Italian High Level Trekking

A simply unbeatable walking holiday adventure trekking high in the Italian Alps with easy climbing to Alpine summits. This brilliant walking and climbing holiday in the Italian Alps starts with an afternoon of Alpine glacier skills training at the Gandegg Hut above Zermatt, in the shadow of the renowned Matterhorn. The Breithorn (4164m / 13661ft) is our first walking goal 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, traversing the Lisjoch pass into Switzerland and ascending the Signalkuppe (4556m / 14,948ft). Here we can take lunch at the Margarita Hut, the highest in the Alps. This great high level route finishes with a long glacial descent into Zermatt, with an overnight at the Monte Rosa Alpine Hut, a little oasis of green amongst the dominant giants of the Italian Alps. Alpine walking and straightforward climbing doesn't get any better than this!

Trip Guide
The peaks on this trip are technically straightforward snow climbs. However, most of the trip is spent at a high altitude (above 3000m.) and this is a physically demanding trip with terrific Alpine trekking both on and off glaciers. 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 10 kilograms (22 lbs).

Led by professional IFMGA guides, it is aimed at beginner MOUNTAINEERS and EXPERIENCED TREKKERS. 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 and the Signalkuppe. 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 1:5 and the non-technical nature of the climbing, this trip should be feasible for novice alpinists, but a high level of fitness is a prerequisite.