Should I get an Alpine Club membership for the Walker's Haute Route

The official Walker’s Haute Route travels through France and Switzerland.

If you are a member of one of the respective alpine clubs, you get discount on accommodation at their mountain huts. Here are the details on each alpine club membership:

FRENCH ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP

The French Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is about 100 - 120€ and is open to non-French citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Walker’s Haute Route that are owned by the French Alpine Club include: Albert 1er (Premier).

Refuge Albert Premier

SWISS ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP

The Swiss Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 80 CHF and is open to non-Swiss citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Walker’s Haute Route that are owned by the Swiss Alpine Club include: Cabane du Mont Fort, Cabane des Dix, Cabane de Moiry, Turtmannhutte.

View from Cabane de Moiry

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plan and navigate your ultimate WALKER’S HAUTE ROUTE adventure

Should I get an Alpine Club membership for the Tour du Mont Blanc?

The Tour du Mont Blanc travels through France, Switzerland and Italy.

If you are a member of one of the respective alpine clubs, you get discount on accommodation at their mountain huts. Unless you plan to stay exclusively in alpine club mountain huts, it is not usually worthwhile getting membership only for the hike. Here are the details on each alpine club membership:

FRENCH ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP

The French Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is about 100 - 120€ and is open to non-French citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc that are owned by the French Alpine Club include Albert Premier (1er), Refuge Croix du Bonhomme and Chalet Des Contamines.

Refuge Croix du Bonhomme

SWISS ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP

The Swiss Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 80 CHF and is open to non-Swiss citizens. For full details click here. None of the huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc are owned by the Swiss Alpine Club.

ITALIAN ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Rifugio Elisabetta

The Italian Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 45€ and is open to non-Italian citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc that are owned by the Italian Alpine Club are Rifugio Elisabetta and Rifugio Monte Bianco (in Val Veny off the TMB trail)

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plan and navigate your ultimate Tour du Mont Blanc adventure

Tour of Jungfrau Trip Report

Sam McGrady and Steve Smedley live in Matlock, Derbyshire, and are seasoned multi-day trekkers across Europe and the UK. Focused on travelling as light as possible (no camping), they undertake at least one long-ish trek each summer using mountain huts and small villages for accommodation. Previous trips have included Walkers’ Haute Route, GR11 (Spanish Pyrenees traverse), Tour de Mont Blanc, Tour de Monte Rosa and AV1 (Dolomites). 

Summer 2024’s adventure took Sam and Steve back to Switzerland to undertake the Tour of Jungfrau Region (JFR) – which whilst following the ‘official’ route most of the time, they made their own with variants, side trips and some extra days thrown in. It should also be noted that Sam and Steve are vegetarians, so references to food should be taken in that context and explains the obsession with rostis on this trip!

Trip summary

• 13 hiking days

• 1 rest day (at Kleine Scheidegg)

• Total distance – approximately 196 km (122 miles)

• Total ascent/descent – 12,390m (40,650 ft) gain/loss

• Start/finish – Wilderswil (Interlaken), Switzerland

General observations on the Tour of Jungfrau:

• It’s very popular and busy – not so much the trail itself but there are lots of very accessible points most days via an excellent integrated public transport system (trains, cable cars, ski lifts, buses) resulting in hoards of ‘tourists’. It’s not a trek for getting away from it all.

• The walking is straight forward, nothing technical. Likewise route finding simply isn’t an issue. The amount and variety of accommodation options mean you can make your days as long or short as you want. Don’t feel the need to stick to the traditional route and stages, busk around the template.

• It is an area of outstanding and amazing scenery – Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau are omnipresent and undoubtedly the star attraction, but this should not diminish the contribution of many other outstanding mountains that will be familiar to alpinists but not the average hiker or tourist. There are also numerous glaciers to see and the landscape is varied and interesting. When we went the alpine flowers were abundant and a joy to see. Take your time, stop and stare.

