The Best Rock Climbing Routes in Valais

This is a popular first 4000 metre summit because it's well served by a good hut, the route is non-technical and the views are fabulous. However, although the route is "easy", the glacier you climb it via is heavily crevassed in places so make sure you either hire a guide or are skilled and experienced in all aspects of glacier travel before embarking on this trip....

After a few days in the high mountains, this is a wonderful trip down into thicker air and lush, green meadows. Start early-ish (there's no need for a true alpine start) from the Hollandia Hut to try and get good conditions on the Lang Glacier....

Many alpinists have enjoyed Pointe de la Vouasson as their first outing on a glacier with axe and crampons. In fact the glacier is fast receding and in years to come will not exist....

The Bertol Hut is superbly situated on a rocky promontory with imposing views. It is undoubtedly a tough approach as the higher you get the steeper it gets. If you leave it too late you will be cooking on the W facing snow slopes to the hut, with all the reflected heat in the afternoon sun....

This is a brilliant summit due to its fantastic location, nestled amongst the giants of the Valais. From here you are in the midst of many high and famous 4000m peaks, with the Dent d’Herens, the Matterhorn and the Dent Blanche being the closest....

The Dix Hut is justifiably popular and can get very busy at times. It is however extremely well organised, so everything runs very well, despite sometimes large numbers of people. It is popular as its location is a key stage on the Haute Route, both in winter and in summer....

For those looking to begin their 4000er climbing career or gain some easy acclimatisation for bigger challenges, the Allalinhorn is a great peak. It's accessed from a lift and is almost always done as a day trip from Saas Fee village....

The Bordier Hut is out of the way of many of the busy tourist hubs and is set in a remote location, with impressive glacial views. This is the traditional base to do the Nadelgrat traverse, finishing at the Mischabel Hut....

Equipped only in early summer 2019, there is a new approach to the Monte Rosa Hut. The start is the same, taking the panoramic slowly descending path from Rotenboden, crossing the long S facing slope beneath the Gornergrat top station....

Italians have a great habit of putting cute tiny bivouac huts in convenient places. This is a very good example of this and it is placed perfectly for those doing the traverse of the Breithorn the following day....

From the Monte Rosa hut, with a very early start, take the path SE through the moraine, leading up steepish ground to arrive on the glacier, on easier angled terrain, at about 3300m....

This is a brilliant day amongst high mountains and encapsulates what the Haute Route Glacier Trek is all about - huge scenery, wild mountains and a warm welcome at the end of each day....

Leave the Dix Hut and head down onto the Glacier de Cheilon. Once on the glacier climb eastwards up the glacier below the Pointes de Tsena Réfien, sticking fairly close to the cliffs above in the upper section....

By any measure this is a big day, and although there's still plenty of rugged terrain to be covered on the last 2 days of the Haute Route Glacier Trek, this is the last day featuring a lot of ascent....

This is quite a short day on paper but the terrain it takes you through is rugged and rough, so it certainly doesn't feel like a pushover, especially given the effort you've exerted just to get to the start of this day's hike! The views today are truly spectacular, and Himalayan in scale, so if your legs are feeling it after 5 days of tough trekking, the scenery (and the prospect of a shower in Zermatt!) should be enough to keep you going....

This is a brilliant alpine climbing day to the summit of a famous and well positioned peak, right in the heart of the Western Bernese Alps. Start by riding the spectacular cable car from Leukerbad to the Gemmi Pass - a desolate spot with a great view of the Daubensee lake....

A popular objective for ski tourers in Spring, the Ebnefluh is also a fine mountain for low grade alpinists to aim for in Summer. There are no technical sections on the ascent but it does take you through some huge, glaciated terrain and as such you'll need to equipped with the full array of alpine skills - thorough knowledge of glacial travel and route finding, and crevasse rescue skills in case somebody inadvertently locates a hole....

For budding mountaineers, this is as good as low grade alpine climbing gets and will take you up, over and down a peak which enjoys a great panorama over bigger mountains which might become future objectives....

For budding alpinists looking to gain some experience, or experienced mountaineers who just want a fun day out without too much stress, this is a perfect route. The best way to do the route is to get up early and leave the hut at dawn, so you'll likely be doing the first part of the approach in semi-darkness....

Leave the Dix Hut and head down onto the Glacier de Cheilon. Once on the glacier climb eastwards up the glacier below the Pointes de Tsena Réfien, sticking fairly close to the cliffs above in the upper section....