The Haute Route : Day 4

Chamonix-Verbier-Zermatt in 6 days
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Day 4 : Prafleuri Hut to Dix Hut

740m up, 430m down, 9km across



We awake to a glorious sunrise: another bluebird day! Phillipe, our younger guide, informs us that the expected storm front has passed ahead of schedule and we can look forward to great weather for the remainder of the trip.

The snow is hard and icy in the cool morning air, but the first ascent passes quickly: half an hour to climb 180m up Col de Roux. It's only 7:45am. I reflect that, on a normal Wednesday, I'd be sleeping until 9:00am and accomplishing almost nothing before noon. Then again, on a normal day I can stay awake past 10:00pm.

From the col, we can clearly see much of our journey ahead: a traverse along the flat shores of Lac de Dix, followed by a steady 1400m climb up to Pigne d'Arolla. Today we'll only climb 550m up to the next hut, taking it relatively easy. Tomorrow will not be as forgiving.

The traverse is firm and icy: ideal conditions, actually. Fresh snow or slush would make the crossing both tiresome and dangerous, as the slopes above the lake are notoriously avalanche-prone. At first, we move quickly, dropping down from the pass and moving away from the lake in a sweeping arc along the contour lines. We cross a number of slide paths, littered with knee-high chunks of frozen debris, dodging carefully to avoid hard falls. Rejoining the lake, we move more slowly, trying to keep a high line but inevitably needing to side-step up the slope every few minutes.

Our guide Phillipe, who's never actually skied this route before, leads five clients far too low, forcing them to regain many precious vertical meters. Matt isn't pleased with this segment of our journey, wishing he could be climbing Col du Chardonnet again instead. Alex is suffering too, having begun the traverse with his climbing shims in the upright and locked position: I was baffled as he collapsed in total exhaustion every 100m, until he finally noticed the problem. D'oh! But lucky me, I'm perfectly content: I like that we've endured a variety of obstacles instead of simply skinning each day (which is, conveniently, not my strongest skill).

We reach the end of the lake by 9:00am and begin an icy climb up towards the Glacier de Cheilon. It's not easy. Alex, who has thus far managed nicely without ski crampons, decides to throw in the towel and hike up the slope. I'm tempted to join him, but I have no real excuse, and probably ought to entertain the crowd with a few of my famous kick turns, flopping around like a fish out of the water. As is customary, my body decides to shed excess water weight by dousing itself in sweat. Soon enough, the slope mellows out and we can relax more, gliding up the sunny slope and reaching the Dix Hut (2928m) well before noon.

After a quick lunch, Alex joins Phillipe for a 600m climb of nearby La Luette (3548m), and finds some of the best spring corn he's ever seen. Matt and I remain defiantly lazy, and spend the subsequent six hours lying in the sun on the hut's balcony, gawking at the ceracs of Mont Blanc de Cheilon and drinking beer. Life is good.

Day 5 : Dix Hut to Vignettes Hut »