Italian High Level Trek

An unbeatable high level circular trek of Monta Rosa - Climb several 4000 metre Alpine summits - Alpine Mountaineering skills tuition - Ideal for beginners and experienced trekkers

A simply unbeatable walking holiday adventure trekking high in the Italian Alps with easy climbing to Alpine summits. This fantastic walking and climbing holiday in the Italian Alps begins with an afternoon of Alpine glacier skills training at the Gandegg Hut above Zermatt, in the shadow of the iconic Matterhorn. The Breithorn (4164m / 13661ft) is our first walking objective on the following day, before trekking the long descent into Italy's picturesque Gressoney Valley. Walking back up to the lively Gniffeti Refuge, high on the south side of Monte Rosa, sets us up for one of the finest of all trekking days in the Italian Alps. The walking starts out on Pyramide Vincent (4215m / 13825ft) and the trekking then continues across straightforward Alpine snow slopes, climbing to the summit of Signalkuppe (4556m / 14944ft), where we can take lunch at the Margarita Hut, the highest in the Alps. Then, after an easy climbing traverse to our high point at the Zumsteinspitze (4563m / 14967ft), we are faced with walking a long glacial descent to Zermatt, with an overnight at the Monte Rosa Alpine Hut, a little oasis of green amongst the towering giants of the Italian Alps. Alpine walking and straightforward climbing doesn't get any better than this!

Trip Guide
This is fundamentally an easy Alpine climbing holiday with some superb trekking, both on and off glaciers. Led by professional IFMGA guides, it is aimed at beginners and instruction in roped glacier travel and guided climbing, using crampons and a single ice axe is part of the package. The ascent of the Breithorn (4164m / 13,662ft) and the Signalkuppe (4556m / 14,948ft) will be strenuous on account of the altitude but are technically easy involving only low-angled snow-slope climbing and some slightly exposed ridges. Ropes, crampons and an ice axe will be used. Given the guide to client ratio of 1:6 and the non-technical nature of the climbing, this holiday should be feasible for novice alpinists with a good level of fitness. En route, we will stay in mountain huts and hotels, some of which are inaccessible by vehicle and this means that group members will carry all of their personal equipment throughout the trip. With careful planning, and given the fact that sleeping bags and camping mats are not carried, the total weight of your rucksack can be pared down to around 8 kgs / 18 lbs.

017687 73966

Itinerary / Highlights

Day 1: Rendezvous at the group hotel in St. Niklaus. KE group package services begin with dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: Transfer to Zermatt and take the Klien Matterhorn cable way to Trockenersteg, from where it is a short walk to the Gandegg Hut (3029m / 9938ft). Afternoon skills training.

Day 3: We take the cable car to the top of the Klein Matterhorn. Then, crossing the the Breithorn Plateau, we climb the Breithorn (4164m / 13,662ft) and descend to the Rifugio d' Ayas.

Day 4: Up and down to the Passo di Bettolina, then descend to the Val di Gressoney and take a cable car to the Passo dei Salati (2963m / 9721ft). Overnight at the Rifugio Guglielmina.

Day 5: A shorter day on the ridge between the Gressoney and Alagna valleys. We cross the Glacier di Indren and ascend the Glacier di Garstelet to the Rifugio Gnifetti.

Day 6: A spectacular day, climbing three 4000 metre peaks - Pyramid Vincent, Signalkuppe and the Zumsteinspitze (4563m / 14,971ft). Descend to the Monte Rosa Hut.

Day 7: Descend to the Gornerglacier and cross this to reach the Gornergrat Railway. We take the train down to Zermatt for sightseeing, spending our last night in a hotel in Zermatt.

Day 8: KE group package services end with breakfast at the hotel.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

7 nights hotels and refuges