If
you want to climb as many 4000m peaks as possible
during a week, whilst staying in high mountain
huts with amazing scenery, this course is
perfect for you. It is a great alternative
to our Alpine Intro course, for those with
two or more days of previous crampon skills. The
guiding ratio is 1:3 throughout.
The
Monte Rosa massif has the largest land area
above 4000m in the Alps. The course lets you
ascend as many of these peaks as you can during
the week, staying in remote mountain huts
with your Guides. Monte
Rosa is an elevated plateau, meaning
you could take in 6-10 summits above 4000m in
a week.
This
route is nicknamed the 'Spaghetti Tour' by
the Italians, as it wiggles its way from hut
to hut on the Val d'Aosta side of the Monte
Rosa massif. Each night on the tour you stay
in comfortable Italian mountain huts, where
there's always some pasta on the menu each
night!
The
itinerary for this course is deliberately
flexible to allow for changing conditions,
your experience and how quickly you acclimatise.
We make every effort to match people of similar
experience on this course. It's one of our favourite courses to run, as you get to climb so many 4000m peaks.
We have planned this itineraryvery carefully, with two nights typically in the Quintino Sella hut at 3585m, before you ascend to the Margherita, to try an ensure that you are sufficiently acclimatise to manage at least a half decent night sleeping in the highest mountain hut in the Alps.
If
you wish to ascend the summit of Dufourspitze,
this has to be climbed 1:2 ratio, and we offer
a separate week long course geared specifically
to this 2nd highest summit in the Alps, which ascends via the Swiss side of the mountain, with two nights spent in the Monte Rosa hut. Click here for itinerary.
Recommended
Maps & Guidebooks: LKS1348
Zermatt, LKS1:50,000 284 Mischabel, LKS1:50,000
294 Gressony, LKS5006 Matterhorn Mischabel,
The Alpine 4000m Peaks by the Classic Routes,
by Richard Goedeke. These can be purchased in Chamonix, if you want a map or guidebook.
Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right, and
they show the live availability from our secure
online booking system. When you book online,
you receive immediate confirmation, your Alpine
Information Booklet, course specific kit list
and invoice.
Brief
Course Itinerary
Day 1 | Sunday
Travel to Chamonix. Accommodation check in at 17:00.Weather, course safety and itinerary briefing at 17:30.
There is time for kit checks or fitting rental equipment after.
Briefings are over by 18:30 and then you are free to go out for dinner / drinks. Many clients opt
to travel out a day or two early to start their acclimatisation at Aiguille du Midi or with a night in a mountain hut (e.g. Cosmiques or Albert 1er). Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Chamonix town
Day 2 | Monday
Travel
to the Monte Rosa region via the Mont Blanc tunnel,
and to one of the southern valleys such as Champoluc,
Gressoney or Cervinia. The most popular choice is to head to Staffal in the Gressoney valley, and ascend to the Quintino Sella hut. The train becomes increasingly rocky, with sections of via ferrata close to the hut, along a steeper section of the ridge. Guiding
ratio 1:3 (max). Night in mountain hut. Gallery: Monte Rosa Spaghetti Tour
Day 3 | Tuesday
Alpine
start for ascent of peaks such as Castor or Pollux,
or even Liskaam West. Castor is the most popular
objective, and it offers a great mixed climb at
altitude. For more experienced groups, it may even
be possible to make a traverse of Castor. This is one of the most spectacular snow ridges in the Alps. The night
is usually spent in the Quintino Sella refuge. Guiding
ratio 1:3 (max). Night spent in mountain hut. Gallery: Monte Rosa Spaghetti Tour
Day 4 | Wednesday
Alpine
start for route, such as the West summit of Liskaam
or more typically the steep face of the Naso de Liskaam, to traverse the slopes to reach the Gnifetti, or more typically the Margherita mountain hut for the night, the highest guardianned mountain hut in the
Alps. Also beyond the Margherita, you can take in the summit of Zumsteinspitze. Guiding ratio
1:3 (max). Night spent in mountain hut. Gallery: Monte Rosa Spaghetti Tour
Day 5 | Thursday
