Tour Of Monte Rosa (Full)/ Swiss and Italian Alps/ September 2019

The full recording of my personal custom-made Tour of Monte Rosa done in September 2019 (10 days). Refer to detailed separate stages for more info.

1- The Tour of Monte Rosa (TMR) is a Trekker's paradise. The Italian and Swiss alps will make your tour way beyond a trek. It is a real voyage of discovery of stunning sceneries and different authentic alpine cultures. This trek has to be savoured. Take your time on the trail and always start early so you can have time to explore your destination at the end of day.

2- I was surprised to find that this amazing Trek is not well known. Unlike the Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB), it was hard to find gadgets related to the tour. Much less crowded than the TMB, it offers the same stunning views (if not more!) and it is more challenging.

3- Recordings were done directly on Wikiloc application and on Garmin Montana 680 Gps device. The GPS inaccuracy here is at the lowest but one should always rely on his trekking skills and common sense. Some trails may not be open at certain times of the year.

4- Doing this Tour in the first half of september is a good idea. Trails and Refuges will be less crowded and the weather will be cooler but unpredictable. Have a pair of good waterproof shoes and rain gear. It can be rainy and stormy at any moment. You may not be able to follow your plan A and always have a plan B in case the weather doesn't allow crossing high passes. On the first couple of days, we had a snowy weather and we had a difficult time crossing the Theodul glacier and pass.

5- In September, some refuges will be already closed but most of them will stay open till mid-september. Always contact the refuges few weeks earlier to plan your stages.

6- An excellent way to prepare the Tour is by getting Hilary Sharp's "The Tour of Monte Rosa- A trekker's guide" book. It includes a lot of useful information as well as detailed description of the variantes (Colle di Pinter and Colle della Salza are not part of the normal TMR). Don't rely solely on this book because it is not updated (2015 edition) (updates are available online).

7- Fortunately we could follow the stages as planned. The stage 7 is relatively short (about 5 hours ascent to Rifugio Oberto Maroli) but i strongly recommend to stop here for overnight. You will experience there the most beautiful panorama of Monte Rosa massif, an amazing sunset and a stunning sunrise. The food is delicious as well.

8- The variantes i took at stages 3 and 4 are amazing and i strongly recommend them instead of the normal TMR.

9- The Europaweg from Garchen to Zermatt is not always open because of rockfalls and you have to get daily updates online (www.europaweg.ch) to know the updated open trail. If you are planning to do the Europaweg, consider an extra day to stop at Europahutte midway. Even if you take the river route (Bahnweg), it is too long ( around 35 km) and a stop is recommended at Randa town.

10- If you arrive early to Zermatt before starting the Tour the next day, take the train to Randa and do the loop of Charles Kuonen bridge (the longest hanging pedestrian bridge) and Europahutte (See my posted trail). It will take around 5 hours and you will not be deceived later in case you couldn't do the Europaweg (high route) from Grachen to Zermatt at the end of your tour for any reason.

Stage 1: Zermatt - Furi - Gandeghutte -Theodul glacier- Rifugio Theodulo
Stage 2: Rifugio Theodulo - Theodul pass - Colle del Cime Bianche - Saint Jacques
Stage 3: Saint Jacques - Crest - Colle di Pinter - Alpenzu - Gressoney La Trinite
Stage 4: Gressoney La Trinite - Stafal - Colle della Salza - Orestes Hutte
Stage 5: Orestes Hutte - Col d'Olen - Passo Foric - Alagna - Rifugio Pastore
Stage 6: Rifugio Pastore - Colle del Turlo - Quarazza - Macugnaga
Stage 7: Macugnaga - Alpe Bill - Rifugio Oberto Maroli
Stage 8: Rifugio Oberto Maroli - Monte Moro Pass - Mattmark - Saas Almagel - Saas Fee
Stage 9: Saas Fee - Grachen (Hohenweg)
Stage 10: Grachen - Zermatt