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TOUR OF JUNGFRAU LAUNCHING SOON

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Day 1 (3 July) – Interlaken to Breitlauennen station

• 9km, 1076m up, 2 hours 40 mins

Having flown to Geneva and then taken a train to Interlaken the previous day, we started our TJR with a great breakfast in the Alphorn hotel in Interlaken, including fresh fruit and hard boiled eggs. We walked across the Ruegen to Wilderswil (a lovely village in contrast to the somewhat tourist-hammered Interlaken) then set off walking uphill through forest to the cog railway station at Breitlauenen, which has a fab little café.

As the onward path to Schynige Platte was closed due to rockfall we took the cog railway for the remaining relatively short distance – which was fun! After checking in to the somewhat swanky Berghotel Schynige Platte (the only show in town) the cloud was down and the rain had started. As we’d reached our destination for the day this wasn’t a problem and we had a decent meal in the hotel looking out at cloud and rain where one of the best views in Switzerland should have been!

Panorama Schynige Platte to Grosse Scheidegg

Day 2 (4 July) – Schynige Platte to Grosse Scheidegg via Faulhorn

• 24km, 1200m up, 6.25 hours

We woke up to completely clear skies, sun and amazing views of the full mountain range opposite – Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, which would accompany us on much of this trek. After a great breakfast of eggs, cheese and local honeycomb, we packed up and set off, taking our time for the first few miles to stare and take photos.

Spring flowers were abundant. The weather was sunny but with a fresh cool wind. The route took us across myriad snowfields which really slowed us down. However, we had absolutely amazing views all the way – Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau to the right and Brienzsee below us to the left - and even saw an eagle near the Faulhorn (today’s high point).

Views all the way – Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau

The route wasn’t too busy until we reached the Bachsee lakes, which were teeming with visitors who had come up on the gondola to First. We were happy to leave the selfie-fest behind at First (the official end of today’s stage but not our end point) and took a solitary walk to Grosse Scheidegg in increasing cloud. What an amazing spot - right underneath the Wetterhorn.

Again, the Berghotel Grosse Scheidegg is the only accommodation here, and we had a cosy double room. The food was good: salad plus rosti with fried vegetables. After a long day we headed for an early night.

Wetterhorn above Grosse Scheidegg

Day 3 (5 July) – Grosse Scheidegg to Hotel Wetterhorn via Gleckstein Hut

• 13km, 927m up, 4.5 hours

After a fairly basic breakfast, we headed off around 9.30am down the path towards Grindelwald. After about 30 minutes we went left on a TJR variant towards the Gleckstein Hut. The route comprised a somewhat vertiginous path a lot of the way with chains and cables – but all perfectly manageable. Up, up and up we went. Above us towered the Oberer Grindelwald Gletscher and beyond it the Schreckhorn; we also saw chamois, ravens and choughs.

View of glacier from Gleckstein Hut

All day we had full, hot sun, because whilst the substantive route is roughly east/west, the variant to the hut is north/south. The hut was in an amazing spot, and we drank coffee whilst watching ice falls from glacier – we could have stayed all afternoon!

After a slice of delicious nusskuchen, we headed back down the same way we came, which was hard on ageing knees and our walking poles were required. We stopped for a snack at possibly the most exposed bench in the valley before re-crossing a short snowfield then heading across meadows to Hotel Wetterhorn near Grindelwald.

We sat outside with a beer and looked up at the knife edge Mittellegi ridge of the Eiger right above us. Our evening meal comprised another rosti (this time with egg and cheese) and a savoury vegetable strudel. A wonderful spot to end the day.

Most exposed bench in Grindelwald valley!

Day 4 (6 July) – Hotel Wetterhorn to Alpiglen via Berggasthaus Baregg

• 19km, 1475m up, 5.5 hours

After a decent breakfast of fresh fruit and muesli, we set off around 9am in the dry, although rain was forecast for later in the day.  As it happened we spent most of the day in woods but we did get some short lived heavy rain in the afternoon, necessitating an outing of our waterproof ponchos!

Again, we decided to make a side trip off the TJR up and back to Berggasthaus Barregg to see another glacier – not such a big climb but an equally great spot where we had coffee, and a good chat with the hut guardian about how the previous month’s awful wet weather had taken a real toll on trade.