A
very early Alpine start to traverse some of the
seven 4000m peaks on the way down from the Margherita
hut, on the way to the Gnifetti. There is a huge choice of peaks on
the route today, and you will ascend some of: Parrotspitze, Balmenhorn, Corno Nero, Ludwigshoehe, and Pyramide Vincent. The number of summits climbed is down to the conditions and how speedy you are! Guiding ratio 1:3 (max). Night
spent in mountain hut. Gallery: Monte Rosa Spaghetti Tour
Day 6 | Friday
Your
last early Alpine start to reach the final summit,
such as Punta Giordani above the Gnifetti mountain hut, then the long descent to
either Cervinia or Gressoney, to descend via the
cable cars to reach the car or minibus, and the return drive
to Chamonix via the Mont Blanc tunnel. Guiding ratio 1:3 (max). Return and hire equipment at 17:30. Most teams opt to go out later to celebrate. Final night in Chamonix. Gallery: Monte Rosa Spaghetti Tour
Day 7 | Saturday
Breakfast then the accommodation check out by
10:00. Most arrange transfers for around this
time for a flight from Geneva about midday. Some
opt to book a tandem paraglider flight in
the morning, or to go rafting, mountain biking, or trail running, if you still have the energy! Our resort team can advise you on where to arrange any of this, or routes. For those departing late, bags can be stored during the day. Depart for home. Gallery: Icicle Windermere office
ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant, so occasionaly
we are forced to alter the plans. If this is the case,
suitable alternatives are offered. Please use this outline
itinerary as a guide to the types of route / activity
that you will attempt.
Route
focus All of these peaks are
included in part of the scheduled course itinerary, and
some extra detail on each of the classic routes on each
peak is provided below.
Note that this course does not ascent Dufourspitze, as
we offer a separate course to ascend that peak, the highest
in Switzerland. The peaks below are the most poplar on
this week, so you can research them a little before your
trip.
Zumstein
4563m
Castor
4223m
P.Gnifetti
4554m
Pyramide
4215m
SE
Ridge (PD)
The 5th highest mountain in the Alps. Normal route ascends on glaciated terrain to achieve the final ridge to the summit. Great summit view back to the Margherita hut.
WNW
Face (PD+)
This is a long steady snow face to reach the summit
ridge, or after recent snowfall, it may also be
possible by the NW Arete (PD+). The descent is usually
via the WNW face.
From
Gnifetti (F)
Punta Gnifetti is also called Signalkuppe, &
it hosts the highest hut in all of the Alps on its
top. The ascent takes about 6hrs, and on descent
you take in more peaks.
NW
Face (PD)
This is the closest 4000m sumit to the Gnifetti
hut, and it can be combined with an ascent of Punta
Giordani, or even with Parrotspitze, Corno Nero
& Balmenhorn.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
5
days guiding, 7 days holiday in total
£1895
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
Standard
Course Inclusions: 1) IFMGA Mountain Guide
for five days, 2) Chamonix course hosts for logistics
& briefings, 3) Two nights accommodation
in Chamonix (inc. linen, bedding & towels), 4) Up to four nights half
board in mountain hut (inc. costs for guides), 5) Pre
course information booklet, 6) Equipment discount voucher
for UK shop, 7) Free 36 page technical Course Instruction
Booklet, 8) Road transport in Chamonix valley including
road transport to / from the Monte Rosa region, 10) Evening
technical instruction on nights in Chamonix.
Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Equipment hire, 3)
Personal laundry, telephone calls, lunches, evening meals
in valley, & any purchases in mountain huts / hotels
/ restaurants, 4) Cable cars and uplift for you and your
guide (approx £80), 5) Sunday pre-dinner drinks
& Friday celebratory meal & drinks, 6) Activities
insurance, & excess baggage charges.
Notes:
This course assumes 1:3 guiding throughout, however the
trip is guaranteed as soon as two people book. Private trips can be operated; 1:2 at £2395, 1:3 at £1895.
Course
upgrade options
Many clients on this
trip consider upgrading with one or more of
the following course additions...
