Switzerland - Hiking the Haute Route of the Bernese Alps, Guide Star Mountain
Country: Switzerland
Mountain range: Alps
Duration:8 days
Difficulty notes: 5 days very strenuous trekking in Switzerland over glaciers and rocky terrain
LEVEL OF FITNESS REQUIRED
This is a very strenuous trip, designed for people who are in excellent health and physical condition and who like to hike 5-6 hours a day in challenging conditions of glaciers and rocky terrain. You need to have good balance, muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance and be comfortable sleeping at altitudes of up to 11,000'. Weather is unpredictable in the mountains, and one needs to be prepared both physically and mentally for low temperatures, rainy days and the possibility of snow.
Target: hikers
Season:
from July to September
Price includes
: Expert leadership, all hotels and mountain huts, all meals as noted on the itinerary (see above), transportation as per the itinerary, luggage transfer from Grindelwald to Meiringen, rental of crampons, harnesses, rope and hiking sticks
Price does not include
: Insurance of any kind (we highly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance and medical/evacuation insurance), any tipping to leaders, any expenses related to travel to the beginning and from the end of the trip, unused transportation during the trip, personal expenses (laundry, sodas or alcoholic beverages, telephone calls etc.)
Practical information: YOUR TRIP LEADER You will have a Swiss trip leader who will meet you at the train station in Zurich and will stay with you throughout the trip. There will be Swiss certified mountaineering guide for the five days you will spend on the glaciers. This is required by Swiss law for all commercial groups.
Switzerland - Hiking the Haute Route of the Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are renowned worldwide for their famous peaks like the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, and for the scenic hiking trail that skirts the whole mountain range from east to west.
But there is a higher route, not so often explored, on the southern side of these magnificent mountains, which follows the path of some of the most beautiful glaciers in the Alps and provides views of several of their famous 4,000-meter peaks. We will trek on the Aletsch Glacier, which with an expanse of more than 45 square miles is the largest and longest glacier in western Eurasia. In December 2001, the Aletsch was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our challenging trek is almost completely on glaciers. With the leadership of an experienced, certified mountaineering guide, you will have a fulfilling and extraordinary experience of this natural, breathtaking environment.
No mountaineering experience is necessary for this itinerary, but you need to be in excellent physical condition and health to enjoy this trip, as glacier travel is demanding and we will need to carry additional gear during the five days on glaciers, when our luggage will not be available to us at night. While on the glaciers, you will be roped off and wearing crampons. We will spend most of our nights in mountain huts at considerable altitude.
You can crown your trip with a memorable summit climb of the Eiger (the standard route), Mönch or Jungfrau.
Daily program
DAY 1 - Leave your country and fly to Zurich, Switzerland. (Most flights are overnight, arriving during the morning of the next day.)
DAY 2 - Arrive in Zurich. Transfer on your own by rail to Grindelwald, a charming town in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and situated right in front of the imposing North Face of the Eiger. Your trip leader will meet you in the lobby of the hotel at 5:00 pm for a trip briefing followed by dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Grindelwald. D Note-We highly recommend that you arrive a day or two early to allow for acclimatization. We will be happy to give you some suggestions for scenic day hikes that you can take on your own in the surrounding area. Please also double-check your departure times. Many international flights leave early in the morning on Day 8. The train ride from Meiringen to Zurich Airport takes approximately 3 hours.
