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The Haute Route, (or The High Route or Mountaineers' Route) is the name given to a route (with several variations) undertaken on foot or by ski running between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland.
First charted as a summer mountaineering route by members of the Alpine Club (UK) in the mid 19th Century, the route takes around 12+ days walking (or 7+ days skiing) running the 180 km from the Chamonix valley, home of Mont Blanc to Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn.
Since the route was originally walked by members of an English club they dubbed it the High Route; however, this became translated into French when it was first successfully undertaken on skis in 1911. Now it is commonly referred to by English speakers only by the French title for both summer and winter routes.
Walking Haute Route
The classic route's popularity has been hit lately due to dangerously collapsing glaciers. Some parts of the route have become virtually impassable. This is believed to be due to global warming; however the glaciers have been receding since the end of the Little Ice Age.
However it should be noted that a lower level variation [1] exists that crosses no glaciers at all (as of the last revision - a new one is being researched summer 2007).
Huts and villages on the walking route
Le Tour village, France
Albert Premier Hut
Trient Hut or Orny Hut
Champex town, Switzerland
Valsorey Hut or Chanrion Hut
Vignettes Hut
Arolla village, Switzerland
Bertol Hut
Schonbiel Hut
Zermatt town, Switzerland
Low level variation huts and villages
Chamonix town, France
Argentière village, France
Trient village, Switzerland
Champex village, Switzerland
Sembrancher village, Switzerland
Le Chable village, Switzerland
Verbier village, Switzerland
Arolla village, Switzerland
Les Haudères village, Switzerland
Zinal village, Switzerland
Gruben village, Switzerland
St Niklaus village, Switzerland
Zermatt town, Switzerland
Ski Touring Haute Route
First successfully completed in 1911 The Haute Route ski tour is likely the most famous and coveted ski tour in the world. Using high mountain huts to allow skiers to stay high and cover substantial distances, it winds through the highest, most dramatic peaks of the Alps. It requires good weather, favourable snow conditions and strong effort to complete this line. Because of this, only 50% of the skiers who begin the tour complete it.
While all Haute Routes work their way between Chamonix and Zermatt, there are many variations of the HLR (High Level Route 2 including Grand Lui Variation, Zermatt-Saas Fee, Verbier-Zermatt. The purest skiing line, and the most frequently done, is the Verbier variation. The Classic route is the route's original line which crosses over the Plateau du Couloir on the Grand Combin. It involves long climbs and mountaineering with ice axe and crampons.
Col de l'Eveque, Col du Mont Brulé and Col de Valpelline, then a long descent under the shoulder of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens.
Day 7: Optional extension to Saas-Fee over the Adler Pass.
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