4000s Zermatt & Chamonix

Included

• High mountain guide fees for five days.
• Accommodation booking arrangements in the valley and mountain huts.
• Shared safety equipment, including ropes and anchoring systems.
• Technical equipment from the general information list that you do not own.

Not included

• Your accommodation and meal expenses.
• Return travel to the Alps. Contact us about travelling by minibus from Spain.
• Local transfers to the activity starting points.
• Assistance and rescue insurance; contact us for details.
• Cable cars or trains used to access the mountains.
• The guide’s accommodation, meals and cable-car expenses.
• Allow €500 per person for these expenses.

Clothing and equipment

Clothing

• Gore-Tex or equivalent waterproof jacket and overtrousers.
• Technical mountain trousers in Schoeller fabric or equivalent.
• Fleece or softshell jacket.
• Thermal base layer and a spare.
• Thin and thick socks, plus spares.
• Gloves and a spare pair.
• Warm hat, sun cap, sunglasses and ski goggles.
• Headtorch with spare batteries and, if needed, a spare bulb.
• Sun protection for face and lips, and after-sun lotion.

Technical equipment

• Harness and 2 HMS locking carabiners.
• Ice axe and crampons with anti-balling plates.
• Telescopic ski poles.
• Helmet.
• 45–60 litre backpack.
• Water bottle of at least 1.5 litres and electrolyte salts.

Footwear

• Rigid-soled mountaineering boots and gaiters.

Personal first-aid kit

• Pain relief medication.
• Anti-inflammatory medication.
• Anti-diarrhoeal medication.
• Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory ointment.
• Antiseptic.
• Gauze, medical tape, plasters and bandages.
• Mineral salts for drinking water.
• Sunscreen.
• Lip protection.
• If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses during the activity, bring a suitable way to prevent losing them.

PirineoSur.es can provide

• Any technical equipment on the list that you do not own and request in advance.

Mountain experience, good fitness, basic scrambling skills and basic crampon technique for glacier walking are required.

Long Alpine days require strong endurance. Altitude, successive days of activity, wind and low temperatures can increase fatigue and difficulty. Read the full programme and ask us if you are unsure about the required level.

Prepare with endurance exercise and mountain walks, using a loaded backpack and the boots and equipment intended for the trip. Break in new boots beforehand. Previous long mountain days, ideally including a 3,000 m summit in the Pyrenees, are useful preparation. You must be comfortable with exposed terrain and heights. An assessment outing with one of our guides can help confirm whether the route suits you.

Day 1: Meet at 15:00 in Cervinia, Italy. Take the Plateau Rosa cable car and make the short walk to Teodulo hut.

Day 2: Ascend the Breithorn summits, 4,164 m and 4,159 m. The Klein Matterhorn lift takes us to 3,883 m, leaving a relatively short ascent with views over Zermatt and the surrounding 4,000-metre peaks. Descend to Teodulo hut.

Day 3: Descend by lift to the vehicle. Travel via the Great St Bernard Pass into Italy, enjoying views of the Italian side of the Alps, then walk up to Chabod hut.

Day 4: Ascend Gran Paradiso (4,064 m). Leave the hut before dawn and walk on dry terrain to the glacier, where we rope up and put on crampons for the ascent. Descend, transfer to Chamonix and stay overnight.

Day 5: Ascend Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m). From the Aiguille du Midi cable car, follow the narrow snow ridge between the Vallée Blanche glacier and Chamonix, then climb the glaciated slopes beneath the seracs to the summit. Return by the same route to Aiguille du Midi.

Level 1 Alpine ascents

This progressive programme combines guided ascents with technical coaching. Acclimatisation and practice are built into the itinerary to help you develop your skills and prepare for the planned summits.

We follow normal routes that offer a strong sense of adventure. They require some mountain experience, good fitness and familiarity with technical equipment: you should be able to put on crampons and a harness and tie in independently. Previous experience on a 3,000-metre Pyrenean peak is a useful starting point; ask us about preparation courses.

The guide’s role

Participants need sufficient fitness and technical ability to move independently under the guide’s supervision. One high mountain guide accompanies one or two participants, provides daily instructions and adapts the activity to conditions and safety considerations.

PirineoSur works with highly qualified professionals with extensive high mountain experience and more than 30 years of guiding in the Alps. Their qualifications meet the relevant requirements in Alpine countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

A guide helps manage the risks so you can make the most of your trip, but no mountain activity is entirely risk-free.