude in the Grands Montes ski area, we do about one hour skin up and over the Col des Rachasses. From here, one of the classic Chamonix off-piste runs down the Glacier des Rognons onto the mighty Argentiere glacier. Another hour of touring takes us to the Argentiere mountain hut. We will do some additional training around the hut to make sure everyone is familiar with the use of their avalanche transceivers and will also have time to look at ski touring technics if refreshing is needed.

Variation:
1. We can continue to the Albert Premier hut on the first day, which makes for a longer first day but a much easier second day. We would arrive in Champex earlier than on the standard program. Sometimes, this is the plan from the start, or it can be a program shift if it fits better with the weather forecast.

4-5h – ▼500m ski down, ▲600m tour up

Day 2 – Tuesday.  Argentiere hut – Champex Village

Today is a long and beautiful classic ski touring day. We climb across the Col du Passon and follow the giant Tour glacier towards the Swiss border. We traverse across the Trient Plateau towards the Col des Ecandies. An excellent ski run takes us down to the little Swiss mountain village of Champex.

Variations:
1. The passage over the steep Col du Chardonnet and the Fenetre de Salaina is classic and beautiful. Being steeper and more technical, it is only possible when conditions are correct, and our group members have experienced ski tourers.
2. If we have made our way to the Albert Premier hut on day 1, we split the effort needed better.

8h-10h – ▼2200m ski down, ▲1200m tour up

Day 3 – Wednesday. Champex – Cabane du Prafleuri

From Champex, we take a 30-minute taxi ride to Le Chable, just below the Verbier ski resort. Here, we can stock up on snacks and nuts in a local supermarket. There is also a Bank and a cash machine available.
We take the uphill lifts through the Verbier ski system to reach the Col des Gentianes. From here, our touring starts. We cross the Col de la Chaux (2939m) and Col de Momin (3000m) and will finally climb the summit of the Rosablanche (3335m), which offers a short but exciting climb with superb views towards the following days of our route.
We ski down the Glacier de Prafleuri to our destination for the night. The Prafleuri hut 2662m.

6-7h – ▼1400m ski down, ▲ 560m tour up

Day 4 – Thursday. Prafleuri hut – Dix hut

From the Prafleuri hut, we reach the Dix hut after a long and, at times, technical traverse above the Dix lake. Arriving at the hut, we are rewarded with a fantastic view and can sit outside on one of the best terraces in the Alps, where a plate of local Rösti and a beer are in order. We often do an additional tour for the strongest team members up behind the hut to pass some time and do some turns.

5-6h – 800▲

If group members are interested, we can make a small additional ski tour from the Dix hut. This is an excellent addition to the day when the snow conditions are good.

Day 5 – Friday. Dix hut – Arolla

We have a great day ahead of us. We aim to ski tour to the top of our highest point on the Haute Route – the Pigne d’Arolla 3781m. It’s a delightful day with stunning scenery and grand touring. Early morning, we ski from the DIx hut down onto the Glacier de Cheillon, where we start our tour up the steepening Tsena Réfien glacier. We do numerous kick-turns up the glacier until we reach the start of the Serpentine section. This is often hard and icy; we often climb up and over the steep slope with crampons on and skis on our backpacks. From the top of the Serpentine, we cross over the plateau and reach the summit on a steady, gradual rise. The view from the top is impressive. We feel closer to the Matterhorn and the other mighty summits of the Swiss Valais Alps. Far in the distance, we can distinguish the Mont Blanc massif where we started. We often have good snow skiing down from the vast open slopes of the Pigne, avoiding any zone with crevasses. We pass through the Col des Vignettes and ski onto the Glacier de Pièce. Sometimes, we stop in the Vignettes hut for a nice rösti before we ski down to Arolla 1968m. We often have great snow on this long ski descent. We spent the night in a hotel—time for a shower.

5-6h – ▲ 940m ▼ 1800m

Day 6 – Saturday. Arolla – Bertol hut

We will once again head up into the higher mountains. We have a long ski tour to the Bertol hut 3311m ahead of us. While it is a long and challenging climb, the night in a hotel, the excellent food, and the refreshing showers have made us restitute well and ready us for the last two days of touring and skiing. We follow the valley out of Arolla towards the imposing north face of the Mont Collon 3563m. We divert onto the Plan Bertol, where we can spot the hut high on the steep ridge line. The climb steepens, and we end up doing many kick-turns before we reach the base of the Bertol hut.
There is no other hut like the Bertol hut, which initially was just a small wooden hut, only accessible on the excellent alpinist. Today, long ladders give us access to the hut. The hut is smaller than the other huts we have visited so far and has fantastic views towards the Dent Blanche 4357m and Pigne d’Arolla 3781m, the top we skid from yesterday.

4-5h – ▲ 1345m ▼ 0m

Day 7 – Sunday. Bertol hut – Zermatt

The final and “King” stage of the Haute Route offers fantastic scenery, stunning views and a long ski run into Zermatt. Climbing down the ladders of the Bertol hut with the surrounding mountains slowly appearing in the morning light is an exhilarating start to the day. We have about three hours of touring up the Glacier du Mont Miné before we reach the summit of Tête Blanche 3771m. The views to the Matterhorn 4478m and the Dent d’Hérens 4173m are stunning. We also have a good view of the start of the route down the Stockji glacier. It is an awe-inspiring scenery. We start the way down by navigating through some vast crevasses. We need good weather and visibility to pass this section of the glacier. After a long slide out of the lower part of the Zmutt glacier, we join the Zermatt ski area. Alongside regular skiers dressed in the latest fashion ski wear, we slide into the mountain town of Zermatt.
We have a taxi waiting for us to bring us back to Chamonix.

5-6h – ▲ 510m ▼ 2100m