Travel program

DAY 1: meeting in Châtillon, in Aosta Valley, at the bus station at 2:00 PM; shuttle bus transfer to Argentière, Chamonix; overnight stay in a selected hotel.

DAY 2: at 8:00 AM departure from the Argentière ski resort and ascent with the lifts to the Lognan intermediate station. Leaving the slopes, we reach the Glacier d’Argentière, crossing which we climb the Col du Passon (3,028 m). From the pass, after a short descent, we cross the Glacier du Tour to reach the pass of the same name; having crossed it, we cross the Glacier du Trient and after one last short climb we finally arrive at the Refuge du Trient: in this spectacular place we spend our first night on the glaciers of the Chamonix-Zermatt.

DAY 3: departure downhill for the Col des Ecandies and a long ski run in the Vallon d’Arpette to the typically "Swiss" village of Champex. After a coffee break, transfer by taxi to Fionnay: putting our skis back on, we climb in about 3.5 hours to the Cabane de Panossiere, at the foot of the Grand Combin, where we stay overnight.
Vertical gain 1,100 m; descent 1,600 m; travel time: 2 hours for the descent of the Vallon d’Arpette, approximately 3.5 hours for the climb to the Cabane de Panossiere.

DAY 4: from the Cabane de Panossiere, ascent to the summit of Tournelon Blanc (3,707 m), a beautiful panoramic balcony over the Grand Combin and the subsequent stages of the traverse; from the summit (or directly from the pass slightly lower down) we descend in a traverse reaching the Cabane de Chanrion (2,600 m), where we have dinner and stay overnight.
Vertical gain 1,100 m; descent 1,200 m; travel time approximately 6 hours.

DAY 5: departure downhill from the Cabane de Chanrion to quickly reach the Glacier d’Otemma, which we climb in its entirety to the Col de Chermotane (3,049 m) and then to the Cabane des Vignettes (3,157 m). Possible optional ascent, depending on weather/snow conditions and the group, to the beautiful Pigne d’Arolla, which adds about 500 meters of vertical gain. Dinner and overnight stay.
Vertical gain 750 m; descent approximately 200 m.

DAY 6: a day of spectacular ski touring traverse that will end in Zermatt after crossing four passes. Departure at dawn climbing to the Col de l’Eveque (3,382 m), followed by a beautiful descent that – passing through the Col Collon (3,074 m) – leads to the bottom of the Haut Glacier de Arolla, at an altitude of about 2,900 meters. Next, we climb the steep Col du Mont Brulé (3,213 m, crampons), followed by a short descent that in about two hundred meters of vertical drop leads to the Tsa de Tsan Glacier, which we climb to the Col de Valpelline (3,557 m). Finally, the grand final descent, dominated by the Dent d’Herens and the Matterhorn, leads along a long route to Zermatt, where we stay overnight.
Vertical gain 1,100 m; descent approximately 2,400 m; travel time: approximately 7 hours.

DAY 7: a relaxed start and – using the Zermatt lifts – arrival at the Klein Matterhorn, from where we exit onto Plateau Rosa. A final 300 meters of vertical gain to bag – conditions permitting – the summit of the Western Breithorn, a four-thousander, before the long final descent that, along the Ventina slopes, leads directly to Cervinia. A peaceful return day, with only 300 meters of vertical gain and over 2,000 meters of descent. From Cervinia, return by public transport to Châtillon, where the tour ends upon arrival at the private cars.