*Bespoke Ski Trip* – The Grand Lui Haute Route is the much sort after classic version of the Haute Route ski tour that makes the entire traverse between Chamonix and Zermatt on foot, by taking the intricate Grand Lui variation via the St Bernard monastery. The tour takes at least a day longer than the standard routes and requires higher levels of fitness and ski ability in order to deal with the increased length and difficulties.

We run the Grand Lui Haute Route as a bespoke ski trip for private groups.  The best time to run this tour is late March to late April – please contact us for a detailed quote and further information if you’d like us to organise a trip for you.

Please visit our Covid-19 Ski Information page for Covid FAQs, details of our new participation requirements, travel advice and what to expect on your trip.

Tour Info

This is a week for experienced ski tourers who already have multiple weeks hut to hut touring experience under their belts.  Due to the difficulties involved, the route is guided at a low 1:3 ratio and requires both good weather and stable avalanche conditions to complete.  You need to be aware of these factors before considering joining the trip.  In good weather however, the Grand Lui Haute Route provides the most challenging and satisfying way to make the high level traverse between Chamonix and Zermatt on skis. We may be joined by an aspirant guide on this trip, with an increased ratio of 4 clients to 2 guides (1 full guide, one aspirant guide).

Trip Reports >> Grand Lui Haute Route

Suitability

The Grand Lui Haute Route ski tour is an advanced level trip. To take part you should be at Fitness Level 3/4 and Tech Level 3/4 (see our Fitness/Experience guidelines below). You should have several week’s previous hut to hut ski touring experience. You also need some basic mountaineering experience, using ropes and crampons/ice axe.  This is a demanding week which involves regular 8-10 hour days with 900-1700m of ascent a day – so you can expect to be skinning 4-6 hours a day. Type of ascent: we use approximately 15% uplift (all on day 1) and 85% skinning on this tour – approx 7600m of skinning up, 9250m of skiing down, all at altitude.

Guiding ratio

One IFMGA guide skiing with 3 clients.

Included in price

• 7 days of guiding
• All guides expenses
• 2 nights accommodation in the Chamonix valley, including breakfast.
• 6 nights accommodation in mountain huts, including breakfast and evening meal.

Excluded from price (see course factsheet for cost estimates)

• Evening meals in the Chamonix valley
• Cable cars and taxis
• Lunches and drinks
• Travel to resort
• Insurance
• Equipment hire

Hotels

Our base and meeting point is the Hotel de La Couronne in the alpine village of Argentiere, 15 mins from Chamonix. The Couronne is a friendly place in the centre of the village, close to ski hire shops, bars, restaurants and bakeries, and within walking distance of the famous Grand Montets ski area. Rooms are provided on a twin (or occasionally triple or quad) sharing basis, but if you wish to book a single room please let us know and we will confirm availability. The hotel has ski and general storage facilities, so any extra luggage can be left until your return to resort at the end of the week. Evening meals can be taken in Argentiere in the hotels partner restaurant.  Hotel details can be found on our Accommodation page.

Huts

For overnights in the high mountains we will use mountain huts. For more info please read the Using Alpine Huts article which provides an overview of typical facilities, average costs to help you budget for lunches/drinks and general info on hut etiquette.  Also, our Multiday Ski Touring FAQs page answers some of the most common questions we are asked about multi day ski touring and Haute Route logistics etc.

Return to Chamonix

We will arrange any transport needed during the tour, including the return taxi transfer back from Zermatt to Chamonix – you simply pay for these items direct as we go along.

ABTOT Protected

This trip is protected by ABTOT – Alpine Guides Ltd, Membership Number 5394.  For further information, please visit our Financial Protection page.

Sample Itinerary

Please Note: there are various different combinations of huts and accommodation along the route and we sometimes vary the itinerary to make best use of bookings and current weather and snow conditions. For example – if there is a significant fresh snowfall, the guide will often re arrange hut bookings in order to keep the team safe and increase the chances of success.

