Day 1: Argentière Hut
We meet in Visp early in the morning at the train station in full moonlight. We then take a taxi to Argentière to the valley station of the Grands Montets cable car. This takes us up to 3,295 meters to the Aiguille de Grand Montets. This is followed by our first descent over the Rognons Glacier to the Glacier d'Argentiere. A short climb takes us to our first destination: the Argentière Hut at 2,760 meters.
3 hours – ↑ 200 meters elevation gain – ↓ 600 meters elevation loss

Day 2: Argentière Hut - Bourg St. Pierre
There are three passes to cross on this second day: First, we cross the Col du Chardonnet (3,221 meters). Here, we must abseil 60 meters to reach the Saleina Glacier. We continue over the Fenetre de Saleina, past the Trient Hut and onto the Col des Ecandies. As a reward for the many meters of elevation gain, we now have a fantastic descent down to Champex. Once we reach the valley, a taxi will take us to Bourg St. Pierre, where we will spend the night in a hotel.
7 hours – ↑ 1,000 meters of elevation gain – ↓ 2,000 meters of elevation gain

Day 3: Bourg St. Pierre - Cabane de Valsorey
After more descents than ascents so far, the third day is a pure ascent. We head through the impressive Valsorey Valley to the hut of the same name at 3,030 meters.
5.5 hours – ↑ 1,400 meters of elevation gain

Day 4: Cabane de Valsorey - Cabane de Chanrion
From the hut, we continue up the next morning to the Plateau du Couloir (3,650 meters). The last few meters are particularly steep, so we'll be using crampons. A short descent takes us to the Col du Sonadon at 3,504 meters. What follows is a dream descent down to the Cabane de Chanrion at 2,462 meters.
6 hours – ↑ 900 meters elevation gain – ↓ 1,900 meters elevation gain

Day 5: Cabane de Chanrion - Cabane des Vignettes
Today's stage takes us to one of the most beautifully situated huts in the Alps. But first, we have to earn this fantastic location: From the Cabane de Chanrion, we cross the Breney Glacier to the Pigne d'Arolla at 3,796 meters – the highest point of the Haute Route. The view of the surrounding mountains is correspondingly magnificent. Definitely a highlight of this week. From here, we descend 600 meters to the Cabane des Vignettes and convince ourselves of this hut's reputation as one of the most beautiful in the entire Alps.
7 hours – ↑ 1,400 meters elevation gain – ↓ 700 meters elevation loss

Day 6: Cabane des Vignettes - Zermatt
The final stage, and probably the crowning achievement in terms of experience, takes us between the magnificent peaks of the Valais mountains to Zermatt. We cross the Collon Glacier to reach the Col de l'Eveque at 3,395 meters. We descend about 400 meters in elevation and, after another climb, reach the Col du Mont Brule. The Tsa de Tsan Glacier leads us further to the Col de Valpelline and the Tete Blanche. Three passes are now behind us, and the grand finale of this Haute Route remains: the unforgettable and breathtaking descent past the Matterhorn and the Dent d'Herens to Zermatt. Along the descent on the groomed ski slopes to Zermatt, we'll stop for a refreshment and toast to a wonderful and unforgettable ski crossing. From Zermatt, we'll take the train to Visp, where we'll park our cars.
8 hours – ↑ 900 meters of elevation gain – ↓ 2,400 meters of elevation gain