Chamonix - Zermatt, new record

The Chamonix - Zermatt is a classic and extremely famous ski mountaineering traverse, one of the most fascinating and desired Haute Routes in the Alps. Usually this great journey "invented" by Toni Gobbi is carried out in a week, but increasingly these 100 plus kilometres are also being used as a "record track" by some of the best athletes in the world.

While the time in 2008 was 21 hours and 11 minutes, two years later it had dropped to 20 hours and 28 minutes. On 2 April this record was beaten once again, this time by Jean-François Premat, his brother Alain and Sébastien Baud who completed the tour in an amazing 18 hours, 50 minutes and 29 seconds.

From the church in Chamonix to the church in Zermatt, via Col du Chardonnet, Col de la Grande Lui, La Fouly, Col du Basset, Bourg Saint Pierre, refuge de Valsorey, Plateau du Grand Couloir, Col de Sonadon, Glacier d’Ottema, Col de l’Evêque, Col du Mont Brulé and Col de Valpelline. These 110 kilometres equate to 8350m vertical height gain and 7750m height loss... who knows what Toni Gobbi would have thought!

Chamonix - Zermatt
05/2008 - 21:11:00 - Lionel Bonnel & Stéphane Brosse
04/2010 - 20:28:05 - Yann Gachet & Laurent Fabre
04/2011 - 18:50:29 - Jean-François Premat, Alain Premat & Sébastien Baud