Climb
the highest summit of Monte Rosa; Dufourspitze
4634m. It's the highest mountain in Switzerland,
and the second highest in all of the Alps
after Mont Blanc. We offer a week long programme
to attempt this peak, as your acclimatisation
and flexibility for selecting a weather window
are crucial.
To
keep the itinerary flexibilty, the guiding
ratio is 1:2 for four days, after the initial glacier training day, so you can take advantage
of the best days for the summit weather window.
The climb itself takes three days, so there
are two spare days for training and acclimatisation
routes before the ascent.
This
week would appeal to those who have previously
done Mont Blanc, or who seek a quieter alternative
to it. Whilst the Swiss route is 'only' graded
as a PD+ (Peu Difficile) on the Alpine grading
system, it is a tough physical effort and
the summit ridge is fairly exposed and more
technical than the grade suggests. If approaching
from the Italian side, the technical grade
is AD (Assez Difficile).
Dufourspitze
was named after Swiss army General Henri Dufour,
who was the co-founder of the Red Cross, and
it was first climbed by british climbers with
their guides. The summit ridge is the most
challenging part of the whole climb, and ropes
are fixed in places during the summer months.
If
you seek a course in this region, that focuses
on climbing more summits, you should consider
the trip in the south of the Monte Rosa massif,
on the Swiss-Italian border. The itinerary
is called the Spaghetti Tour, and you could
climb up to six 4000m peaks. For this itinerary, click
here.
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. Mont Blanc specific 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
Altitude
Route: Either climb Aiguille d'Entreves or
the Marbrée Arete. Possibility of staying
in a hut for the night, such as the Torino,
for an Alpine start the next day. The traverse of Entreves is a great route, super exposed, but on good rock. You can pose on the infamous granite needle in mid traverse. It's great training for the Eiger, technically, for the exposure, and to help you acclimatise well. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Gallery: Aiguilles d'Entreves
Day 3 | Tuesday Your final training day before setting off for
Dufourspitze. Set off for a training
route, designed to help you acclimatise
and develop technical skills. There are many options
to choose from, depending on your previous climbing
experience, but popular objectives include; Mont
Blanc du Tacul, Aiguille du Toule, Cosmiques Arete, or Pointe Lachenal. Guiding
ratio 1:2 (max). Night in Chamonix. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Gallery: Cosmiques Arete
Route choices | Wednesday - Friday
The next 3 days follow one of the columns below, whether you are ascending the Swiss (normal) route on a 1:2 ratio, or are upgrading to climb the Italian Cresta Rey (1:1).
Swiss (normal) route
The classic route on the mountain, staying in the Monterosa hut. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Gallery: Dufourspitze normal route
Italian / Cresta Rey route
Climb the technical Cresta Rey on the Italian side of the peak. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Gallery: Cresta Rey route
Day 4 | Wednesday
Drive
to the Zermatt region, and catch
the Gornergrat train up to Rotenboden to start the three hour ascent to the Monte Rosa hut,
via the Grenz glacier. This day
is a bit of a rest day, as the main ascent the next
day involves 1900m of climbing! Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Night in mountain
hut.
Drive
through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Gressoney, and catch
the cable car to Indren, then walk the glacier trail
for the short approach to the Gnifetti hut. Another
option is to continue to the Margherita hut, the highest hut in the Alps. Guiding ratio 1:1 (max). Night in mountain
hut.
Day 5 | Thursday
Early Alpine start to head up to
Silbersattel. This lower glacier is non technical. At 4000m you reach the summit ridge. Incline steepens over 40 degree snow
and ice slopes, which terminate at
a grade III rock step leading to the summit. Descend same route. Guiding
ratio 1:2 (max). Night in hut.
Descend beyond Signalkuppe, to the exposed col
below Dufourspitze, and access the Cresta Rey, for steep pitches of rock and mixed to the summit. A technically
and physically challenging route. Return via normal Italian route to hut. Guiding
ratio 1:1 (max). Night spent in mountain hut.
Day 6 | Friday
Descend from the hut to Zermatt,
and return to Chamonix.
For very fit groups, this day can allow another
contingency weather window, to both summit Dufourspitze, and to descend all on the same day. Guiding ratio 1:2
(max). Night in Chamonix.
Descend from the hut to Indren, and if there is time, you might take in some other 4000m peaks e.g. Balmenhorn on
the descent, before returning to Chamonix.
Day also allows another weather
window.
Guiding ratio 1:1 (max). Night in Chamonix.
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 occasionally
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.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
5 days guiding, 7 days holiday in total
IFMGA mountain guides for 5 days
£2295
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
How to book
Secure
payments, bonded tour operator
Details of how to book, click
here
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, uplift, & Tasch - Zermatt train for you and your
guide (approx £100), 5) Sunday pre-dinner drinks
& Friday celebratory meal & drinks, 6) Activities
insurance, & excess baggage charges.
Notes:
This course assumes 1:2 guiding on Dufourspitze. If you wish to ascend the Italian Cresta Rey option, note that the guiding ratio is 1:1 for this route, so you must upgrade to a 1:1 week if you wish to ascend this route, rather than the normal route which is 1:2.
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 £70.
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 £200pp reduction applied on your
invoice.
Current
course availability
Course Dates Dufourspitze
[ 2 ] 21 - 27 Jun 2026
[ 4 ] 28 Jun - 4 Jul 2026
[ 4 ] 5 - 11 Jul 2026
[ 4 ] 12 - 18 Jul 2026
[ 4 ] 19 - 25 Jul 2026
[ 4 ] 26 Jul - 1 Aug 2026
[ 4 ] 2 - 8 Aug 2026
[ 4 ] 9 - 15 Aug 2026
[ 4 ] 16 - 22 Aug 2026
[ 4 ] 23 - 29 Aug 2026
[ 2 ] 30 Aug - 5 Sep 2026
[ 2 ] 6 - 12 Sep 2026
NOTE:
This trip has scheduled
dates, but if there are two who
are booking together, it can be
operated on any date you wish
Scheduled
courses
Price: £2295Book
online Bespoke
course? If your ideal date is full, get in contact,
as we also offer private 1:2 and 1:1
trips on any date during the season at the same price, subject to availability.
The 1:1 price is from £3249 for the Normal Route, or £3649 for 1:1 via Cresta Rey.
A
really fun week, and thanks for all
your efforts in changing the hut bookings,
so we could take the best days for the
weather. The view from the summit was
worth all the effort. Thanks Anthony
T , Dufourspitze
A
big thanks from Will and I for another
top week in the Alps. See you soon for
more adventures next year Michelle
M , Dufourspitze
Harder
than Mont Blanc, but more fun and a
bigger challenge for me Sophie
P , Dufourspitze
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
€ & CHF
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. Better still, we recommend you arrive a day or two early, and go and stay at altitude in the Torino hut 3375m for the days and night(s) at altitude. Extra acclimatisation makes all the difference!
Upgrade
to 3 nights huts
Some
people booking together may prefer to adapt this itinerary
to set off from Chamonix on Tuesday with the guide, and
spend the next 3 nights in huts, via the Swiss or Italian
routes. This option is available if pre-booked, and the
course price supplement is £200pp (based on 2 clients
opting for this).
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.
Get
in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip
advisor.
Gallery: 
