The Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt: a report on the legendary ski touring traverse

April 7-13, 2024. It’s snowing… already last night, in the dark, you could tell: the refuge windows edged in white, the grayness in the darkness, no stars… now it’s more or less the same, except you can sense dawn approaching from the pale glow to the east, toward the Aiguilles Dorées. Another picture-perfect start, literally!

Yesterday’s day, the first of the five needed to complete the Haute Route that will take us from Chamonix to Zermatt, all things considered wasn’t bad: the sun filtered through the thick veil of the African anticyclone full of sand and gave the Droites and the Verte a sort of dramatic appearance, as if awaiting some calamitous event. Only at the end of the day, crossing the Glacier du Tour and then the Trient, a few small frozen flakes began to sting the face, but nothing major. Then the evening at the refuge was excellent, an abundant dinner seasoned with that bit of apprehension everyone has at the start of “big” undertakings, the “will I make it?” kind.

So we set off, second day, time to descend to the Col des Ecandies to ski down along the vast Vallon d’Arpette to Champex. In front of the group, I can barely see: fortunately that bit of fresh snow helps the movements, makes it easier to go by feel, trusting what you sense under your feet rather than what passes through the yellow goggle lenses. And then some providential red poles appear now and then in the fog and guide us to the fixed ropes climbing to the col. Not bad as a first descent! Crampons on, a hundred meters to climb up easy rocks, then skis back on in the snowfall that gradually turns to rain and accompanies us to the lakeside and the providentially warm bakery bar for tea, coffee, a gâteau suisse.

The day calls for reflection, since the snowfall shows no sign of letting up: so once we reach Fionnay, make a call, talk to the manager, reassess the weather forecasts, the avalanche bulletin. We therefore abandon the plan to climb to the Cabane de Panossiere and the following day to Tournelon Blanc (steep and if we found it loaded with fresh snow it would require a complex retreat) to take advantage of a taxi to Arolla, a small and remote village beneath the Pigne of the same name.

Third day, first day of truly blue sky: enthusiasm and energy already at breakfast within the walls of the old hotel hosting us, which treats us to the first turns in fresh snow right outside the ski room: we reach the lifts, use the “belle époque” ski lift, one of those where if you’re standing at the start you’re certain you’ll never fall again, and then off we go: skins crackling on the cold fresh snow and renewed energy in the legs. Due to the variant imposed by the snowfall, today will be a long day but allows us to rejoin the classic haute route, reaching the Col de la Serpentine after crossing the rocky Pas des Chevres and then descending to the Refuge de Chanrion. We thus find ourselves in what could rightfully be called the heart of the Chamonix-Zermatt, the crucial point of the historic route, not easily accessible from any direction: the Cabane de Chanrion is truly in a place lost among the great mountains of Valais: first of all the Grand Combin, a severe and formidable mountain that looms from the northwest over this alpine basin surrounded by glaciers and imposing peaks.

Comforted by having managed to get back on the road despite the bad weather, we set off for the fourth stage in a cold and stunning dawn, made of blues and yellows and oranges that accompany us along the Glacier de Otemma: at twelve kilometers it’s the second longest glacier in the Alps, preceded only by the Aletschhorn in the Oberland. Today the whole group is running well, so having reached and passed the Col de Chermotane we drop some stuff from our packs and thus, light and fast, we conquer the Pigne d’Arolla. It seems incredible that this beautiful and simple pyramidal summit was in the past the scene of major ski touring accidents! But that’s how it is, with blue sky everything is simple, then if it closes in and starts snowing things change and from easy they can become extreme in no time, finding your way out can become complex even with modern GPS systems… The Cabane des Vignettes welcomes us with a notable aroma of socks and toilets, but then proves comfortable albeit decidedly crowded: on the other hand, all the routes from Chamonix and Verbier to Zermatt converge here, offering a nice pot-pourri of nationalities without borders, from east to west.

Four cols stage, fifth day of the traverse, grand finale with arrival in Zermatt! As a young man I had studied the haute route in Pierre Merlin’s “Guide des raids a skis,” given to me by my friend Didier, a great traveler and ski tourer sadly no longer with us: the text states, literally, “key stage of the Haute Route, with crossing of four cols”: the premise is intimidating, especially since it’s the fifth day! I still remember the apprehension with which, as perfect ski touring beginners, we descended the steep slope back to the Col de Chermotane to tackle almost at a run the gentle glacial slope of the Col de L’Eveque… Many years have passed but every time I return to the Vignettes my thoughts go back to those times when that world of peaks sparkling like sails in the sun was for me an unexplored universe, and I enjoy the fact that today the same feelings, the same sensations almost certainly take hold of those following me…

We cross the Col de l’Eveque, ski elegantly in the beautiful snow barely grazing the Col Collon, which overlooks the deep Italian Valpelline, and skin up again to climb then with crampons to the Col du Mont Brule. The Dent d’Herens is right there in front and the Matterhorn can just be glimpsed behind while at our backs, now distant, Mont Blanc… Looking back you understand the uniqueness of ski touring traverses and the meaning of skiing as a means of transport: a travel experience that offers the possibility of entering intimately into a territory, of sensing its scents and smells, of understanding its reality.

The day is once again splendid, so we can’t settle for the Col de Valpelline, the last of the four cols: we climb to the summit of the Tête de Valpelline of the same name to enjoy the magnificent panorama of one of the most famous mountains on the planet, the Matterhorn.

From here on it’s all downhill: the great Tiefenmatten glacier takes us to the foot of the north face of Dent d’Herens and Matterhorn, then gliding down to the slopes of Zermatt and the conclusion of the tour: grand finale with a beer, a stroll in slippers in the polished luxury of the capital of Swiss tourism and dinner based on rösti… tomorrow is still on skis, the Breithorn awaits us for a trip to four thousand meters before heading back.