Haute Route Ski Tour
Join us in an adventure to traverse the Alps on skis! Our trip begins in the Mt. Blanc Massif of Chamonix, France and finishes skiing below the Matterhorn and into Zermatt, Switzerland. This is truly an experience of a lifetime. Each night we will stay in a different mountain hut. Allowing you to ski all day with only a day pack.
Our trip begins in the world capital of alpinism and ski mountaineering, Chamonix. We will spend day one skiing the classic Vallee Blanche. The day begins by taking the gondola up just under 10,000 vertical feet from the Chamonix Valley. This lift has the most elevation gain of any ski lift in the world. You are then deposited in the most beautiful alpine terrain imaginable. Your IFMGA certified mountain guide will get you all prepared and you will ski the Vallee Blanche glacier back to Chamonix Valley. This day is also a review of skills, and gets you prepared for beginning the ski traverse the following day.
Day 2 we begin our traverse. This is the start of 6 days and 5 nights of mountain travel across the Valais region of the Swiss alps. Stunning scenery, light backpacks, world class guides, and beautiful descents make this the trip of a lifetime. Each day we end by the fire at a beautiful mountain hut. These huts provide full service meals, beds, bedding, toilets, and drinks. It is truly stunning to understand these huts exist across the alps.
The trip concludes skiing down the Stockli Glacier. This is a great descent, with beautiful views of the Matterhorn the entire way. You finish the descent clicking out of your skis in the mountain town of Zermatt. This is followed by a celebratory dinner and beautiful hotel accommodations.
Chamonix, France — Zermatt, Switzerland
Haute Route Ski Tour Dates:
March 23-29, 2025
Group Size
4 Guests to 1 Guide for Course
3095.00 per person
Price Based on 4 skiers
Pricing
Able to comfortably ski most black and double black diamond runs at the resort
Must be able to tour 6-8 hours per day
Must have backcountry skied before. (If you have not check out our Introduction to Backcountry Skiing before the trip.)
Skill Level
Required Equipment
IFMGA Certified Mountain Guides
All Tram/ Lift/ and Hotel Fees
All Fees at the Mountain Huts
All Group Climbing/Skiing Gear
Three Nights of Hotel Accommodations
Breakfast at Dinner at all Mountain Huts
All Transportation while on the Itinerary
Luggage Transfer from Chamonix to Zermatt
All Fees associated with the Itinerary
What’s Included
Meals not listed above (Chamonix/Zermatt Dinners)
Alcoholic Beverages or Bottled water at huts
Lunches/ snack foods
International Airfare
Personal gear
Airport Transfers to Chamonix and From Zermatt
Excess baggage charges and airport taxes
Any extra night stays after Itinerary
Any expenses occurred during an early departure (Evacuation/transport)
Charges incurred that alter the trip Itinerary out of the control of Valhalla Mountain Guides
Guide Gratuities
What’s Not Included
Cancellation Policy
Please read our Cancellation & Refund Policies before booking.
Itinerary
Day 1
Aiguille Du Midi • 12,605’ |3842m
Day 1: We meet early in the morning for breakfast. We will do a meet and greet and then head up the Aiguille du Midi. Here we will ski the Vallee Blanche. The longest lift access ski descent in the world. During our descent we will go over beacon practice, transitions, and make sure we are ready to start our traverse the following day. We spend the night at a hotel in Chamonix Valley.
Day 2
Refuge Albert Premier • 8,864' | 2,702m
We will be up early in order to catch the first gondola in Argentiere. We transfer by bus from Chamonix to Argentiere. We then ride the cable car to the mid station of the Grands Montets. Now we begin the tour! We start by touring up to the Col Du Passon (10,902’, 3323m). We then reach our destination for the evening, Refuge Albert Premier.
Day 3
Mont Fort Hut • 8061' | 2,457m
From the Refuge Albert Premier we will head toward the Col du Tour and to the Plateau de Trient. We will skirt the Trient glacier and ascend the Col Des Ecandies. This can be a tricky part of the route involving crampons and roped climbing. We then descend down the Val d’Arpette into the town of Champex. This descent takes us straight down to lunch at a restaurant or bakery. A taxi will then pick us up and take us to Verbier. We will grab any last minute things in Verbier and continue to the Mont Fort Hut. It is nearly a 6,000 ft ski descent from the Trient Hut to Champex. This is an amazing descent, and what we all came here for.
Day 4
Prafleuri Hut • 8,608' | 2,625m
Today's objective is to get to the Prafleuri Hut. We do this by heading over the Col De La Chaux and to the summit of Rosa Blanche (10944’, 3336m). Skiing down from the summit of Rosa Blanche is a highlight of the Haute Route. The Glacier de Prafleuri leads us to the Cabane de Prafleuri(8608ft, 2625m).
Day 5
Cabane Des Dix • 9,606' | 2,928m
From the Prafleuri Hut we head up 1,000 feet to the Col De Roux. We then begin our traverse above the Lac de Dix. There is not a lot of downhill on this section as we hold a highline and traverse our way around the lake. The traverse takes about an hour and a half. From the south end of the lake we ascend to the Glacier de Cheillon. Finally we reach our destination, Cabane des Dix (9606’, 2928m)
Day 6
Cabane de Vignettes • 10,357' | 3,157m
We depart the Cabane des Dix and begin the day touring over the Pigne de Arolla (12,224ft, 3767m). Our end destination is the Cabane de Vignettes. Today is with one really long uphill followed by an amazing really long downhill. This is one of our favorite days of the trip. We tour underneath the spectacular 3,000 ft north-east face of the Mont Blanc de Cheillon. The Vignettes Hut never disappoints, its position built into the mountain is truly spectacular.
Day 7
Zermatt • 5,315' | 1,620m
Today we will get in early start since we want to get prime conditions for our descent into Zermatt. We begin the day traversing over three cols. The Col de l'Eveque (11,128’, 3392 m), on to the Col du Mont Brule (10,541’, 3213 m) and Col du Valpelline (11,706’, 3568 m). From here we have a 6500’, 2000m ski descent down to Zermatt. This is the day we have been waiting for. The descent down the Stockji and Tiefmatten glaciers is magnificent and unforgettable. The entire time you are underneath the dark west face of the Matterhorn. Then as we traverse we end up beneath the classic and beautiful North Face of the Matterhorn. Finally the Matterhorn presents itself from its classic vantage point as we ski down the final ski resort runs into Zermatt. Here we will click out of our skis, head to our hotel, and have a celebratory dinner.
Day 8
Departure day, you can stick around Europe for some more skiing and sightseeing or head back from your flight home!
