Booking info

See also:
Woolly Wanderings Tour
Walker's Haute Route
Haute Route Glacier Trek
Berner Oberland Trails
Berner Glacier Trek
Grindelwald-Leukerbad
Ski touring programs

Trekking to the Bertol hut.	photo info

Having lived, hiked, climbed and traveled in the Alps since the early 1980s, the nearly endless opportunities for exploration and discovery in this amazing mountain range seem only to expand the closer we look! The Alps are truly unique in the world. A vast range, with enormous climatic, geological and ecological diversity, its human and cultural environment is equally fascinating. Every high alpine valley has its own community, cuisine, style of living, festivities, even it's own dialect in some cases. One could literally spend a lifetime exploring and still find something new around every corner.

The modern alpine infrastructure of lifts, trains, huts and high villages mean that you can enjoy the contrast of a demanding trek through a high and wild mountain world, and still bask in the creature comforts of a fine meal and comfortable bed at the end of every challenging day.

Our trekking programs are designed to introduce you to this unique world, and to pave the way for personal discovery. Our itineraries combine physical challenge with strategic use of comforts and conveniences, to maximize the joy of exploration.

We also enjoy running custom programs for groups of friends or families. Contact us if you would like us to work with you to design your own private trek.

We can offer either of the above treks, or others as desired, as a private program for just you and your group.

Please see the pages above and/or contact us for more information and pricing.

Key to the table

Strenuousness - Some treks have longer days than others, with more uphill climbing or walking. 3 is the hardest, 1 the least hard.

Lodging comfort and amenities- Some of our treks have us staying in towns or villages each night, with hotels or inns equipped with all the modern conveniences; other treks have us staying only in high mountain huts, with dormitory sleeping rooms, fixed family-style menu dining, and often limited washing facilities. A rating of:

1 - denotes most primitive huts or those with the most basic facilities, or use of tents (tents are often used in Peru or Nepal, for example)
2 - may denote a combination of the two, or a hut-based trek with particularly well-appointed huts!
3 - is the highest luxury rating

Technical difficulty- Some treks require occasional use of technical mountaineering equipment: ropes, harnesses, helmets, crampons or ice axes.

1 - means no need for climbing equipment, or the very rare use of a rope is called for (usually the result of unusually snowy conditions)
2 - indicates glacier travel and/or occasional steep sections where we always rope up
3 - indicates technical pitched climbing of a difficulty suitable for experienced climbers only

If prior experience with the use of this equipment is required for a trek, we indicate that in our description of the program; otherwise these skills will be reviewed during the program and/or can be picked up along the way.

What exactly is the Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route? Actually there are three distinct Haute Routes commonly done, and we offer programs for all three:

• the original summer "High Level Route" pioneered in the 1860s by members of the Alpine Club of Britain, which travels largely on glaciers and crosses many high alpine passes. This is what we offer as our Haute Route Glacier Trek.
• the "Walkers' Haute Route" which follows mostly marked trails and avoids glaciers and the highest passes.
• the Skiers' Haute Route done on touring skis in March and April.

Kathy Cosley & Mark Houston
UIAGM Internationally Licensed Mountain Guides

AMGA Certified • SNGM members
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