DAY 3 - We start the day with a cogwheel train ride inside the North Face of the Eiger all the way to the Jungfraujoch (11,558 ft.), the highest train station in Europe. Be prepared to feel the altitude, as our elevation gain is about 8,115 feet. With the Mönch and Jungfrau at our sides, we will enjoy the first breathtaking view of the glacial and mountainous environment into which we are about to immerse ourselves. The great expanse of the Aletsch Glacier opens up in front of us. Covering 120 square kilometers (more than 45 square miles), the Aletsch Glacier is the largest and longest glacier in western Eurasia and incorporates a wide range of fascinating glacial features such as U-shaped valleys, cirques, horn peaks and moraines. From the Jungfraujoch, we descend about 2,567 feet in elevation along the Jungfraufirn ("firn" is well-bonded snow older than one year) to Konkordiaplatz, the intersecting point of several glaciers swooping down from the surrounding peak. A final, short 500-foot climb takes us to the Konkordia Hut (9,491 ft.), where we will overnight. Hiking time today is about 4 hours. B,L,D
DAY 4 - From the Konkordia Hut (9,491 ft.) we climb along the Grüneggfirn to Grünhornlücke (10,922 ft.), a small saddle offering an impressive view of the imposing Finsteraarhorn (14,232 ft.). We then descend to the Fiescher Glacier, before we make our last short climb to the Finsteraarhorn Hut (10,150 ft.), where we will spend the night. Today's hiking time is approximately 5 hours. B,L,D
DAY 5 - Today we descend about 1,000 feet on the Fiesch Glacier and along the southwest granite wall of the Finsteraarhorn. We reach the junction with the Galm Glacier, where we get a view of the receding tongue of the Fiesch Glacier, which once stretched all the way to the now verdant valleys of the Goms. To the south and west is the Canton of Vallais, framed by some of the most famous 4,000-meter peaks of the Alps, such as the Matterhorn, Dom, Weisshorn. From here we start our climb up the Galm Glacier, across the Studer Glacier with the final stretch to the Oberaarjoch Hut (10,842 ft.). The elevation gain will be about 1,851 feet. Overnight at the hut. Hiking time today is about 6 hours. B,L,D
DAY 6 - We start the day with an open view of a beautiful U-shaped valley carved out by the Oberaar Glacier. We can also see the Oberaar Lake, the Grimsel Lake and the Grimsel Pass, our destination for the day. An elevation drop of 3,134 feet takes us to the western edge of the Oberaar Glacier. Here we take off our crampons and ropes and continue our hike on the moraine along the northern shore of the lake. We skirt the Sidelhorn and reach the Grimsel Pass (7,206 ft.). We have entered a crystalline/granitic area famous for the astonishing quartz crystals and other minerals found in the fissures of the mountains. From the Grimsel Pass we have a bird's eye view of the southern range of the Alps stretching through the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Vallais, all the way into Italy. Overnight at a modest mountain hotel. Total hiking time today is about 6 hours. B,L,D
DAY 7 - Today we start with a 2-hour uphill hike on a rocky mountain trail with an elevation gain of about 1,785 feet. As we climb, we enjoy a northwestern view of the Haslital, the valley we will descend by bus in the afternoon and at whose bottom is Meiringen. Once we reach our highest point for the day (8,991 ft.), we have a wonderful view of the Rhone Glacier framed by the Dammastock (12,088 ft.) and the Galenstock (11,941 ft.). As the name of the glacier suggests, this is the source of the Rhone River, one of the greater European rivers. In fact, the Rhone flows west through Switzerland before entering France and, after a total journey of about 800 km (533 miles), finally flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. We descend to the edge of the moraine (an elevation drop of about 806 ft.), where we put on our crampons, rope off and venture on the crossing of the Rhone Glacier. Once on the other side, we will enjoy a drink at the Hotel Belvedere and absorb the final views before boarding the bus for our one and a half hour drive to Meiringen. We'll share a farewell dinner and overnight at a well-deserved, four-star hotel in Meringen. Hiking time today is about 5 hours. B,L,D
DAY 8 -The trip ends in Meiringen. Those returning to the ZurichAirport for their homeward-bound flight can catch the train from Meiringen. It is recommended that you do not schedule your departure flight before 1:00 pm. If you are traveling to other destinations in Switzerland or Europe, you can take the local train to either Luzern or Zurich main station, where you can connect to other train lines. B
