Glacial Trekking in the Alps

With a comprehensive network of well appointed huts (the word hut is an injustice – many are mountain hotels!), the Swiss Alps in particular offer stunning scenery, a scale of landscape on a par with Alaska or the Himalaya, and all easily accessible from the UK.

No specialist technical climbing skills are required, as your guide takes care of all the safety issues on the trek, in particular roping up on glaciers. For many people this is a first step into a wider world of BIG mountains. You can trek over passes from valley to valley, maybe take in some easy summits on the way. I find quite a few trekkers then start to bag the easier 4000m peaks, and all of a sudden they’re alpinists!

Classic itineraries include (of course) the Chamonix Zermatt High Level Route, which takes a week. Another great area for glacial trekking is the Bernese Oberland, with its huge glaciers and grandiose scenery, yet easy access via the railway up through the middle of the famous Eiger.

We can trek in quite a large group, up to 6 people on a rope with the guide, so these trips tend to be very sociable affairs. The huts open in mid June and remain so till mid September, so the season is quite long. June and September are generally quieter than the high season months of July and August, but with a judicious choice of venue, even in mid August we can find solitude among the mountains.

The possibilities are endless…..