To continue from our last post...
Day 7: Les Hauderes to Zinal, another beautiful morning as today's challenge was the Col de Torrent and on via the Barrage de Moiry and on to Zinal. Climbing quickly & steeply we soon found ourselves above La Sage with great views of where we had come from the day before, towards Arolla & the Pigne. Once above the tree line the path moves steadily up and leftwards for a long while through open high pastureland. Finally the path changes direction bringing you to the Col with fantastic views of the Dent Blanche to the west and Pigne Arolla to the North. The south side of the col reveals more amazing views towards Zinal Rothorn, Weisshorn & the Moiry glacier. I personally think this is one of the best views on the trek, 360 deg of awesome scenery.
A fairly straightforward descent took us to Lac Auternes and a welcome lunch stop. From here you descend quickly to Lac Moiry and if time allows a quick ascent if the Col de Sorbois and down through the ski area to Zinal. Our other alternative was to have a drink at the cafe and take the bus from the dam. We decided on the second option and arrived in Zinal in good time for beers at the bar!
Day 8: Rest day in Zinal, however some of the group decided to punish themselves further & went back to do the Col des Sorbois! Taking the bus back to Grimentz & on to the Barrage de Moiry and walking over from there.
Day 9: Zinal to Gruben, from French to German speaking area of Switzerland! The weather again was truly on our side and the views as we climbed out of Zinal towards the Forcletta were absolutely stunning. Views of the Zinal Rothorn, Dent Blanche and the Matterhorn were second to none. We were treated by a religious service & music as we passed the memorial at Alpage Nava, giving us reason to rest a while before climbing the last section to the Forcletta. A long yet steady descent through high pastureland with stunning views of the turtmattal glacier. We continued our descent through the trees and on to the little hamlet of Gruben and the hotel Schwarzhorn.
Day 10: Gruben to St Niklaus & Gasenreid. The forecast had threatened to be bad on the Thursday & today we were not disappointed as we awoke to heavy rain. Gald we had a chance to use the waterproof gear we had all carried for the past 10 days! If ever there was a day to have rain & low cloud this is the one as due to the nature of the terrain the views come after the Augustbordpass & when on the traverse high above the Matterhorn valley. The weather had started to clear & we got the views on our descent to Jungen before taking the lift down to St Niklaus. By the time we reached our hotel in Gasenreid the weather had been restored to its former glory.
Day 11: Europaweg, Gasenreid to Randa. The Europaweg is a strange route indeed and not for the faint hearted! Initially the terrain is easy (although very steep up through the trees) you then arrive in a lofty position high above the Matterhorn valley at Grat. The views here are out if this world... especially with the weather as it was. View to the east over towards the Bernese Oberland and to the west and the mighty Wiesshorn & Matterhorn. The route continues idyllically past the statue if St Bernard & then turn the corner & all hell lets loose! Gully after gully of broken shattered rock and a mountain full of house sized boulders in precarious positions, this is not a place to linger long! Following the Grosse Grab couloir you are treated to a network of exposed & loose traversing ledges that seem to go on forever. The group handled it well and moved stealthily over the tricky terrain.
As the path is closed (due to rockfall) just past the Europahutt we descended to Randa for the night and the comfort of the hotel Alpenblick.
Day 12: Europaweg, Randa to Zermatt. We ascended once again picking up the Europaweg past the closed section. The route then traverses high and cuts around to the hamlet of Tashalp with an odd little cafe. Stop for refreshments if you dare & dont expect service with a smile. Mock & you might end up in tomorrows meat stew!! It was a frightening experience!
From here the route heads back towards the Matterhorn valley for the very best of endings to this fabulous trek. This part of the route is second to none, the views are amazing all the way to Zermatt. Weisshorn, Breithorn, Matterhorn, Caster & Pollux, the list of mighty mountains seen from this last day on the Europaweg is endless. A fitting end if ever there was one!
Thanks to the group, Katrina, John, Amanda, Tzvetan, Jude, Carmel, Lynette, Michael & Keith... you were a dream to guide through the mountains and such good fun.
More information on the Walkers Haute Route at: www.montblanctreks.com
It seemed a little optimistic to discuss the good weather to come as Chamonix was shrouded in low cloud and rain, somehow I don't think the group could believe my optimism!
little did we know at that point in time that we would be blessed with two weeks of almost near perfect weather, fabulous views, blue skies with a total of 2 hours of rain all the way from Chamonix to Zermatt!