After a long descent back to the valley bottom, we climbed up all afternoon, eventually making it to Alpiglen. The route was excellent, right underneath the Eiger and we saw several chamois. Unfortunately the cloud was down most of the time so we couldn’t make the most of the location. However, on the short descent to Alpiglen itself the cloud broke up enough for us to have views right across the valley back to Schynige Platte. Once again we were in the only available accommodation in the hamlet.

In the evening we got chatting to some young American hikers who were doing some of the TJR but in the opposite direction; for a future trip they usefully put us onto the White Mountains in New Hampshire where they have a hut system similar to Europe. 

Snowfield and sheep on way to Alpiglen

Day 5 (7 July) – Alpiglen to Kleine Scheidegg

• 9km, 852m up, 2.5 hours

Hotel Alpiglen provided a good breakfast with fruit, yogurt, muesli, bread and cheese; we strung it out due to 100% cloud cover and light rain, and so didn’t leave till gone 10am. Climbing up we  crossed numerous torrents and small snow fields, and saw two alpine salamanders which seemed unaware of Darwinian evolutionary theory and slowly meandered around our feet.

The cloud lifted a little from time to time but it was very frustrating that we were right underneath the Eiger north wall and couldn’t see it! The rain stopped around midday but we were still plagued with poor visibility. We stopped at Eigergletscher (gondola and train station) for coffee and Rahmschnitte cake (a local speciality, great for morale but bad for the abs!).

From here it was an easy half hour down to Kleine Scheidegg, conditions were cool and cloudy. After checking into our accommodation at Restaurant Grindelwaldblick we did some laundry and booked tickets for the Jungfraujoch for tomorrow – our first rest day. The cloud was still down so we had yet to see the infamous Eiger North Face properly. To celebrate making it this far we ordered a cheese fondue which was delicious! It is worth noting that when the cloud clears, this location has one of the best views of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau due it standing half a kilometre or so back from Kleine Scheidegg itself.

Eiger North Face emerges from cloud

8 July – rest day to jungfraujoch

• though we still managed to walk an unofficial 9.5km!

We got up at 7am to try to get the early bird train to Jungfraujoch (the amazing railway which goes through the middle of the Eiger and pops out at the saddle between Monch and Jungfrau, where there is a huge visitor centre). There was an enormous number of tourists, and we had to queue and so didn’t get the first train; it’s definitely worth paying the extra to reserve a seat in advance. In fact the whole thing was unbelievably busy all day. However, it was an exciting train journey up through the tunnel, and we headed straight out into the snow and walked to the Monchsjochhutte for coffee and plum tart. This was our only use of our micro spikes on the whole trip.

After a quick look round the tourist attractions at the centre (not really our thing), we took the train down to Eigergletscher and then walked back along part of yesterday’s route to the foot of the Eiger which came out of the cloud at last, and we were delighted to spot the train Eigerwand windows. After an afternoon’s rest we ate at our hotel again then went outside to stare at the Eigernordwand.

Between Jungfraujoch and Monchsjochhutte

Day 6 (10 July) – Kleine Scheidegg to Murren via Stechelberg

• 23km, 1005m up, 6 hours

After our day off (in which we still did two short walks!), this was a long day and our feet felt a bit pounded by the end, not least because it was very hot all day. The route took us down what became quite a tough descent close to the foot of the Jungfrau with excellent views of its pyramidal sub-peak, the Silberhorn, to the Trummelbach Falls, followed by a few welcome flat kilometers along the valley bottom to Stechelberg. Officially, this day’s stage ends here, but we had been unable to book accommodation at either of the two berghotels in the village, and so we ended the afternoon with a hot ascent to Murren (and as a result were once again ‘off’ the official TJR route). No-one else was ascending – they had all gone up in the gondola and were sauntering back down!

Today took us from the Grindelwald into the Lauterbrunnen valley, which was interesting in itself, and we also noted this was the lowest altitude we’d been at for a week; it felt different and gave us a better sense of just how high the mountains here are, as we were so far below them. After a welcome shower at our hotel (Hotel Jungfrau Murren) and a beer, we ate another rosti at Hotel Alpina which had amazing views across the valley.

