The Glacier Haute Route Hike

Chamonix to Zermatt June/July 2010

Circa: 200KM – 125 miles

Steve Trafton, Katherine Lawrence and Al Errington

6/28 Stage 1: Le Tour – Refuge Albert Premier

This self-guided Glacier Haute Route hike follows three Americans from Chamonix to Zermatt, a distance of about 200km or 125 miles Circa: 200KM – 125 miles. Katherine and I flew to Geneva on the 27^th and then took the train to Martigny and transferred to the little local train that goes over the Col des Montets and down into the Chamonix Valley. From the Chamonix station we walked through town to our hotel near the Aiguille de Midi tram station and met Al. We spent the afternoon sorting and repacking our gear and then walked around town taking in the sites and reminiscing about how one year before we were in the same spot preparing for our Tour de Mont Blanc hike.

6/28 We got up at 6:30a and had breakfast at the hotel before walking up to the bus stop above the town square where we caught the bus to Le Tour and the start of our trip. After a short wait we caught the chair lift to the Col de Balme station (2193m – 7194ft) (9:30a). Here the hiking began. A good trail led easily south and climbed gently and crossed several small snowfields before rounding a prominent corner and turning south east and descending to a large snowfield which we crossed to gain the lateral moraine of the Glacier du Tour. Once on the moraine we climbed steadily at a moderate angle to the top of the moraine and then up a steep snow slope to the Refuge Albert Premier (2702m – 8865ft) (1:25p). King Albert opened the first rendition of this hut in 1930 to mark the centenary of Belgium independence.

6/29 Stage 2: Refuge Albert Premier – Cabane d’Orny

6/29 In anticipation of a warm day and a long snow route to the d’Orny hut we left the Albert Premier hut early (6:00a). It was a clear morning the sunrise on the east face of the Aiguille du Chardonnet was a beautiful sight as we descended and traversed a rocky trail east from the hut down to the edge of the Glacier du Tour. Before starting out across the glacier we roped up for safety and also to give Katherine some practice with roped glacier travel. The route contoured around the bottom of the west face of the Aiguille du Tour and passed to the east of point 2883m (9459ft). From here the route turned southeast and climbed gradually to a point below the Col Superior du Tour.

Here we stopped and put on our crampons before continuing up the short steep slope to the col (3289m – 10,791ft) (8:40a). The col marks the Swiss border and it afforded a fabulous view both west, on the Chamonix side, and east out across the Plateau du Trient. After a short rest we set out across the Plateau. The traverse of the plateau was a long, easy, gently descending traverse near the base of the Aiguilles Dorees. The route then gradually curved around to the northeast toward the Cabane du Trient and the Col d’Orny (3098m – 10.164ft). After a rest stop and a snack at the col we continued east down the Glacier d’Orny to the Cabane d’Orny (2831m – 9288ft) (11:00a). The cabane is perched on a rocky outcropping over the glacier and affords a great view to the east including the Grand Combin in the distance.

 
6/30 Stage 3: Cabane d’Orny – Issert – La Fouly

6/30 While most parties doing the Haute Route take the trail from the Cabane d’Orny to Champex and then the bus to Bourg St. Pierre, thereby saving a day and a half, we decided to walk the full distance by first, hiking down to the village of Issert and then traveling up the Valle Ferret to La Fouly, thence over the mountains and down into Bourg St. Pierre. We set off from the hut at 7:20a and began the descent of the Combe d’Orny. After a short time we passed the turnoff to La Breya (the top station of the tram down to Champex), then continuing on we descended steeply down into the Valle Ferret past the junction of the trail to Champex and finally arrived, a little footsore, at the Isset (1065m – 3494ft) It had been a total descent of nearly 5800ft so we had several well deserved beers at a little roadside pub before catching the bus up the valley to La Fouly where we settled in for a good night’s rest.

7/1 Stage 4: La Fouly – Bourg St. Pierre

7/1 We caught the 8:30a chair lift from La Fouly (1592m – 5223ft) up the hillside to the east of town to the top station at 2122m (6961ft). From here we followed the path steeply up the hillside through several rock bands protected with cables to the col at Le Basset (2765m – 9071ft) (10:55a). From this viewpoint we could see our route down through the Combe de l’A. Leaving the col we traversed near the summit of Le Basset and then down across numerous snowfields into the Combe. At 12:25p we reached the stone farm house at Vouasse (2393m – 7851ft). After a 10 minute break we continued on down the Combe to the farm house at La Tsissette (2002m – 6568ft) (1:20p) where we had one of the best lunches on the journey. On leaving La Tsissette we followed the farm track north, to the end of the valley and then, southeast into the Bourg St. Pierre valley (3:15p). A short time later we came to the apparent end of the track at a utility station (3:35p) of some sort and found a trail leading steeply down to the power station in the valley at Palasui (1335m – 4380ft). From here another track lead up the valley toward Bourg St. Pierre. It was a long 2 ½ hours following the river before we reached Bourg St. Pierre (1689m – 5541ft) (6:00p). We checked into a hotel after a very long day and wolfed down pizza and beer before turning in for a well-deserved rest. As a further reward we decided that the next day would be a day of rest before continuing on.