Private
room
Big
5 Alpine
extensions
Technical
kit rental
Acclimatise
weekend
Upgrade
to single from
£300-£500 in addition to
standard course price,
depending on week.
Extend by 2 days after
to ascend one of the
Big 5 Alpine peaks as
an extra summit.
Rent all technical kit
for a week. Full Alpine
Bundle costs you just
£100 for the week.
Saturday
night spent in
Chamonix, with choice
of self-guided or guided
on Sunday. From £75.
Standard
course accommodation - normally clients are based
in self-catered flats (details),
so take a look, and decide if it's for you. For
more luxury, contact us for quotes in higher standard
apartments, or hotels of any standard required.
If you have / source your own course accommodation,
or we cannot provide an upgrade, the standard course
price has a £100pp reduction applied on your
invoice.
Current
course availability
Course Dates Monte Rosa 4000ers
[ 3 ] 21 - 27 Jun 2026
[ 3 ] 28 Jun - 4 Jul 2026
[ 3 ] 5 - 11 Jul 2026
[ 3 ] 12 - 18 Jul 2026
[ 3 ] 19 - 25 Jul 2026
[ 3 ] 26 Jul - 1 Aug 2026
[ 3 ] 2 - 8 Aug 2026
[ 3 ] 9 - 15 Aug 2026
[ 3 ] 16 - 23 Aug 2026
[ 3 ] 23 - 29 Aug 2026
[ 3 ] 30 Aug - 5 Sep 2026
NOTE:
This trip has scheduled
dates, but if there are three who
are booking together, it can be
operated on any date you wish.
If there are just 2 of you looking
for a private trip, the cost would
be £2395 per person.
Staying
in huts for so many nights was really
useful for us for acclimatisation and
to maximise our climbing time, and as
a result we summited so many amazing
classic 4000m peaks Christos
A , Monte Rosa
The
night in the Margherita hut was very
memorable, and an amazing experience,
even though I didn't sleep a wink at
that altitude. Thanks to all the guides
for a great week of climbing Steve
Buttons , Monte
Rosa
Very
tiring week, but so so rewarding. I
didn't think I would get up so many
four thousand meter peaks in the week Anna
Timms , Monte
Rosa
Testimonials
Press
& media
Films
& videos
Photo
gallery
Location
data for this trip
The
trips meet in the Chamonix valley in the French Alps,
at the foot of Mont Blanc. It is easily accessed via a
90 minute transfer from Geneva airport.
Time
Difference
GMT +1hr
Local
Currency
€ Euros
Travel
from UK
1hr flight
Preparing
for the course
If
you are worried about acclimatisation, we recommend that
you book on an Acclimatisation
Weekend before
your course. to help you get acclimatised earlier, leaving
you with more summiting weather windows for the peaks.
View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here
Why
choose our trips?
See
our Alpine blog, by clicking on the Word-press logo
to the right.
Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather windows on any day, to maximise your
summit chances.
Our
prices are fixed in £ Sterling, to protect
you from euro fluctuations, so you can budget accurately.
There
is a choice of routes to opt for, depending on the
weather, conditions, and your experience.
Any
further questions?
A
key part of choosing a company is being able to come and
talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor
face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know
our clients value speaking to real people, getting open
and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are
British, and our office and outdoor store is based in
Windermere in the English Lake District. Arrange a meeting,
and come in for a coffee to discuss your course in person
with a trip
advisor. Many people opt for this service,
and it is an integral part of what we offer, to ensure
that you are prepared as possible.
As
well as talking though your course, most clients have
queries about the kit they will require, to avoid expensive
mistakes, and we can show you some examples of that to
consider. Others have training queries, about how to best
prepare for your trip, and we will be able to steer you
in the right direction. No question is too silly, and
we'll have heard them all before! An integral part of
booking is the ability to get good knowledgable advice,
and a highly personal service. Unlike companies that only
exist virtually in cyberspace, we are staffed by real
people, in a real office, who offer real honest advice.
Because we are tangible, we are accountable, and we take
great pride in that and the service that we offer you.
Get in touch to come in for a chat soon.
Gallery: 