Lauterbrunnen valley looking towards Breithorn and Tschingelhorn

Day 7 (11 July) – Murren to Berggasthaus Tschingelhorn via Tanzbodeli

• 10.5km, 955m up, 3.25 hours

Murren was noticeably quieter this morning, the gondola and train having yet to start running! After another lovely Swiss breakfast of scrambled egg, cheese, fresh fruit and seeded bread, we set off down to Gimmelwald via the Co-op (to stock up on peanuts and dried apricots), one of the few shops on our trek. We were heading back onto the official TJR route, but doing this and the next stage in the opposite direction due to our starting and end points. We headed down to Im Tal, crossed the river then walked steeply uphill in woodland for over two hours to Tanzbodeli, a flower-filled plateau.

After early light rain showers the cloud lifted and the sun came out. We descended from the plateau and contoured to Obersteinberg for a beer. Not much fancying a night of cold showers and no electricity (apparently these are ‘attractions’ of Berggasthaus Obersteinberg!), we headed 15 minutes down the valley to Berggasthaus Tschingelhorn, where we had a lovely wooden room with a  balcony and chairs. We took advantage of a shorter day and rested our tired legs, planning our onward route as our plans to get up to the Schilthorn were well and truly scotched by a combination of not being able to get a bed at the Rostock Hut along with rain and low cloud forecast.

We have a rule about not going up a mountain for the sake of ticking it off: what is the point of doing it if you can’t see anything, particularly if the weather is going to be miserable. The evening meal was tasty (Thai soup, falafels and pasta) which we ate watching goats play outside.

On the Tanzbodeli

Day 8 (12 July) – Berggasthaus Tschingelhorn to Gimmelwald via Oberhornsee, Schmadri Hut and Trachsellauenen

• 16.5km, 1036m up, 5 hours 20 mins

Today was a great route, taking us high up into the Oberhornsee hanging valley, though it felt like a longer day than it was! An easy longish ascent brought us to the small lake: Oberhornsee, which was beautiful and we spent a long time looking at the mountains being reflected in it and taking photos.

There were a few people on the trail but not many; much of today felt more remote than some of the other stages due to the lack of transport to bring tourists up here, to what is effectively the head of the Lauterbrunnen valley. After a short out and back to the Schmadri Hut (unmanned – we just went for the extra ascent!), we headed down some tricky terrain which slowed us down, along with hot and humid weather. We stopped for a refreshing cold drink and apricot tart at Trachsellauenen.

Our accommodation at the Mountain Hostel at Gimmelwald required yet another ascent at the end of the day, and we were pleased to have a beer and a surprisingly tasty pizza here. At one point the heavens opened and some very heavy rain came down. We slept well despite it being a hostel full of what seemed to us very young people!

Reflections in the Oberhornsee

Day 9 (13 JULY) – Gimmelwald to Blumental

• 5.6km, 610m up, 1.75 hours)

As above, weather and accommodation options put paid to us sticking to the TJR (which would have taken us up and over the Schilthorn) for the next few days, so we made up our own trek. Today we woke to overcast skies with heavy rain forecast, requiring a very short day. We embarked on a local route called the North Face Trail (nothing to do with the clothing brand!) which zigzagged above Gimmelwald and Murren and had information boards at regular points explaining ascents of the north faces of all the mountains opposite us.

Despite the cloudy day, it was (at this point) high cloud and gave us the best views so far of the high peaks opposite. We kept looking up at the Schilthorn above us and were tempted to give it a go, but stuck to our plans and headed straight to the Blumental and Pension Suppenalp. After some lunch we left our rucksacks and took a stroll over to the gondola station at Allmenhubel, but rain and cool winds drove us back; the cloud was down and we were satisfied with our decision not to attempt the Schilthorn in what would have been challenging conditions with no view. Sometimes the weather wins, At least we have an excuse to go back!