The Walkers Haute Route is a tough undertaking, much harder than the Tour du Mont Blanc in terms of terrain, daily height gain, distance and trek duration. Its definitely not for the faint hearted and un seasoned trekker. We had a few of those thankfully.
Day 1: a relatively easy day we took the bus from Chamonix to La Tour and made our ascent of the Aiguillette des Possettes with fabulous 360 deg views of Mont Blanc, Aiguille Rouges and the Valaisian Alpes. We made our way to Trient via the Col du Balme, Alpage Catogne and Alpage Tessepes an great belvadere before making our descent through the trees to the Relais du Mont Blanc.
Day 2: a toughy, taking the steep path from Trient we made our ascent of Fenetre d'Arpette. 1300 meters of ascent from Trient to the Col followed by a long and tricky descent on the other side to Champex Lac, the blueberry pie was our only encouragement at the Relais d'Arpette 40 minuits from our final destination. A hard day deserves good accommodation and the Hotel du Glacier did not disappoint.
Day 3: an easy a day today which is not a bad thing as I knew what was to come! A descent in to Sembrancher followed by a valley walk through alpine meadows to Le Chable before taking the lift via Verbier to Les Ruinettes saving a slog up through the ski resort which is never pleasant. A 4k ascent to the Cabane du Mont Fort and a relax on the sun terrace taking in the views was a fitting end to the day.
Day 4: There is never a dull moment when trekking from Mont Fort to Prafleuri & today was no exception! Normally the weather has something to do with it but the forecast was perfect so what could go wrong?... path closures! As in my previous post the Sentier des Chamois has been temporarily closed due to rock fall our only option was to take the path via the Col des Chaux. Residue hard packed snow made the top section tricky, the descent was no better steep and loose and this was only the first Col of the day! the rest of the day went according to plan although long and tough as we tackled the Col de Louvie, Grand Desert & the Col de Prafleuri. Beers were order of the day on our arrival at the Cabane as our group had risen to the challenge!
Day 5: another beautiful morning, a short sharp climb over the Col de Roux and steep descend to Lac Dix on the other side we were treated to some fantastic views of Mont Blanc Cheilon and the Pigne Arolla. After a 4k interlude walking along the banks of Lac Dix we started our second climb of the day towards the Cabane des Dix and the Col de Reidmatten. The installation of the new footpath makes so much more sense (see previous post) and keeps you away from the loose & dangerous gully over the other side of the glaciated valley. The trail winds it's way up over moraine on either side of the Cheilon glacier bringing you out at the junction below the Col de Reidmatten & Pas des Chevres (ladders). From here we made a short and very steep final ascent of the Col over loose and precarious rocks and boulders making use of the fixed chains to pull us up the last final section where views of the Matterhorn awaited our arrival. The descent from the col is straight forward yet long as the path descends into Arolla. Nice hotel with good food was just what we needed after another fantastic day on the high route!
Day 6: A very easy day in comparison as we headed for Les Hauderes via Lac Bleu. This is the most beautiful traverse through the woods at high level (gaining a little height at times) the path finally brings you out at Lac Bleu with stunning views back towards Mont Colon. So attractive was the lake it was worth a quick icey plunge in the crystal clear 5 deg waters. We made our easy and leasurely descend to Les Hauderes and a 2pm arrival gave us all time to relax & recover from the challenging days that had gone before on our trek from Chamonix to Zermatt.
Part 2... Les Hauderes to Zermatt, to be continued.
For more information on the Walkers Haute Route and the guided & self guide,d treks we provide see: www.montblanctreks.com
Since July we have discovered whilst on our August Walkers Haute Route trek that the Sentier des Chamois path from Mont Fort via Col de Termin to Prafleuri has been closed due to rock fall.
When going to the Cabane de Prafleuri from the Cabane du Mont Fort you will need to go via the Col des Choux. Great care needs to be takes on the later part of the ascent & the first section of descent as this is particularly loose, slippery & steep.
As with the Tour du Mont Blanc snow has been more of an issue so far with some parts of the Walkers Haute Route.
The main problem being the section between Cabane du Mont Fort & Arolla as this section of the route goes & stay high for a number of days.
Mont Fort to Prafleuri via the Col des Chaux: Not too much snow on the Mont Fort side but lots on the back side & descent to the junction where you ascend to Col de Louvie. The snow is steep at the top so great care needs to be taken on the descent. See photo.
Sentier des Chamois: Is a better option, less snow & much better views if weather allows.