Saturday

You should arrange outward travel on Saturday, arriving by 6-7pm latest in time for the briefing at your accommodation. Your guide will run through kit checks and safety routines, as well as hand out any rental equipment, before going on to discuss the current weather and mountain conditions and how these affect our plans. Overnight in the valley.

Sunday

Grand Montets to the Trient Hut

From the top of the Grand Montets cable car, a great 600m descent with stunning views leads down on to the Argentiere Glacier, where skins are donned for the first big climb of the trip.

A choice of routes now presents itself – either the Col du Chardonnet or Col du Passon. Both are the same distance, but in recent years the Col du Passon has become more and more popular, since the Col du Chardonnet dried out in 2003 and is now more often a roped down climb rather than a ski descent.

We follow which ever route is in best condition, as both lead on to either the Swiss border and the Trient Hut. This first day is quite long, with 1050m of climb and a couple of sections of roped climbing on foot – however the views and high mountain ambiance are amazing. Hut choice depends on the group, current conditions the best combination of hut bookings for the week.

1050m ascent, 1200m descent ~7-8hrs

Monday

Trient Hut to La Fouly

In good spring snow conditions, this day provides arguably the best ski descent of the whole route.  An early start is required to first traverse the Col de Droite and ski down  onto the Saliena Glacier, in order to make a 600m skin up to the Col de Saliena – the final part of which is steep and generally done on foot.

Traversing this key col, right next to the Grand Lui, gives access to one of the best ski descents in the Alps – the huge 1900m south facing run down to La Fouly, where we enjoy an afternoon beer and spend the night.

800m ascent, 2300m descent ~6-7hrs

Tuesday

La Fouly to Grand St Bernard Monastery

Payback time for yesterday – the route from La Fouly to the Grand St Bernard Monastery is mostly uphill! The day starts gently, following the Swiss Val Ferret for a few kilometres, before making a long rising traverse past the Lacs de la Fenetre to the Fenetre de Ferret.

A short descent down the back leads to the snow covered road, which we skin up (passing through some avalanche tunnels) to reach the Grand St Bernard Monastery, where we spend the night.  The Monastery was founded by St Bernard in the 10th century and here you can learn all about it’s history and the lives of the monks who live up here all year round.

1100m ascent, 300m descent ~5-6hrs

Wednesday

Grand St Bernard to Valsorey Hut

This is the longest day of the week, with 1700m of climb and some steep terrain to negotiate, so good conditions are essential.  The day starts with a welcome descent, skiing down the Combe des Morts to Bourg St Bernard, where the first big 900m climb begins.  The route climbs steeply up the hillside above, heading to the Croix de Tsousse which give access to a nice 500m descent down below the Velan Hut.

Here we start the second big climb of the day, skinning up to the Valsorey Hut which lies at over 3000m on the flanks of the Grand Combin.  The Valsorey is a wonderful old building, practically unchanged since it was first built 100 years ago.

1700m ascent, 1050m descent ~9-10hrs

Thursday

Plateau du Couloir to Chanrion Hut

Another big day and the key passage of the trip – after a short skin above the hut, we put skis on packs and rope up to make a long climb on foot up to the Plateau du Couloir and Col du Sonadon, before skiing down the Mt Durand Glacier and finally skinning up to the Chanrion Hut.

This is normally the most technical section of the whole route and the reason that the guiding ratio is set at 1:3.  The high mountain scenery, traversing along the flanks of the Grand Combin, makes for a great days ski mountaineering. NB Stable snow conditions and reasonable weather are essential to complete this section of the route.

850m ascent, 1350m descent ~ 6-7hrs

Friday

Chanrion to Vignettes Hut

Plan A is to traverse the Pigne d’Arolla (3790m) en route to the Vignettes Hut, making this the highest point on the trip.  Like previous days, there is some steep roped climbing on foot to get onto the upper Brenay Glacier, before skinning to the summit of the Pigne and enjoying fabulous views, then finally skiing down to the Vignettes Hut.