In the mist at Allmendhubel

Day 10 (14 JULY) – Blumental to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen

• 18km, 805m up, 4.75 hours

Today we were headed to Wengen where we’d decided to spend three nights so as to extend the TJR, to see some of the local walks not on the official route, and to cook our own veggie food. Our only objective was to reach Wengen. We headed off into low cloud and drizzle again, and saw only a few other walkers. Towards Grutschalp we took a continuation of the North Face trail which is effectively a balcony route high on the west side of the valley. We extended our walk beyond Grutschalp in the hope of better weather coming in, but as this didn’t happen we had a coffee at the gondola station and walked down to Lauterbrunnen.

The town was very busy so we didn’t linger and headed straight up to Wengen, a lovely village which seemed to be very busy at weekends but much quieter in the week. After checking into our self-catering somewhat bijou studio, we found a launderette and supermarket, then cooked bean, lentil and vegetable stew which we ate for the next three days – we needed a break from cheese and potatoes! The cloud stayed down all evening and it was noticeably cooler.

Looking down at Lauterbrunnen

Day 11 (15 JULY) – Wengen Mannlichen circuit

• 19km, 1280m up, 5 hours

Our first full day in Wengen turned out to be one of the best days on the whole TJR (even though it’s not on the TJR!), as the views from Mannlichen were amazing! From the top we could see the whole TJR route - both valleys and all the mountains. We were surprised that Mannlichen is only included as an optional side trip from Kleine Scheidegg on the official tour.

We took a very steep ascent up the Gemsweg (path of the chamois) to the gondola station just below the summit on what turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day with full visibility - apart from cloud stubbornly hanging on the Schilthorn! The summit was heaving with tourists, so after marvelling at the panoramic views of the TJR, we pressed on towards Kleine Scheidegg on a contouring route which was quite busy.

Before reaching the village, we headed up onto a higher contour around the summit of the Lauberhorn which was much quieter. The descent down a ski piste towards the Lauterbrunnen/Kleine Scheidegg railway line was steady but tough on the legs as it was sustained and lengthy. We stopped around 30 minutes short of Wengen at Allmend for a beer then headed back to Wengen, where we ate on our balcony looking at the outstanding view up to the Breithorn.

Panorama Grindelwald valley from Mannlichen

Day 12 (16 JULY) – Wengen Leiterhorn circuit

• 9.3km, 372m up, 2.25 hours

Having decided to treat today as a short/rest day, we did a local walk in lovely sunshine which took us up and along to Spatenenalp then back via the Leiterhorn viewpoint. This was useful as it gave us a good insight into tomorrow’s route (back up to Grutschalp, along and down to Wilderswil). The rest of the day comprised reading on the balcony, a short walk around the village, and culminated in a massive electric thunderstorm which we watched from the balcony around 7pm.

View from Spatenalp

Day 13 (17 JULY) – Wengen to Wilderswil via Grutschalp and Lobhorn Hut

• 19.3km, 793m up, 1690m down, 5 hours 40 mins

Our last day! Fortunately the weather was much better than anticipated but everything was very wet underfoot after last night’s rain. Most paths were mud or streams or super slippy wet limestone and tree roots. We walked down to Lauterbrunnen and decided to cut out around 1.5 hours of ascent (which we’d already done in the other direction) back up to Grutschalp by taking the gondola. From there, it was a really nice route contouring through trees which then opened up eventually to the Lobhorn Hut; we ate our lunch by the little lake there.

Onwards there was a little more ascent to cross a very stony corrie, the Tolkienesque Sylertal, where we followed a solitary chamois along the path. We finally began the long descent through woods all the way down to Wilderswil. Here we took the most direct route back to the village which zigzags north past the Schwarzhore rather than the official route via Saxeten. It was somewhat knee jarring and a bit mind bending – a good mental test! However, with hindsight we should have stuck to the suggested route as it probably offered a gentler and more interesting descent than the steep woods!

Towards the end we stopped at a memorial for 1998 flash flood disaster victims, which was sobering. After arriving at our final hotel (Hotel Edelweiss), a shower then a beer plus another fondue concluded our trek. Our legs were tired but as ever we were pleased we completed it and ready to eat anything but cheese!

