You will cross beautiful glaciers and high alpine passes leading to the finalé, the descent under the North face of the Matterhorn into Zermatt.

The Route

First Night

We will meet at our hotel in Chamonix go over the plan for the week.

Day 1

We will meet at the hotel for a kit check, then using a bit of cable car assistance we will trek to the Albert Premier hut with superb views down the Chamonix valley. The hut sits just above the Tour glacier giving us our first contact with the high mountains. In the afternoon your guide will run through the use of crampons and the rope ready for tomorrow's glacier trek.

Day 2

An early start this morning to get the snow in the best condition we will have breakfast at about 4am and be on the move by 5. A short walk on rock leads to the edge of the glacier where we will don crampons join together on the rope to protect us from any hidden crevasses. The route takes us over the Col du Tour onto the high glacial Trient Plateau. We will cross the plateau passing under the Aiguille du tour and the Aiguilles Dorées. We will pass the Trient hut and descend off the glacier joining a good trail to the Orny hut where we can stop for a cold drink and but of lunch. Suitably refreshed we will follow the spectacular foot path to the Braya cable car which will take us to Champex for a welcome shower and a night in a hotel.

Day 3

A more civilised start followed by a taxi ride to the Barrage de Mauvoisin begins our trek to the Cabane du Chanrion. The walk takes us along the side of the Lac de Mauvoisin in the shadow of the mighty Grand Combin one of the more serious 4000m peaks.

Day 4

From the Chanrion hut we will walk over the Col du Mont Rouge and the Col du Cheillon to the Dix hut for lunch. This is one of the most welcoming huts in the Alps, with the guardian Pierre always offering a great welcome and we can enjoy one of his famous Rosti's sitting on the terrace looking at the North Face of Mont Blanc de Cheillon. After lunch we will cross the Pas de Chevre and descend to Arolla for a night in a hotel.

Day 5

A slightly shorter day today, we will leave Arolla and climb to the Bertol hut, which is one of the most spectacularly positioned huts in the Alps, where we can enjoy amazing views of upper Mont Mine glacier and the surrounding peaks.

Day 6

The final day to Zermatt is one of the most spectacular days you can spend in the mountains, as we approach the Col du Valpaline the Matterhorn is growing in size with every step. When we reach the col you can see it and all the other Zermatt giants laid out before you. We descend the Stockl glacier passing under the Matterhorn and Dents d'Herens North faces all the way into Zermatt.

We would arrive in Zermatt mid-afternoon so we have time to catch a taxi back to Chamonix.