Heading out to ride the Tour de Mont Blanc with a few mates on saturday, then, inspired by Gairy's postponed event, I'm going to stay out there and ride the Haute Route.

Anyone ridden the Haute Route (and maybe even have a gpx)? I've read a few blogs and threads on STW that suggest a mix between the trad walker's HR and the "accepted" mtb variant will be the most fun. No idea what that mix should be though.

No idea where this post is going tbf, just thought I'd go fishing for info before I do the usual joining up of bits of Strava's heat map and hoping for the best.

Here's a goat bouncing on a pig:

Walked sections of it. It's excellent. Long term goal to do the winter SkiMo versions.

My advice would be track down Alan Goldsmith and have a chat with him. He'll be able to fill you in.

Don't follow whatever route Barry did.

https://vimeo.com/183731533

Did it ski touring in March for my Brother's 40th. I remember thinking a bike would be a bit of a liability in places (that video hasn't changed my mind!).

There are a few "Haute route" variations though. I'd try and get advice on a route from someone who did it by bike.

The Wikipedia page was handy

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute_Route

My Strava from our route in case it's helpful for gpx.

https://www.strava.com/activities/89999 ... 1489510261
https://www.strava.com/activities/89999 ... 1489510334
https://www.strava.com/activities/90378 ... 1489768403
https://www.strava.com/activities/90378 ... 1489783146
https://www.strava.com/activities/90378 ... 1489768409

Assuming OP means hikers HR - not the SkiMo HR - which will still have snow on it.

Ski mountaineering haute route would definitely not be a good plan on a bike - even a fat bike! Those crevasses on the glaciers are hungry in the summer!

NewRetroTom wrote:Ski mountaineering haute route would definitely not be a good plan on a bike - even a fat bike! Those crevasses on the glaciers are hungry in the summer!

Hungry is a very good term to use :)

NewRetroTom wrote:Ski mountaineering haute route would definitely not be a good plan on a bike - even a fat bike! Those crevasses on the glaciers are hungry in the summer!

April. Crevasses are filled or blown over at that time, thaw-freeze cycle helps with the conditions. It's stupid, but not too stupid to not be worth having a closer look at it
The last couple of ski touring routes I rode by fat bike I was faster than the skiers... it all depends so much on the condition of the snow.

The walkers HR goes over many glaciers too and varies little to the winter route, most is down to route changes for travel in or w/o snow.

Yet, most hikers walk a 'lower' HR, which is widely know as the summer HR and skips glacier travel. Parts of it are seen in Barry's video. Is also part of the 'Alpine Passes Trail'.

ctznsmith wrote:Don't follow whatever route Barry did.

https://vimeo.com/183731533

It's absolutely okay and has loads of fun bits if you're a strong rider in the techy stuff, travel (very) light, don't mind HAB and a little exposure. For what ever reason they (from the video) didn't follow the summer HR not long after Col Termin. After Verbier they went around Bec des Rosses and back to Verbier - not onwards to Zermatt. The last sequence shows them riding towards and after La Ruinette into Verbier.

After the documented Col Termin, HR goes over Col de la Louvie, later Col de Prafleuri, Col de Riedmatten (or Pas de Chevre - choose wisely, take CdR when with bike...), swings north to Col de Torrent, later Meidpass, Augstbordpass then Zermatt. After Col de Riedmatten the Cols are easier. Col de Torrent isn't the best option and Col du Tsaté much more fun and for a capable rider 100 % rideable down to the lake. Also loaded with gear. Just use a little saddle bag and not the regular bikepacking trumpet. Pas de Lona is even easier, but kind of boring... kind of too easy if it's decent alpine single tracks you're after. Col de Sorebois is brilliant. A diamond. Meidpass is lovely too, Augstbordpass another test, bit much less so than Riedmatten eg. Down from the Alp Jungen looks crazy, but the track is wide and fast. 7 min. to the valley floor for some... then, you'll likely be sticking to the valley floor as the route will have drained you by now.
On this trail you might want to leave your spd's at home and go platform.

For an easier route, options are limitless and longer, less direct and easy to plot with extremely little road and best given with a gpx track and some words. Give a shout what you fancy, chances are good that I can help you with planning, it's one of my playgrounds and know most stuff by heart.

Schweizmobil has a really good app that helps in planning at home too.
http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/schweizmobil.html

And
https://map.geo.admin.ch/

On the provided links you can search for place, col, mountain and other names, hiking trails (alpine passes might be interesting for you) etc.

ive walked the route,have a guide book i could of posted but a bit late now lol,maybe send a email to backcountry.scot i was talking to them at the adventure festival think they had done the route. here are some websites i saved in case i did the trip this summer.matt

http://rekelj.com/blog/?p=1653

https://www.bikemap.net/en/route/370171 ... route-mtb/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r5zB56sMuM

Cheers all, some very helpful stuff in there.

ctznsmith wrote:Don't follow whatever route Barry did.

Poor Barry , although they've gone a daft way (having "walked" it I would NOT take a bike over Fentre d'Arpette) and they look to be carrying a stupid amount of kit - basically every bikepacking bag you can get on the bike plus big rucksacks. Wonder why they struggled with the long carrys and HaB. How do you pluralise "carry" anyway?

