Monte Rosa Ascent, Switzerland

6 Days

Price from: £1699.00

Ref No: Activus 077

Classic Alpine climbing on Switzerland's highest peak...

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Overview
Itinerary
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Dufourspitze is the highest mountain in Switzerland with a summit of 4636m, making it the culminating point of the Pennine Alps as well as the second highest mountain in the Alps and western Europe. The mountain is located in the south-eastern part of the canton of Valais near the border of Italy in a range consisting of several peaks above 4500 metres.

Highlights
High altitude summit trek
Gorge adventure Via Ferrata
Highest Swiss mountain
Acclimatisation on Breithorn
Klein Matterhorn cable car

The Dufourspitze should not be underestimated as it provides a physically tougher and more technical challenge than most of its European counterparts, even Mont Blanc. This expedition will involve roped glacier travel, easy snow-slope climbing, some scrambling and exposed ridges. Ropes, crampons and an ice axe will be used and participants must have used such tools before as we have no extra time for equipment training during this trip. With Breithorn (4165m), Pollux (4065m) and Castor (4221m) as initial summit climbs you ascend three fairly techical 4000m peaks, up to rock climbing grade III.

Our itinerary is longer than the average for a Monte Rosa summit attempt, and by spending 2 nights in a mountain hut above 3000m you are provided with sufficient opportunity for acclimatisation and preparation time to make it a realistic and achievable objective for fit and adventurous UK hill-walkers looking for a new challenge in a beautiful setting.

Activity Information

Facts about Monte Rosa (Dufourspitze) Ascent:

Location: Alps, SW Switzerland, near ski resort of Zermatt
Start: Zermatt (Gandegg Hutte)
Equipment: Full alpine gear (for snow, rock and ice trekking/climbing)
Climbing period: June-August
Time: Monte Rosa hutte to summit 6.5 to 9 hours (depending on route and glacier conditions)

Itinerary

Day 1	Geneva - Zermatt - Gandegg Hütte You arrive in Zermatt and take the cable car up to "Trockener Steeg". From there it is an easy 20 minute walk up to the Gandegg Hütte, 3000m (without a mountain guide).
Day 2	Gandegg Hütte - Klein Matterhorn - Breithorn - Rifugio Guide d'Ayas Walking time: 6 hours / Ascent: 400m / Descent: 700m In the morning you walk down to "Trockener Steeg" again and meet the mountain guide for the tour. We continue by cable car to the Klein Matterhorn. After roping up, we ascend the Breithorn, 4165m, the first 4000m peak. From the summit we descend to the Rifugio Ayas, 3500m.
Day 3	Rif. Ayas - Castor - Pollux - Klein Matterhorn - Zermatt Walking time: 6 hours / Ascent: 900m / Descent: 600m A relatively short day leads us from the Rif. Ayas over a glacier up to Castor, 4221m. If we are in good shape we can also climb Pollux, 4065m, before we continue our walk back to the Klein Matterhorn. We spend the night in a hotel in Zermatt.
Day 4	Gorner Gorge - Gornergrat railway - Monte Rosa Hut Walking time: 3 hours / Ascent: 400m / Descent: 300m In the morning we climb the Via Ferrata through the Gorner Gorge. From there we go up to Furri (cable car) and descend the gorge, just metres above the rough Gorner river (Walking time: 3 hours from Furri to Zermatt). After lunch the Gornergrat Railway brings us up to Rotenboden where we start our walk to the Monte Rosa Hut.
Day 5	Monte Rosa Hut - Dufourspitze - Zermatt Walking time: 12 hours / Ascent: 2000m / Descent: 2200m Summit day and an early start from the hut. At 2am we start the tour. After 6 hours we will be standing on top of Switzerland at 4636m. To the south east you see Lake Maggiore and Lake Como. Mont Blanc is to the west and the Bernese Oberland to the north. We descend via the Silversaddle back to the Monte Rosa Hut for lunch. In the afternoon we will walk back to Zermatt.
Day 6	Zermatt - UK After breakfast depart for the airport and fly back to the UK.

Reference

This itinerary is only intended as a guideline. We have included extra days prior to the summit attempt in order to properly prepare and acclimatise. Other factors may influence this itinerary such as adverse weather and glacier conditions and these will also be taken into account.

Dates and Prices Info

This trip is structured as a small group excursion and price is based on 2 persons. Please note that bookings must be made at least 4 weeks prior to the scheduled departure so that we can make bookings in the relevant mountain huts. This trip can be ran on alternate dates from theone listed below during July, August and September.

What's Included?

Full event planning and client liaison
Experienced UIAGM Mountain Leader (ratio 1:2)
4 days Mountain guides expenses
3 night's half board mountain hut accommodation - breakfast & dinner
2 night's hotel accommodation in Zermatt (room only)
First Aid and rescue equipment
Discount outdoor clothing voucher for Cotswold Outdoor and Montane

Not Included

International flights
Return Airport transfers from Geneva/Zurich to Zermatt
Travel insurance
Klein Matterhorn Cable car fees
Additional hut fee (for non Alpine Club members, approx 10 euros per night)
Mountaineering equipment (harness, ice axe, crampons etc.)
Personal expenses
Lunches and drinks
Any meals in Zermatt

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