Trip of the week: a tough new ski route in the high Alps
The Haute Route du Saint-Bernard is a six-day loop starting in Italy’s Val d’Aosta
“Crossing crevasse-strewn glaciers, navigating tricky descents and scaling treacherous passes”, the “Haute Route” from Chamonix to Zermatt is “one of the toughest challenges in ski mountaineering”.
Since it was pioneered in January 1903, several variants have sprung up (the Purist Haute Route, the Reverse Haute Route, and so on), but this winter sees the launch of the first genuinely new version in half a century, says Tristan Kennedy in The Daily Telegraph.
Created by the bureaux des guides in three regions, the Haute Route du Saint-Bernard is a six-day loop combining parts of the classic Haute Route with lesser-known ascents. It offers a new – and yet tougher – challenge for those familiar with the original, and it also avoids some of the most crowded mountain refuges.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Haute Route was pioneered by a local doctor, Michel Payot, who in 1896 had acquired one of the first pairs of skis ever seen in the Chamonix Valley, and used them to reach housebound patients. For him and the five friends who accompanied him, the Route was a “wonderful winter adventure”.
Following in their tracks, with the advantage of modern equipment, which is far lighter, you’ll wonder at their achievement. With between 1,200 and 1,750 vertical metres of climbing per day, and one morning on which you need to use crampons and ice axes, it’s not something to attempt without good fitness and an experienced guide.
The Saint-Bernard variant starts in Italy’s Val d’Aosta, and crosses into Switzerland via the Col du Grand St Bernard, where you can stay at the famous monastery. The “soft chanting” of your hosts in their ancient chapel is beautiful, and there are other pleasant refuges en route – but the biggest reward of the route is the views it affords, ones that “only mountaineers would normally see”.
Contact Les Guides de Verbier for more information
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explained
In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: houses with enchanting gardens
The Week Recommends Featuring pretty homes in Hampshire, Devon and West Sussex
By The Week UK Published
-
Venice Biennale 2024: from the good to the bad to the downright 'bizarre'
The Week Recommends Central exhibition features the work of some 330 artists
By The Week UK Published
-
Sunset Song: gripping theatre that's 'close to magic'
The Week Recommends Morna Young's 'first-class adaptation' of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic novel
By The Week UK Published
-
Challengers: 'the most purely pleasurable film of the year so far'
The Week Recommends Zendaya plays a former tennis player turned coach in this 'almost ridiculously' sexy drama
By The Week UK Published
-
Baby Reindeer: a 'compelling and unforgettable' series
The Week Recommends Comedian Richard Gadd's disturbing Netflix drama about stalking
By The Week UK Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 picturesque homes in Arizona
Feature Featuring a glass elevator in Sedona and a grotto waterfall in Paradise Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Baffin Island: looking for narwhal in Arctic Canada
The Week Recommends An exploration of this island between mainland Canada and Greenland is ideal for the adventurous at heart
By The Week UK Published