Stage 3 Resy/St Jacques to Gabiet
Stage 3A St Jacques to Gabiet via Colle di Pinter
Stage 4 Gabiet to Alagna/Pastore
Stage 5 Alagna/Pastore to Macugnaga
Stage 8 Grächen to Zermatt – the Europaweg
Stage 8A Grächen to Zermatt – valley route
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Summits of the Monte Rosa massif
Appendix E Glossary of useful terms
Appendix F Glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques
The Nordend summit of Monte Rosa
INTRODUCTION
The Monte Rosa massif has inspired not only mountaineers but also poets, writers, visitors and explorers for generations. This mountain range is a visual bastion, dominating viewpoints from valleys on all sides. As Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his Milanese memoirs at the end of the 15th century, the Monte Rosa ‘is so high that it seems almost to overtake the clouds’.
The Tour of Monte Rosa is a journey of dreams, an adventure that goes way beyond a hike or trek, a voyage of discovery in one of the most fascinating Alpine regions. To treat it as a mere walking tour would be to miss out on so much: the varied culture of the Swiss and Italian valleys and mountain villages; the gastronomic specialities which change from one valley to the next; the people encountered; the rich history of the area; the wealth and diversity of plant life and animals.
This is a trek to be savoured. If you do not have time to complete it in a leisurely fashion you may be well advised to do a section one year and leave the rest for another visit, rather than miss out on the chance to immerse yourself fully in the experience.
A great view of Monte Rosa from the Rifugio Oberto Maroli on Stage 6
Monte Rosa is far from being a single summit. This is the biggest massif in Western Europe, comprising ten defined summits which surpass the magical 4000m mark. Although now surrounded on all sides by resorts and mechanical uplift, the ascent of the Monte Rosa peaks remains a challenging undertaking, not to be underestimated. Winter and summer alike, the nearby slopes are home to skiers and tourists, but to reach a Monte Rosa summit you need to be fit and acclimatised. All around are glaciers, seracs and crevasses, and although in good sunny conditions deep snow tracks lead to the summits and give a sense of security, as soon as the fog comes down or the snow starts to fall this area becomes a very serious proposition indeed.
To walk around the Monte Rosa massif is to enjoy all the views and the incredible scenery with none of the dangers and perils associated with ascending the peaks. The Tour flirts just a little with the glaciers as it passes from Italy to Switzerland via the Theodulpass, leading the hiker into the high mountain world of ice and snow. But there are far more demanding ascents than this one on the Tour.
Apart from that short glaciated section this is a trek on non-glaciated ground. It is a wonderful route that climbs up from the valley bases through meadows, past summer farms and grazing cows, onto the higher rocky slopes where only the hardiest animals live, and over passes tucked up against the slopes of glaciated mountains, then descending new valleys, each different in character and scenery.
The region
The Monte Rosa massif forms part of the Pennine Alps (a mountain range in the western part of the Alps), and borders southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The Pennine Alps are located in France (Haute-Savoie), Switzerland (Valais) and Italy (Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta). The Petit Saint Bernard Pass and the Dora Baltea Valley separate them from the Graian Alps; the Simplon Pass separates them from the Lepontine Alps; the Rhône Valley separates them from the Bernese Alps; and the Col de Coux and the Arly Valley separate them from the French Prealps (Aravis and Chablais). The Pennine Alps contain the largest concentration of peaks over 4000m in Europe. The Swiss-Italian frontier forms the Alpine watershed and it is here that the most grandiose summits are to be found, their huge glaciers snaking down into the adjacent valleys: on the Swiss side flowing down to the Rhône, on the Italian draining to the Po.
The enormous barrier of the Pennine Alps represents the pressure zone created when the African tectonic plate collided with the Continental plate. Mountains were forced up and subsequent erosion has produced the spectacular scenery seen today. While very slightly less lofty than their famous neighbour Mont Blanc, peaks such as Liskamm, the ten summits of Monte Rosa, the Täschhorn, the Dom and the Weisshorn, to mention just a few, are at least equal in grandeur and splendour.
The Tour of Monte Rosa visits two countries, Italy and Switzerland. These are mountain regions, initially inhabited by people who probably arrived from other mountain valleys. To some extent cut off from life down on the plains, these regions have maintained their traditions and culture. Life was naturally harsh, especially during the long winter months. A common thread runs through the villages and valleys encountered on the trek – that of sustainable living – surviving on whatever you have locally.
The fabulously blue Gran Lago passed on Stage 2
The Italian regions are the Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont. A close look at a map will reveal that although it is only a day’s walk to get over from Switzerland to Macugnaga or Alagna, for example, it’s a very long drive from the main Italian valleys. This relative inaccessibility gives unique character