If weather or conditions prevent an ascent of the Pigne D’Arolla, then the Vignettes Hut can also be reached by a long skin up the Otemma Glacier in order make the link to Zermatt.

1350m ascent, 650m descent ~6-7hrs

Saturday

Final Day to Zermatt

The final day of the Haute Route is always one of the most memorable days out in any ski mountaineers career – crossing three cols and six glaciers, with a final huge descent down to Zermatt under the North Face of the Matterhorn.

An early start is required to make the first climb up the Col de L’Eveque, before a nice descent and second climb up to the Col du Mont Brule. The final section of this is steep and frequently climbed on foot.

From the Col Brule, the Col Valpelline doesn’t look that far away, but it always takes a good two hours to reach. Cresting the final col, the Matterhorn rears up ahead, opening the way to the final 1900m descent down the Stockji and Zmutt Glaciers to Zermatt.

750m ascent, 2400m descent ~8-9hrs from the Vignettes (or 650m ascent, 7-8hrs from the Nacamuli)

PM – transfer back to Chamonix – overnight in Cham.

Sunday

Return travel should be arranged on Sunday morning, after your final nights accommodation.

Your course starts and finishes in the Chamonix valley, at our base in Argentiere – the Hotel De La Couronne. The most common way to reach Chamonix is fly to Geneva, then take a shared minibus taxi transfer to the Chamonix valley (must be booked in advance).

Flights and transfers

• Fly to Geneva with numerous budget airlines, for an overview of the best options check out the excellent Sky Scanner website.
• Airport transfer from Geneva to Chamonix: Mountain Drop-offs offer the best all round service, with regular reliable transfers through the season. They offer a shared minibus taxi service which meets you in the airport and drops you off at the door of your hotel. Book your transfer here and use promo code ALPGUID to receive a discount on your journey.
• Alternatively hire a car at Geneva airport (1.2 hrs drive to Cham).

For flights and other travel options, including train, coach and driving, visit our Travel Planning page.

To enjoy this trip you should be comfortable operating at Fitness Level 3/4, and Ski Tech Level 3/4:

Fitness Level 3
You do 3-4 hours cv training/sport per week. At this level you are happy doing a 5-6 hr hillwalk, 40-50ml cycle or 3-4hr mountain bike ride without being totally exhausted. If you are into challenges – then the thought of doing a road sportive, or training to do a 1/2 (or maybe even a full) marathon, wouldn’t seem too ridiculous. On foot: you should be able to do the full Langdale Horseshoe: Langdale – Pike of Stickle – Angle Tarn – Bow Fell – Crinkle Crags – Pike of Blisco – Langdale in a day without finishing up exhausted. On skis: you can skin uphill at 300-400m/hr for 3-4 hrs a day (ie 8-1200m of ascent each day)

Fitness Level 4
You do 4+ hours CV training/sport per week. A 70+ mile cycle ride, or 20+ mile hillwalk on a weekend would hold no fears. If so inclined, you might be the kind of person who has done longer road sportives/challenge rides, a ~3.30hr marathon or other similar endurance events. Keen hillwalkers who happily knock off 3-4+ munros in a day also have this kind of fitness and endurance. On skis: you can skin at 400m+/hr or could handle 4-6hrs skinning a day. (ie 1000-1400m+ of ascent each day).

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Tech Level 3
Confirmed Off Piste Skier. You can put down a reasonable set of tracks in powder, but difficult snow types – eg heavy wet snow, crusts, poor visibility or 40dg slopes – can all cause problems (though you can cope with them safely, if not elegantly!) *Equivalent to Ski Club of GB Off Piste Level: Purple – Advanced*
Likely to say: ‘I’d like to handle difficult snow/steep slopes more confidently in better style’
Our Advice: Off piste coaching still useful. Intermediate off piste weeks are at your level too. If you want to get into ski touring, try a touring course or intro level ski tour. If you’re an established ski mountaineer, then intermediate level tours are generally suitable.

