Haute Route, Chamonix – Zermatt, the Alps 2024

One of the best Alpine Adventures in the world

Trail Running from Chamonix to the heart of Switzerland at the foot of the Matterhorn

The two most central mountain villages in the Alps are Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland, between which there is one of the most famous mountain running routes in the world

The top mountaineers, who practice mountain climbing and free skiing, live and train in Chamonix, which is also a popular resort town for Parisian social circles. Zermatt, the German-speaking region of Switzerland, on the other hand, has the finest scenery in the Alps in front of the Matterhorn mountain. Alppi-kylä is a luxury place for lovers of gold watches and chocolate. These two very different mountain villages are connected by one of the world’s most classic mountain trails, the Haute Route. We’ll find out which of the mountain villages is right for you, and we’ll take the message from Chamonix to Zermatt.

We run across snow and ice fields in varying mountain conditions, a real adventure in the Alps

The Chamonix – Zermatt route has many different route options, and also mountains, which is why I have chosen two weeks as the length of the running hike. It gives us the flexibility to proceed along the route we want, possibly sometimes over snowfields with ice crampons on our feet and picks in our hands. Short crossings of ice fields on the way to mountain runs are often safe, but at the discretion of the mountain running guide, they require ice irons, an ice pick and a rope every 10 m between runners. Often the crossings of the snowfields are only a few hundred meters.

We climb to an altitude of 3,000 meters on the Alpine route

The route is really demanding, and if you are traveling by car, you can also run the mountain run with your spouse or friend as a relay. With the altitude meters, the route is equivalent to a 350 kilometer run on a flat course, which is even more demanding than the TMB route. On the other hand, it provides good training motivation throughout the long winter, when you are preparing to run and hike across the Alps. There is no need to worry about acclimatization because our mountain run lasts 10 days. After the first 4 – 5 days, we can safely climb to an altitude of 3000 meters.

My mountain running concept in the Alps is that we run as much as possible with light equipment from one mountain hut to the next and instead of completing it, we enjoy the mountain run.

Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme

I planned the Haute Route mountain run in such a way that at the finish line, if you wish, you can watch the world’s most technically demanding mountain running race from the stadium area. I highly recommend. You should watch the trailer on the competition website.

Chamonix – Zermatt, 7 days, €750

Reception at Geneva (GVA) airport on August 17 at 10:00 am

Aimed at endurance athletes, mountain running in the French and Swiss Alps

170 – 209 km / 15 vkm, uphills by hiking, downhills by running, 2 – 20 participants