Chamonix to Zermatt, France / Switzerland
Haute Route Glacier Trek
Route detail
About this route
A seven-day guided alpine traverse across the Tour, Trient, Otemma and Stocki glaciers, sleeping in high huts above the valleys.
Daily activity
5–8 hr/day; long glacier days up to 9 hr.
Terrain
Roped glaciers, snow passes, high huts, crevasse zones and rocky hut approaches.
Best season
June to September
Your guide office
Chamonix Experience
Based in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
What's included
IFMGA guide, hut half board, glacier equipment, planning and route briefings.
Not included
Travel, lifts, lunches, personal insurance, rental boots.
Itinerary
- 1
Glacier training
Time: 4–5 hrDistance: 6 km
Meet in Chamonix, refresh crampon and rope skills near the Tour glacier.
- 2
Col Supérieur du Tour
Time: 6–8 hrDistance: 12 km
Cross into Switzerland on glacier terrain and descend to the Trient side.
- 3
Verbier link
Time: 5–6 hrDistance: 10 km
Traverse high alpine ground and use valley transfers where conditions require.
- 4
Chanrion hut
Time: 6–7 hrDistance: 14 km
Long approach to the remote hut above the Otemma glacier basin.
- 5
Otemma glacier
Time: 7–8 hrDistance: 16 km
A big glacier crossing below Mont Collon to the Vignettes hut.
- 6
Tête Blanche
Time: 7–9 hrDistance: 15 km
Climb to the 3,710 m viewpoint, then descend toward the Bertol side.
- 7
Zermatt finish
Time: 5–6 hrDistance: 10 km
Final glacier descent with Matterhorn views and a train down to Zermatt.
What to pack
Built for this route's terrain, altitude and number of days. Tick items off as you pack — without the right footwear or hard shell, a guide can refuse to take you up.
0 / 34 packed
Footwear and pack
Broken in before the trip — new boots are the most common cause of an abandoned day.
Clothing layers
Three layers, no cotton. Temperatures can swing 20 °C between valley and summit.
Technical equipment
Your guide office (Chamonix Experience) rents most of this locally — ask when you confirm your dates.
Sun, health and altitude
UV rises roughly 10% every 1,000 m of altitude.
Hut and overnight kit
Mountain huts supply blankets and pillows, never sheets.
Boots, crampons, ice axe and harness can usually be rented from Chamonix Experience in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France — confirm sizes when you agree your dates.
Traveller feedback
Ratings collected from travellers who completed this route with Chamonix Experience.
4.9
★★★★★84 ratings
Written reviews for this departure are still being collected. Ask us for references from previous groups before you pay — we will forward them from the guide office.
Questions about this route?
Talk to the guides who run it — gear, fitness, weather windows, private dates. We answer within one working day.
€2,680
per person
IFMGA guide, hut half board, glacier equipment, planning and route briefings.
Next departure · 11 August 2027
6 of 6 spots left
Live availability updates daily and after every booking.