The Saas Tal - Zermatt region holds the greatest number of 4000m ski peaks anywhere in the Alps. Our aim is to climb as many as possible during the week, whilst staying in a variety of valley bases and high mountain huts along the way.
Client Feedback" just wanted to drop an email
to thank you & say what a superb time I had last week! It was all I hoped
for and more. I've been obsessing about mountains since I got back - not sure Zoe was too
impressed with the idea of calling the twins Castor & Pollux... As soon as
I can I'll be back out for another trip " NW - Swiss 4000s Tour '06
Starting Point We start in the Saas valley in Saas Grund, traversing across to Zermatt during the week. Saas Grund is easily reached by reliable public transport direct from Geneva airport.
Sample Itinerary This is a very open week, with our exact schedule being dictated by weather and snow conditions in order to make the successful traverse across to Zermatt - See Photos.
Day 0
Sat
PM, meet in Saas Grund - discuss plans, sort kit and overnight in valley.
Day 1
Sun
Acclimatisation day - glacier skiing above Saas Fee, with a possible ascent of the Allalinhorn (4027m) if we are all going well.
Days 2-3
Mon-Tue
4000m peaks around the Saas valley: possible objectives are the Weissmies (4017m), Allalinhorn (4027m) and Alphubel (4206m)
Tue PM: Ski to the Britannia hut, where we spend the night.
Days 4-6
Wed-Fri
Traverse across to the Zermatt valley, taking in furthur peaks along the way. Possibles include the Strahlhorn (4128m), Breithorn (4164m) or even Silbersattel on the Monta Rosa if everyone acclimatises well.
Fri PM Return to Saas Grund via train and post bus.
NB We've found that starting in Saas gives a far better weeks skiing than the similarly named tour in the Cicerone guidebooks - hence the reason for starting this way around!
Food and Accommodation We run all of our tours on a guiding & instruction only basis to allow you maximum flexibility with accommodation options. Our recommended hotel in Saas Grund is the Hotel Roby** which is in the centre of the village. You are however free to make other accommodation arrangements if you choose (Saas Grund has several other hotels available). The guide will book all other huts and any Zermatt valley accommodation for the tour, which is also paid for as we go along.
Travel Saas Grund is easily reached by reliable Swiss public transport direct from Geneva airport - check out the Swiss Federal Railways website for timetables and information. If you are arriving by train, then you may be able to save money by purchasing a swiss travel pass. Various options are available - see the swiss railways website for more info.
Fitness This is a big week which includes 6-8 hour days and some long (1200m+) climbs. You can expect to be skinning for 3-5 hours on some days (see fitness level 3).Due to the altitude of much of the route, arriving a couple of days in advance to acclimatise is recommended. We advise you to prepare well in advance with regular training and ideally some skiing.
Skiing Ability You need to be a good off piste skier (see ski ability level 3), with previous multiday ski tours already under your belt in order to join this tour.
Equipment We will supply you with a full kit list. You are responsible for bringing personal clothing, a rucsac and ski mountaineering skis, boots and kit (local hire is available). We are delighted to be working on this tour with Back Country UK, who provide excellent service and advice as a leading retailer of ski mountaineering equipment in the UK.
