Walker's Haute Route West, Chamonix to Arolla, guided 2024

The Western part of the Classic Walker's Haute Route is a great start for those wishing to tackle the Haute Route, but who may not have the time to complete the full tour in one holiday, or who prefer to break this challenging trek into two smaller parts. It follows the exact route of the Classic tour from Chamonix to Arolla. This section includes hiking over the border between France and Switzerland and the remote and rugged section between Verbier and Arolla where two consecutive nights are spent in mountain huts.

Day 1: Meeting in Chamonix
Arrive Chamonix and meet with your guide in the afternoon for welcome, equipment check and a day-by-day briefing on your Haute Route trek ahead. At night, you're free to explore the many bars and restaurants in Chamonix at your leisure.

Day 2: From Chamonix to Trient
We take the local train to the village Argentière, where the walking begins. We ascent gently on a balcony trail above the Chamonix valley to the ski area of le Tour. Here, the trail gets steeper as we ascent through the ski area to the Balme mountain pass, which forms the border between France and Switzerland. From the Balme pass, it is a pleasant descent into Switzerland and the village Trient, where we spend the night in a bustling auberge. (B+D)

Day 3: From Trient to Champex
From Trient we have a choice of two routes. If the legs are feeling good, we'll ascend the steep and rocky pass known as the Fenêtre d’Arpette (2665m), which offers amazing views of the Trient Glacier. The slightly gentler option takes us over the shoulder of the Mont Blanc massif to the Bovine high mountain pastures where we enjoy spectacular views up the Rhone valley. Both routes will take us to the Swiss lake-side village Champex (1477m) where we stay in a comfortable hotel. (B+D)

Day 4: From Champex to Cabane Mont Fort
From Champex we start the day with a gentle, downhill walk, through alpine pastures and idyllic Swiss villages. From the village le Chable, we take a cable car up through the famous Verbier ski resort. From the top of the cable car, we have an easy ascend along old irrigation channels to the stunning Mont Fort hut where we watch the sun set behind the mountains before we turn in. (B+D)

Day 5: From Cabane Mont Fort to Cabane Prafleuri
From the Mont Fort hut we have a stunning and very wild walk ahead of us, tackling no less than three mountain passes - Col de la Chaux, Col de Louvie and Col de Prafleuri. The walk takes us through very rugged alpine terrain where there is a good chance of spotting ibex. We end the day at the Prafleuri mountain hut. (B+D)

Day 6: From Cabane Prafleuri to Arolla
From the Prafleuri hut, we quickly ascend to Col des Roux and descend to the enormous Dix lake and dam. A gentle and enjoyable walk along the lake takes us to the main climb of the day. The climb follows the moraine created by the Dix glacier until we cross the snout of the glacier, where the terrain steepens and becomes bouldery as we near our pass. We cross the Riedman pass, or the Pas de Chevre via it's ladders, and commence the descend to the village Arolla. (B+D))

Day 7: Departure day
After breakast, you check out of your hotel. This is the end of your Haute Route trip. (B)