Col de Louvie & the Grand Dessert: Snowy & steep descent on to the plateau. Snow patches all the way across & on the rock step between before the Col Prafleuri. See photo taken looking back at Col de Louvie.
Col Prafleuri: Lots of snow on the ascent (see photo), no problems on the descent to the Cabane.
Prafleuri to Arolla: No issues with snow but path has been routed from last year and now heads up towards the Cabane des Dix and cuts across below the glacier (new bridge) and up the moraine to the Col Reidmatten or Pas des Chèvres.
No problems with descent into Arolla.
Rest of the WHR no real problems, patches of snow on shady north facing slopes but ok.
Europaweg: First half open but it's usual loose & horrible self, stone fall danger in the gullies. 2nd half still closed so you will need to descend to Randa & then back up towards Tashalp & on into Zermatt.
For more specific info contact: sara@montblanctreks.com
http://www.montblanctreks.com/walkers-haute-route
A recce on the current conditions of the Tour du Mont Blanc from Courmayeur to Chamonix (West) found that in general the trails are snow free.
Courmayeur to Refuge Bonatti: no problems.
Bonatti to La Fouly: Snow in the gully on the ascent from Arnuva to refuge Elena means the track has been re-routed up the road. Once the snow has retreated enough in the gully they will put in the bridge crossing the river and reopen the normal route.
There is a significant amount of snow over on the Swiss side of the Grand Col Ferret but it's is straightforward to traverse .
La Fouly to Champex-Lac: No problems.
Champex-Lac to Trient: Via Bovine no problems via Fenetre d'Arpette snow at the top steep section leading to the Col. Care needs to be taken here as the ground is steep & uneven and with the added complication of snow it can get tricky. If in doubt take the Bovine route.
Trient to Chamonix: All routes are relatively free of snow, some patches on north facing shaded slopes.
Traverse snow with care, kick in firm foot placements use of poles is advisable to aid balance & give purchase.
For more detailed information drop an email to sara@montblanctreks.com
Nothing is predictable here, after a bizzare 6 months of weather anything goes.
After a bumper winter of snow (December & January), freezing Febuary with the coldest temperatures in Chamomix for decades, the summer temperatures of March (25 degs) & since then a mixture of sun, rain, high winds & more snow it's going to be an interesting start to the season.
So our first trek starts on the 24th June & what are the conditions like?
Challenging! Would be one word to describe the situation.
The Chamonix valley section is pretty free of snow up to 2300m although lac Blanc is still under a blanket of snow. The main problem us the amount of trees blocking the routes between the valley & the middle mountain after the severe Foehn wind damage sustained a month ago.
Les Houches to Les Contamines via Col du Tricot, snow on the way up to the Col but no problems, no snow on the south side.
Contamines to Chapieux via the Col du Bonhomme, lots of snow on route making the ascent slow. The traverse from Col de Bonhomme to Col de la Croix de Bonhomme difficult, great care needs to be taken here to avoid slipping and sliding on to the rocks below.
Chapieux to Courmayeur via the Col de Seigne, snow above 2200m & in shaded north facing slopes. Care needs to be taken when traversing across steep ground.
Second half of the TMB (Courmayeur to Chamonix) recced next week.
If you require any more detailed information contact: info@montblanctreks.com or via www.montblanctreks.com
Although the winter is far from finished here in the Chamonix valley and snow over the past two weeks has crept back down to 1500 meters summer is very much on the forefront of our minds.
Both guided & self-guided Tour du Mont Blanc & Walkers Haute Route so far has been equally as popular from end of June to mid September. Self-guided has proved popular where independent groups want the freedom to got at a time to suit and to tailor a route and timescale to suit their needs.
Accommodation has so far proved a challenge in particular on the Tour du Mont Blanc where accommodation options are at a minimum. Hotel Mont Joly in Contamines is not operating this summer which has put an extra load on the other hotels resulting in limited spaces at busy times. Auberge de la Nova in Chapieux always poses a problem, as it is the only accommodation available in the village so becomes fully booked very quickly from June through to the end of the trekking season. When that is the case we opt for alternative route over the Col du Fours, resting at Refuge Les Mottets.
So we are looking forward to the first multi day trek of the season Tour du Mont Blanc on June 23rd, lets hope we get some warm weather before then to clear the snow away from the cols & high level traverses.
Until then we continue with the office work in organising logistics and sorting accommodation.
Have a look at what Mont Blanc Treks has to offer this summer at www.montblanctreks.com
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| Skies clear above Les Granges |
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| Berard Valley |
