Day 4 of the Haute Route

Haute Route day to day description, map and photos

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Day 1

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Day 2

Day 4 - Bourg-St-Pierre to Cabane de Valsorey, or Mont Fort hut to Prafleuri hut.

The route snowing the Classic variation, Day 4.

Classic Route: From Bourg-St-Pierre we rise early and climb steadily to the Valsorey Hut in about 6 hours. This hut is in a spectacular position high above the cirque between Mont Vélan and the Grand Combin. From its front terrace you can see Mont Blanc and much of the the terrain you have crossed on the previous days.

The route up starts on foot, with skis on our packs. Depending on snow levels, we usually can ski after about an hour or two of walking. Once on ski we enter into the deep valley between Mont Vélan and the Grand Combin. The last couple thousand feet climb steeply up to the hut.

Verbier Route: From the Cabane Mont Fort in the Verbier ski area we ski over the Rosa Blanche, and down to the Prafleuri hut. First up and over the Col de la Chaux, we ski rolling terrain to the Col de Momin, at the edge of the Grand Désert, the huge glacier on the NW side of the Rosa Blanche. Ascending this glacier to near its head (with the option for a quick climb to the Rosa Blanche summit, we ski down the Glacier de Prafleuri to the hut.

It is also possible to skip the Prafleuri hut and continue on to the Dix hut in one very, very long day. This variation crosses one of two possible steep cols to drop up onto the slopes just W of Lac Dix.

Hiking out from Bourg-St-Pierre. The town is seen behind to the left.

Skiing up to the Valsorey Hut with the Grand Combin behind. Though it is hard to describe in this image, the hut sits on a high rock outcrop under the summit of the peak. You can just make out the upper part of the long slope leading up to the Plateau du Couloir on the right side of the photo. The Plateau is a broad and relatively level area at the top of this slope.

On this particular day the sun was so hot that skiing up the slope above Kathy (she is the skier) that it felt more like a sauna than a snow slope. Fortunately, we reached the hut and got off the slope before the snow softened much.

Climbing up the long slope below the Valsorey hut.

The Valsorey hut. This shot was taken in the early morning, looking SW. The peaks of the Mont Blanc massif are seen catching the morning sun.

Drying gear at the Cabane de Valsorey.

Kathy enjoys a Cardinal beer at the Valsorey hut.

This is the only photo on this page of the Verbier Route. It shows the view crossing the Col de Momin.

The Verbier Route: The Mont Fort hut in the morning. You can see the poor weather engulfing the Mont Blanc massif in the background.

Skiing from the Mont Fort hut to the Prafleuri hut. the Rosa Blanche in the background.

Continue on to Day 5.....