Tech Level 4
Advanced Off Piste Skier. You can put turns in through heavier snow and on icy 40dg slopes, but difficult breakable crusts and skiing a fresh track off piste in zero visibility are still somewhat challenging! *Equivalent to Ski Club of GB Off Piste Level: Gold – Expert*
Likely to say: I’ve been skiing ten/twenty years – I’d like to do your ‘……’ tour.
Our Advice: You will enjoy our advanced level trips, but don’t overlook the touring skills and physical fitness needed as well. Mileage is the best way to improve your ability level.

To view all of our Ski Fitness Levels and Off Piste Technical Levels, please visit our Ski Ability page.

If you need to top up your fitness for this trip, please see our Ski Touring Training Advice page.

Hut to Hut Touring Equipment List

Just remember, every extra kilo on your back knocks 10% off your enjoyment on the descents – so try and keep the weight down!

Technical Clothing (more info here)

• Waterproof Jacket – preferably lightweight and breathable
• Overtrousers/ski pants – preferably with side zips
• Fleece mid layer – or equivalent
• Socks – specialist ski socks or a warm loop lined pair of mountain socks
• Wicking thermal top – not cotton please…
• Thermal leggings or ski pants
• Thin inner gloves
• Warm ski gloves or mittens, if you suffer from cold hands
• Warm hat
• Spare fleece/lightweight duvet jacket

Personal Items

• Water container – at least 1 litre
• Personal medications and blister kit – regular meds, zinc oxide tape, compeed and painkillers etc
• Lightweight head torch
• Ski goggles
• Sun glasses – CE rated 3 or 4 with side protection
• Sun and lip cream – factor 30+
• Wallet, passport, Alpine Club/BMC card (hut discount) and insurance docs

Hut Overnight Items

• Small wash kit
• Spare lightweight t-shirt/socks/pants
• Silk sheet liner
• Ear plugs
• (Hut slippers for indoor use, blankets/duvets and pillows are provided by the huts)

Technical Equipment (more info here)

• Rucsac 35/45l – try and avoid ones covered in too many features, just ski and ice axe attachments required
• Ski mountaineering boots
• Skis with touring bindings – some ‘freeride’ bindings are also suitable
• Ski strap – to keep skis together on your rucksack if we need to carry them
• Ski poles – with good size 5cm+ baskets (telescopic poles are not needed)
• Climbing skins – they come with the skis if you hire your kit
• Harscheisen (ski crampons) – they come with the skis if you hire your kit
• Metal snow shovel – must be a full metal shovel (plastic blades don’t work in real avalanche debris!)
• Avalanche probe
• Avalanche transceiver – must be a modern digital model (older analogue models are now obsolete)
• Harness, with 120cm sling and locking karabiner
• Crampons – lightweight model
• Ice Axe – lightweight model
• Helmet – a lightweight ski touring or climbing model – you may need this on certain parts of the route depending on conditions

Your guide will have all other safety kit, first aid and survival equipment.

Recommendations and Advice
Visit the Knowledge Base section of our website, where we publish an annual review of the years best new skis, boots and touring equipment, plus a range of other interesting tips and recommendations. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please get in touch!

Purchasing Equipment
Backcountry UK in Otley offer an excellent ski touring boot fitting service, one of the best ranges of ski mountaineering equipment in the UK and top notch advice.

Hiring Equipment
Please visit our Equipment Hire page for recommended hire shops in your resort, and Alpine Guides hire equipment price list.

For this trip you must have specialist travel insurance providing medical, emergency search/rescue and repatriation cover for off piste skiing and ski touring, as outlined in the trip itinerary. We also strongly recommend that you purchase cancellation cover, in case you’re unable to attend your trip due to personal circumstances or injury. Please arrange your insurance as soon as your trip is confirmed to run.

Further details can be found on our insurance info page.