UKC

Can it be done solo on foot, so i suppose my question is what are the glaciers like for a solo hiker/climber?...doable or glaciers too risky (wet)for unroped solo? (July Aug even 1st wk Sept)

Iam also considering carrying bivy kit to cut out 50% of huts stays...thanks in advance.

In reply to shaun walby:

Hi Shaun, what do you mean by 'Original' or 'High Level'?

I've done C > Z a number of times in summer with groups. A couple of times via the Valsorey until I nearly got wiped out going up to the Plateau du Couloir. From then I decided to miss that section out and go straight from Champex to Mauvoisin. That said, any of the wet glacier sections are certainly very dangerous for a solo walker, and get more and more serious as you get nearer Zermatt.

Most days have glacier sections that I would advise against solo:

1 Albert 1er > Cab Trient - lots of crevasses
2 Cab Trient > Chanrion - is OK
3 Chanrion > Vignettes - crevassed section before the Vignettes
4 Vignettes > Bertol - very crevassed up to col de l'Eveque and down as far as col Colon, after OK
5 Bertol > Schönbiel - death on a stick

In reply to shaun walby:

Hi Jon thanks for reply...

yer my current understanding is the high level and original are one and the same thing the route originally done by the brit alpine club 1861 (curently being ski toured iam sure) is often quoted, the low level route stays off glaciers as far as i can see...its one of those where the name haute route can mean a fair few differing things and thats before you add in the common variation like the lui.

it looks like it would be a pretty serious undertaking going solo then re crevasses!

shaun

In reply to shaun walby:

At first reading I thought you were referring to two versions, but I guess you were just giving two different names for the same thing. Yes, personally I wouldn't do any of those bits solo. The lower route is usually referred to as the walkers' haute route which doesn't go anywhere near the glaciers. It's quite a bit longer though as it's not as direct.

In reply to shaun walby:

Very early days looking into this but got a copy of Peter Cliffs Haute Route (Cliff 2003),suggests this outline

Albert prem, Champex, Bourg St Pierre, Valsorey Hut, plateau du colouir, Chanrion hut, Vignettes hut, Bertol Hut schonbiel hut Zermatt
he doesnt write about it from a solo perspective.......shame as the walking route doesn't appeal much.

as Jon has said....looks dangerous for solo hiker

In reply to shaun walby:

Cheers Jon....unless i get a few people involved i'll probably take your advice and steer clear

thanks

In reply to shaun walby:

With regard to the Valsorey section and stonefall, if you go early July and/or there's still a lot of winter snow then this section is fine. If it's been warm and maybe not freezing at night and the face of the Combin that's above the approach to the Plateau du Couloir is dry (not snowy), then it can be very dangerous and is best avoided.

On a personal note, I won't set foot in the door of the Albert 1er and always go direct to the Cab Trient from the first lift to the col de Balme. Doing this, you'll get to Cab Trient by early afternoon.

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

In reply to shaun walby:

Much appreciated Jon thanks