Alpinum wrote: After the documented Col Termin, HR goes over Col de la Louvie, later Col de Prafleuri, Col de Riedmatten , swings north to Col de Torrent, later Meidpass, Augstbordpass then Zermatt.

This is largely the route I'm looking at. Cheers for the Col du Tsaté tip - that is now going in. The rest of that was some serious power posting, much appreciated.

Matt - your second link again includes the Fenetre d'Arpette. Don't do it bro.

Think I've got it, split into 3 to stop the Garmin crashing:

https://www.bikemap.net/en/route/410191 ... -mont-fort
https://www.bikemap.net/en/route/410191 ... fort-zinal
https://www.bikemap.net/en/route/410192 ... al-zermatt

I'm probably going to travel very light - nothing on the bike and just a small backpack (probs a Camelbak Mule). We're staying in huts for the TMB and I imagine I'll want to do the same over the HR. My full sus is seriously heavy so really don't want any more weight on there. Not looking forward to carrying it tbh.

Col du Tsaté, photos taken by my girlfriend





I was able to ride it without putting the feet down. No matter how good a rider you are, it's not a struggle to get down in any way. The way up has only a short carry. Perhaps 10 - 20 min. Rest is mostly rideable(!)


Lower section closer to the lake

Stunning, thanks Gian.

I'm struggling to judge how long it's going to take me. I'm fit enough (and will be well warmed up after TMB) and a reasonably strong climber - think it's possible in 5 days? It's also difficult to judge where I will get to each day. Wouldn't normally bother me for bivvying but it looks like there's not many gites/huts/cabanes after Bovine. i might just book into Cabane de Mont Fort for the first night and then take it from there.

Is the area between Verbier and Zermatt predominantly German speaking? My French is passable but my German is Scheisse.

In terrain like that 50 km is quite a long day. For folks used to be on the move from 8 to 8 70 km is realistic but tough. I once did two 110 km days back to back (resulting in a tad beyond 10000 m vert gain) in such terrain and was completely wasted. I would have quit if there would have been a plan to go for another day.
All the carrying and steep terrain take a different toll than similar distances in the UK, not matter where in the UK.

I'm always more concerned about the amount of climbing/descending, less about the distance, so that's one of the main recommendations I give when hiking or biking in the Alps; plan by the ups and downs, not by the distance

Val d'Anniviers is where it starts to get german, but you'll be fine with french and englisch.

There are quite a few huts actually. On the swiss topo maps you find places to eat indicated by a small flag. Most of them offer accomodation too. But you once you get off the cols, you always find a bivvy spot with fresh water.

5 days is sensible. Try to get used and trained to pushing and carrying your bike at home, sleep high during the TMB to get most out of the elevation so your body is better adapted for the HR.

Andy,

Finally found a minute to reply to your PM, sorry for my tardiness (work, kids of school, pregnant wife, moving house etc...).

Anyway, there's nothing I'd have said that Gian hasn't already covered in more depth.

I know the TMB options fairly well but he knows the HR area waaaaay better than me and he's spot on re: the distance vs alt. gain calculations when planning days.

Happy to help out with any other aspects if I can (if you need somewhere to ditch kit etc...), just let me know.

Sure you're gonna have a great time!

Cheers, Gairy.

Two days in and I'm back in Cham (hopefully) getting my front brake bled before catching a bus back through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Cormayeur where my bike (hopefully still) is. Had to do a 900m descent with only a back brake earlier today.

I walked TMB in 2012 and remember the climbs being tough, but adding in the bike carrying takes it to a whole new level. And if Alpinium is to be believed the Haute Route climbs are another level up again. Brutal.

Wonderful so far though. Even managed a few cheeky pale ales with Gairy on saturday. (that did NOT help the climbing on Sunday)

Bugger, that's not ideal.

If you fail to get the brake sorted you're welcome to borrow something (I've got a pair of xt brakes hanging in the workshop), just give me a shout.

Good luck with everything and hopefully see you for a section in a couple of days.

Thought Gairy was off the beer??

A nice pair of Spyres are what you need young man

Got a message from Andy earlier and he was back in Chamonix (again!).

He's snapped his frame and is hiring a bike to finish off the TMB tomorrow but unlikely to attempt the Haute Route this time round (understandable given the circumstances).

Not the best mechanical luck in the world on this trip!

But at least he'll be back in town for 10€ pitcher night at my favourite craft beer pub in town tomorrow*

*Gairy is not as 'off the beer' as he once was.

gairym wrote: *Gairy is not as 'off the beer' as he once was.

Gairy's not wrong - snapped it clean through the seatpost.



Sh!tty Mondraker frame.

Fat bastard

Truesay.

Ironically I was feeling really smooth on the full suss after a few months on the rigid, then the smugness turned into over-ambitious descending, then *CRACK*

I've hired a Giant Trance Advanced 2 for a day. Feels good man. Don't know if I want to attempt the HR on a bike that isn't mine though.

Gosh

In Reverse wrote:over-ambitious descending

Still, a frame should easily take 4 years of such riding. No matter where. Glad I sold my Summum

Hope you still get to enjoy the Alps. With or without a bike.