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Young ibex shedding its coat (photo: Hilary Sharp)
Houseleeks spread their rosettes among the rocks (photo: Hilary Sharp)
The willow gentian is a showy flower, often found in great clumps (photo: Kev Reynolds)
In summer the marmot is seen in almost every district of the Alps (photo: Hilary Sharp)
While huts have been built in just about every Alpine district, there are also gîtes d’étape, gasthofs and rustic mountain inns scattered among the valleys and hillsides, often in the most idyllic of locations. Austria, for one, has numerous charming gasthofs in its valleys, but boasts more than 1000 actual hütten, about half of which have been built by members of the Austrian or German Alpine Clubs; the rest are privately owned but open to all. The Swiss have in excess of 300, while the French, Italian and Slovenian Alpine Clubs have plenty more. Given sufficient time, energy and money, it would be possible to trek virtually from one end of the Alps to the other staying in a different mountain hut each night, unencumbered by a heavy pack and carrying just the basic essentials.
But since few of us are able to commit ourselves to such an epic dream journey, numerous hut-to-hut tours of varying length have been developed that are immensely satisfying to contemplate and complete. Enticing the trekker along trails and crossing passes they reveal the Alps’ rich diversity, providing challenge and reward in equal measure, and as the huts themselves are invariably built in spectacular locations, nighttimes can be as memorable as the days.
So whether you have a week to spare, a two-week holiday to fill, or a whole summer free to wander, this book describes some of the very best treks in Europe’s premier mountain range. But newcomers beware: trekking is addictive.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The 20 treks described are listed in a clockwise arc, starting at the southwestern end of the Alpine chain where the GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi) begins in the Ligurian Alps just 40km from the Mediterranean, and working north and northeast to end with a traverse of the beautiful Julian Alps of Slovenia.
Rifugio Cinque Torri dwarfed by a rock tower (Dolomites Alta Via 1) (photo: Gillian Price)
Cabane d’Ar Pitetta, not far from the ‘hovel’ in which Whymper spent a night in 1864 (photo: Kev Reynolds)
All the well-known classics are included, such as the Tour of Mont Blanc, the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, and the terrific Stubai High-Level Route in Austria. But you will find a number of little-known treks too; treks like the Tour of Mont Ruan, Tour of the Queyras and Tour of the Vanoise. Apart from the GTA already mentioned, Italy is well represented, with routes in the Gran Paradiso and two in the bewitching Dolomites, and Gillian Price also offers a description of the 495km European route, the E5 across the Eastern Alps from Lake Constance on the German–Austrian–Swiss border to Verona in Italy. If it’s ultra-long treks that appeal, Paddy Dillon entices with the GR5 from Lac Léman to Nice (725km), while at the other end of the scale we have a six-day tour of the Rätikon mountains, straying from Switzerland into Austria and back again.
The Tours of the Matterhorn and of Monte Rosa are also cross-border treks that give cultural as well as scenic variety, while Allan Hartley concentrates on Austrian treks, including the Zillertal circuit. Switzerland is crossed from east to west by the Alpine Pass Route, the famous Bernese Oberland is explored on the Tour of the Jungfrau Region, and in addition to several other great treks, France rewards in the Écrins with the challenging Tour of the Oisans.
While this book is intended to be an introduction to some of the most exciting and rewarding of multi-day treks, it would be impractical to include precise route descriptions for each one. Details of available guidebooks, along with a summary of basic route information, map and profile, are given alongside a broad overview of the trek intended to whet your appetite. These guidebooks provide travel details, map information, the location of huts and their facilities and, of course, all the in-depth route descriptions necessary to make your trek a success.
HUT CONVENTIONS
To book a place in a mountain hut, telephone in advance. Numbers are usually listed in the individual guidebooks; otherwise check with the nearest tourist office. Hut wardens will often telephone ahead for you.
On arrival leave your boots and trekking poles in the boot room or porch, and select a pair of hut shoes or clogs usually provided for indoor wear.
Locate the warden to announce your arrival, and book whatever meals are required.
Once a room has been allocated, make your bed using a sheet sleeping bag (sleeping bag liner) carried for the occasion. Have a torch handy, as the room may not be lit when you need to go there after dark.
Snacks and drinks are usually available during the day, but meals are served at set times. Food for lunch is often available to carry away.
It is customary to pay for all services (in cash only) the night before departure. Note that reductions (up to 50%) on overnight fees are given to members of other European Alpine Clubs, and to BMC members who have purchased a reciprocal rights card (www.thebmc.co.uk). Consider joining the UK branch of the Austrian Alpine Club (www.aacuk.org.uk) before making a hut-to-hut tour; as well as discounted overnight fees, membership benefits include free mountain rescue insurance.
ADVICE FOR TREKKERS
As this book clearly illustrates, the European Alps are not the sole preserve of the experienced mountain climber. Those who regularly walk the trails and sometimes pathless terrain of the English Lake District or Scottish Highlands should find that trekking in the Alps is well within their capabilities. But should you be nervous about making your first trek, consider booking with an adventure travel company, a number of whom advertise group holidays along some of the routes described here. Several of the authors who have contributed chapters to this book have guided treks in the past, and one of them, Hilary Sharp, has her own company with the same name as this book, based in Provence (www.trekkinginthealps.com).
Old-style hut accommodation
Dormitory in a traditional mountain hut, where duvets have replaced heavy blankets
Hut shoes – photos don’t impart the odour!
Breakfast in a remote gasthof (Photos
