Haute route
There are many variants of the Haute Route. Our Route started on 3. april in Burg St. Pier and finished on 6. april, 09 in Zermatt. The standard Haute Route starts in Argentiere, six-kilometres up the valley from Chamonix, and finishes in Zermatt. It connects the two spiritual places of mountaineering and the two famous Alpine peaks: Mont Blanc & the Matterhorn.
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A Google-Earth file showing cols, ski peaks, towns & huts along the major Haute Route variations (right click & save to your computer, then open the file in Google-Earth)
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Our tim was combined of all good, strong and fit off-piste skiers and some have strong experience of mountaineering. Our first day together was spent travelling and gaining valuable harmony, what is not dificult after good preparing tour to Planjava & Ojstrica..
Our itinerary was the purest ski-touring line & the most frequently done. Many other options require basic mountaineering skills & use of ice ax & crampons for some ascents.
travelling from Ljubljana to Burg Saint Piere, (Šempeter-Vrtojba p.Gorici, Venezia, Milano, vale Aoste, S. Bernard, Martigny, Visp, Burg st.Pier)
1.étape: Burg St. Pier -Valsorey
Walk up to Glacier du Valsorey to about 2400 meters, and climb again up to the Valsorey Hut at 3030 meters.
2.étape: Valsorey - Chanrion hut.
Over the Plateau du Couloir , the Col du Sonadon and down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the Chanrion hut. Steep climb ( usually crampons necessary while carrying the skis on your back!) to the Plateau du Couloir (3664m) and magnificent descent on the Durrand Glacier towards the Lac de Mauvoisin and back up to the Refuge Chanrion (2460m=8070ft). 940m = 3090' climb, 1510m = 4950' descent, 12km, 7 hrs.
Variant: Via the Glacier Brenay to the summit of the Pigne d'Arolla (3800m = 12500ft) with great views of the entire traverse. Descent to the Cabane Vignette (3185m=10450ft). 1330m = 4360' climb, 640m = 1340' descent, 10km, 7 hrs.
3. étape: Chanrion hut - Vignette
A long climb up the Otemma glacier to the Vignette hut. Over the Plateau du Couloir and down the Glacier du Mont Durand to the Chanrion hut.
4. étape: Vignette - Zermatt
A great day's skiing to Zermatt. First up over the Col d'Evêque, then over the Col du Mont Brulé, the Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens and finally a fantastic run down the Stockji Glacier to Zermatt .
5. étape: Zermatt - Breithorn - Zermatt
6. Return
Zermat, Tasch, Visp, Simplon, Novara, Milano, Venezia, Šempeter p. N. Gorici.
Maps, Mountaineering & Guidebooks .
Good guidebooks in English to the Haute Route & other Chamonix or Zermatt area ski tours include:
- Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt: a Guide for Skiers and Mountain Walkers
, Peter Cliff. Classic English guide with good beta but horrendous maps. - Alpine Ski Mountaineering: Western Alps
, Bill O'Connor. This, the most recent guidebook, contains many other Alpine tours in addition to the Haute Route. - High level route, Chamonix, Zermatt, Saas: Ski mountaineering in the Mont Blanc range and Pennine Alps
, Eric Roberts. Out of print & outdated but includes interesting variations & day tours not covered in other sources. - Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Rouges a Ski, Anselm Baud. Baud was one of the originators of extreme skiing in the 1970's, so even many of the easier routes in this guidebook are pretty serious undertakings. The hard ones are strictlly for the bleeding edge: extremely fit, risk-tolerant & skilled ski-mountaineers who are willing to wait decades for the right conditions.
- Chamonix Off-Piste, Burnier & Potard. A good guide to lift-served backcountry skiing in the Chamonix area.
The Haute Route variations rest mainly on the following 1:50,000 maps:
282 S Martigny 1:50,000
283 S Arolla 1:50,000
284 S Mischabel 1:50,000 [includes Saas Fee extension & Zermatt day-tours]
Posted at 07:43AM jul 09, 2009 by Boris in Turne aktivnosti |