High Altitude Cappuccino

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Klein Matterhorn, 3880m Highest point: Breithorn, 4168m Total elevation gain: 380m Total distance: ~8km Total time: 3h40 Technical difficulty: Easy 4000er, but glacier travel with crampons and crevasses Download GPS file The Breithorn (4168m) is known to be one of the easiest 4000ers in the Alps. The reason is that you can go all the way up to 3880m at Klein Matterhorn and start from there. You can go up from Italy or Switzerland. I chose to do it from Italy because it is my country of origin and because it is cheaper. So, at Cervinia, I met my guide and we got the ticket to Klein Matterhorn. If you want, it is even cheaper to stop at Plateau Rosà, at 3480m. However, the first part is not the most interesting, as you go across the summer ski slopes. Overall, I recommend starting at Klein Matterhorn, even though it is €50 more expensive (for a total of €117 to go up to 3800m and come back from 3400m). The last part is also the super-new and fancy cabin...

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Jorasses (Ovronnaz, 1,940 m) Highest point: Grand Muveran, 3,051 m Total elevation gain: ~1,200 m Total distance: ~13 km (round trip via Cabane Rambert) Total time: ~ 7 hours (including breaks) Technical difficulty: T4 Alpine hike, marked white–blue–white; exposed sections, use of hands required, helmet/gloves recommended Download GPS file On my second attempt, I made it! Exactly one year ago, I posted about the hike to Cabane Rambert . Back then, I had planned to continue to the summit of Grand Muveran, but I was too tired and stopped at the Cabane. This time, I went all the way up! You’ll find the description of the first part of the hike in my post about Cabane Rambert ( link ) – already a beautiful hike by itself. In this post, I’ll describe only the last section. However, keep in mind that this description starts after already 700 m of elevation gain and 2 hours of hiking from Jorasses. I will not describe the first secton again...

🗺️ Overview Start point: Grimentz, télécabine to Espace Weisshorn (2700 m) Highest point: Garde de Bordon (~3310 m) Elevation gain: ~840 m (from Espace Weisshorn A/R including Corne de Sorebois) Distance:   ~9.4km (from Espace Weisshorn A/R  including Corne de Sorebois ) Hiking time: ~2 h 15 up, ~1 h 30 down (excluding detours) Difficulty: Moderate/Challenging Highlights: Ladder climb up a rock pillar, panoramic views of several 4000 m peaks, Lac de Moiry and glacier, optional Corne de Sorebois detour Return options: Same way back via Espace Weisshorn or long descent to Lac de Moiry with bus back to Grimentz Download GPS file It was a sunny August day when I set out for Garde de Bordon . The hike starts in Grimentz , and when I arrived I spotted the télécabine coming down. I sprinted to catch the next one as it runs every 15 minutes. The ride itself is spectacular: over 1000 m of elevation in 10 minutes, with a particularly vertiginous first sectio...