7/3 Stage 5: Bourg St. Pierre – Col de Mille – Cabane Marcel Brunet

7/3 After taking a rest day on the 2^nd we woke to another beautiful day and left the hotel at 7:15a. We walked up to the highway connecting Switzerland to Italy which crosses the Col du Grand-St. Bernard. After crossing the highway and found the trail leading north up to Creux du Ma and the Cabane du col de Mille. In a little over an hour we reached Creux du Ma (1975m – 6580ft). From there we followed the farm track up to the junction at d’en Bas. Just across the stream we turned onto the trail traversing across the hillside to Le Coeur (2233m – 7326ft). From Le Coeur the trail climbed sharply on up to a viewpoint at La Vaurdette (2463m – 8081ft) (10:50a). This was a great spot for a rest among the wildflowers and panoramic views. After our rest we continued, first descending a short distance and then traversing and again climbing up to the Col de Mille (2472m – 7126ft) (12:10p).

After a pleasant lunch at the Cabane du Col de Mille we set off down the trail heading east northeast down through meadows and rock gardens past the stone house a La Chaux. A short distance past the stone house we rounded the corner and entered the next valley. Another 45 minutes brought us to the Cabane Marcel Brunet (2103m -6899ft) (3:05p).

7/4 Stage 6: Cabane Marcel Brunet – Cabane Panossierre

7/4 We got up around 7:00a, had a leisurely breakfast and prepared for the hike to the Cabane Panossierre. We set off at 7:45a heading, first east and then south contouring around the hillside and up a small valley to the bridge crossing the Dyurye de Sery. After the bridge crossing we traversed around a point of ridge at 2106m (6909ft) at La Maye and then continued up the side of the steep valley toward the snout of the Glacier de Corbassiere. As we approached the glacier there was some boulder hopping and scrambling followed by a crossing of the stream coming out of the glacier.

A short time after crossing the stream we climbed up the east side of the valley to reach the trail Plan Goli. A short way up the Plan we crossed to its west side and followed a moderately steep trail up to the ridge which we followed to the Cabane Panosierre (2645m – 8678ft) (11:30a) We spent the afternoon reading and enjoying the great views up the Glacier de Carbassierre to the Grand Combin which was now due south.

7/5 Stage 7: Cabane Panossierre – Cabane Chanrion

7/5 We left the hut at 7:30a and followed the trail up the moraine alongside the glacier a short distance until we came to a trail junction. Here we turned and began the 800 foot climb up a steep trail leading up to the Col des Otanes (2880m – 9449ft). Once at the col we rested before beginning the long descent to Lac de Mauvoisin. The way down started fairly gently, crossing nearly level snowfields and then steepened crossing several steep snowfields and numerous steep rocky sections before we came to the trail junction at La Tseumette (2297m – 7536ft).

From there the trail traversed across a boulder and heather slope to the next trail junction above the village of Mauvoisin (10:00a). We turned southeast and climbed up and around the rocky headland of Pierre Vire. We then headed south on the high trail above the west side of Lac de Mauvoisin. This trail is long with a lot of up and down but the views were interesting as we worked our way toward the head of the lake. After several hours we reached the head of lake and from a point at about 2400m (7874ft) the trail turned sharply east and descended quickly into the valley below emerging at a bridge crossing the river feeding Lac Mauvoisin (2010m – 6598ft). We crossed the bridge and then started uphill again, climbing a switch backed trail steeply upward and then traversing to the Cabane Chanrion (2465m – 8077ft).

7/6 Stage 7: Cabane Chanrion – Cabane Vignettes

7/6 We got up early and had breakfast at the hut and were out the door by 6:10a. The first section of the route was along a track south, past a ski area and then along a second track leading to narrow rocky gorge which led up to the foot of the Glacier d’Olemma. As we approached the Glacier clouds began to descend promising to obscure the route up the glacier. We continued on following a trail along the lateral moraine of the glacier until we were able to gain the glacier itself. The first mile or so of the glacier was old dirty ice with a lot of girt in it so the going was pretty easy and the danger of crevasses was very low.

We gradually emerged onto the snow covered portion of the glacier and then roped up as the clouds descended. We stayed to the left side of the glacier and continued to slog our way upward for several hours in the fog and soft snow until at last the clouds burned off and we were left with only the soft snow to deal with. At about 3000m (9842ft) we started a traverse under the south east face of Pigne d’Arolla and approached the Col de Chermotane (3053m – 10016ft). From the col we turned northeast and ascended a steep rocky quasi trail up to a snowfield on the southeast face of Pigne d’Arolla. We headed across the snowfield and arrived at the Col des Vignettes just above the Cabane des Vignettes. A short airy down climb along a rocky ridge brought us to the hut (3160m – 10,367ft) (1:15p).

