Haute Route (first stages)
✓ Verified against the agency · Météo-FranceThe opening stages of the Walker's Haute Route from Chamonix toward Zermatt. The full route is 180-209 km through the Pennine Alps. This segment shows the first stages through Argentière, over Col de Balme, and via Champex-Lac — overlapping with TMB stages before diverging southeast toward Verbier and the high passes.
Distance
26.9 km
Max elevation
2,665m (Fenêtre d'Arpette)
Duration
4–5 days (of 12–16 total to Zermatt)
Safety classification
DifficultyMountaineering
GuideGuide required (safety)
GearGlacier gear
OfficialNo
MaintainedNo
Season
Summer glacier raid: the Chamonix official listing runs it only mid-June to mid-July (15/06-15/07), daily, 'subject to favorable weather'; later in summer crevasses open. The ski version runs roughly January-April (zermatt.swiss) and demands full avalanche kit. There is no season in which this is a walking route, and no season in which unguided travel without glacier equipment is appropriate.
Hazards
- ▲Crevassed glacier travel from the first stages: Glacier du Tour and Col Superieur du Tour on day 2, then Trient and Otemma glaciers
View on the 3D map →View only — no download