7/7 Stage 9: Cabane Vignettes – Cabane de Bertol

7/7 After a very restful night in a private room we were ready for a big day ahead. While the distance is not too great between the Vignettes and Bertol huts the elevation changes are significant (-3582ft and then +4428ft). With this in mind everyone at the hut wanted an early start to ensure firm snow for as much of their routes as possible. Good weather in the mountains is a two edged sword. If it’s stormy then visibility will be poor and route finding difficult. If it’s too warm then the snow softens by early afternoon and glacier travel, through crevasses becomes more dangerous and steep snow slopes become a mushy slog. With this in mind we got up at 5:30a and had breakfast.

After donning our crampons and roping up we set off from the hut (6:10a). In order to avoid the airy rock scramble back to the Col des Vignettes we climbed the snow slope below the ridge and after about a hundred yards we arrived at the col. From here we retraced our approach from the day before and crossed the snowfield below the Pigne d’Arolla and then descended the rocky slope to return to the Col de Chermotane.

Now we continued south crossing beneath the east face of the Petit Mont Collon then ascended easy moderate slopes up to the Col de l’Eveque (3392m – 11,129ft) (8:00a). From the col we began our descent down the upper arm of the Haute Glacier d’Arolla passing under the southeast face of the L’Eveque and then past the Col Collon (3087m – 10,128ft) which leads south into Italy and is part of the route Katherine and I took in 2009 on our Tour de Matterhorn. From here we retraced our 2009 route down to the edge of the main body of the Haute Glacier d’Arolla and then crossed the glacier to the lateral moraine running down its east side. Once on the moraine we took off our crampons and continued descending to the trail junction of the route leading up to the Plans de Bertol (2300m – 7546ft) (11:15a).

We then began our climb. First to the stone hut at the Plans de Bertol (2864m – 9396ft) and then up a series of soft snow slopes up to the col just south the Cabane de Bertol. The Cabane is perched on a rocky outcropping above the col and required some modest roped climbing on snow and then a big step across to the ladders that lead up to the hut (3311m – 10,863ft) (3:30p).

7/8 Stage 10: Cabane de Bertol – Tete Blanche – Zermatt

7/8 The Cabane de Bertol is in a spectacular position with great views in all directions. You enter the hut on the main floor which is the dining room with windows all around giving a panoramic view. A steep staircase leads down to the sleeping rooms below. We stayed in a dormitory room on the lower level which was a bit cave like, but it did have a window which gave us a great view of the sunset on the Dent Blanche to the northeast across the Glacier du Mont Mine and the Plateau d’Herens. After a fit night’s sleep punctuated by loud snoring we got up at 5:30a and went up the stairs to breakfast. We planned an early start again since a big part of the day would be across glaciers and through crevasse fields. We left the hut at 6:10a and descended the ladders to the snow and around to the col below the hut and set off across the Glacier de Mont Mine. We skirted around the rocky outcropping to the southeast of the hut and continued south up into the basin at the head of the glacier before turning east across the glacier and up moderate slopes to reach the broad north ridge of the Tete Blanche (circa 3550m – 11,647ft).

From there we made a gently rising traverse up to near the northeast ridge before turning southwest to ascend the last short slope to the top (3724m – 12,218ft) (8:50a). The view was incredible! The Dent Blanche, the Matterhorn and the Dent d’Herens dominated but the whole scene was grand. After a half hour on the summit we descended to near the Col d’Herens (3540m -11614ft) and started down the Stockji Glacier into the Zmutt valley. The Stockji Glacier started off as a pleasant snow descent but at about 3400m (11,155ft) we entered the first of several crevasse fields which were impressive and care was needed in negotiating the route down. The crevasses did provide some great photo opportunities and with a little care were fairly easy to avoid. (We did stick a leg in one or two, but nothing serious).

At about 3020m (9906ft) we left the glacier via a short steep snow slope and reached the trail at the upper end of the Stockji, a massive rocky outcropping between the upper Stockji Glacier and the upper reaches of the Zmutt Glacier. An airy sometimes tricky trail led around the south side of the Stockji and down to a point 2624m (8607ft) where we could cut across the Zmutt Glacier to its northern lateral moraine just below the Schonbielhutte. From this point Al found a route up the slope above the Glacier about 300 feet to the main trail leading to the hut. Katherine and I tried several different routes but were unable to find one we were comfortable with so we continued down the moraine for several miles of rock scrambling until we reached the snout of the Glacier and then across an open stretch of sandy glacial till until we reached the a road which led down the valley toward Zermatt. Al arrived shortly after we got to the road and recounted how he could look down onto the Zmutt and see us inching our way along the moraine for the past several hours. Once on the road it was a short distance down to the village of Zmutt and then another half hour into Zermatt (5:45p). We spent the next few days in Zermatt hiking around and resting at the Zermatterhof Hotel and trekking up to the Hornli Hutte on the Matterhorn.