Lunch spot on last day

Additional notes:

1. A note about the Eiger North Face and the train – the train passes the window in the north face where rescuers got tantalisingly close to rescuing poor Toni Kurz in 1936. Only 23 years old, he died just feet away from them, unable to abseil past a knot in his rope. The excellent documentary that tells Toni’s story (“The Beckoning Silence”) is essential preparation for staring in awe at the North Face and a sombre antidote to the ‘theme park’ at the Jungfraujoch.

2. To help understand the lay of the land, think of the TJR as being scruffily hung around a letter L which has rotated 90 degrees clockwise. West/east is the Grindelwald valley, south/north the Lauterbrunnen valley. The route in effect follows the skyline of these two. Mannlichen sits at the apex. It is almost too much to take in – which is why the TJR is so different from most linear long distance routes. Here, at Mannlichen, your entire trip is set out as a wonderful 360 degree panorama.

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TOUR OF JUNGFRAU LAUNCHING SOON

The Hiking Club partners with ExoLabs to provide snow data from space

How AI, satellites, and Swiss innovation will keep thousands of self-guided hikers safe in the Alps this summer.

How much snow is still on the trail, and where exactly is it? The answers to these important questions are required for early-season hikers to assess the risk of their planned route and determine if any changes are necessary. Uncertainty around snow conditions can be costly, leading to both re-planning and risk-taking, negatively impacting what should otherwise be the incredible experience of hiking in the Alps.

For the past 5 years, The Hiking Club has been undertaking the task of providing the latest trail conditions through a human-led approach, a “Break The Trail” update from The Hiking Club team, and then ongoing daily trail reports from trail ambassadors from The Hiking Club community. Despite these programs giving self-guided hikers a comprehensive view of where the snow is on the trail at a point in time, these updates can quickly become obsolete. The Hiking Club team has been searching for a way to provide more regular snow updates in a format that is targeted and actionable.

Thanks to The Hiking Club’s new partnership with ExoLabs, we’ve found it. The Hiking Club has integrated ExoLabs’ estimated current snow depth and 48-hour new snow forecast layers into the map in their trip planning app. Snow uncertainty will be a thing of the past on famous multi-day trails in the Alps, like the Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route, and Alta Via 1 Dolomites.

The estimated current snow depth will be critical for hikers in June and July, to ensure they have the most up-to-date information on where the snow is located and its expected depth along the trails. The 48-hour new snow forecast will be valuable for hikers throughout the season as it will indicate where and how much snow is expected to fall along the trails for informed decisions.

Estimated current snow depth and 48-hour new snow forecast layers now available in The Hiking Club trip planning app.

These legendary trails attract self-guided adventurers from around the world who are often experienced in mountain hiking but have little or no experience in the Alps. Without having local knowledge over multiple seasons, applying general snow reports of an area to a hiking route is hard. Tour companies often use local guides to check trails and translate these reports for their clientele, but self-guided hikers who have planned their own trips don’t have access to this resource.

““It has never been easier for self-guided hikers to plan their own trips in the Alps, and by adding ExoLabs snow layers to our app, we will also help make the early season hiking experience safer than it has ever been before.””

— Brendan Jones, Co-Founder of The Hiking Club

ExoLabs has developed an innovative solution to show the expected current snow cover and snow depth on a map. Their truly novel approach feeds daily satellite imagery and weather station data, (including field readings and snow analysis), through complex models driven by modern machine-learning techniques to produce a snow distribution over the topography of the Alps and other mountain ranges worldwide. This snow projection has a 20-meter resolution and is updated daily.

The snow depth layer was validated with over 2 million data points from the Swiss Alps and achieved an average error of just 0.36 meters of snow depth. Given the high variability of snow depth distributions and the spatial resolution of 20 meters, this is considered a very accurate result. It will be a marked improvement on the single high-level snow report for a region that has previously been available to the hiking community.

Make informed route decisions based on estimated current snow depth data in The Hiking Club’s trip planning app.

The new snow layers are now available in The Hiking Club planning app, part of release V1.11, and will be the basis for our 2024 trail updates program during the early hiking season.

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About ExoLabs: Linked to the University of Zurich, Exolabs specializes in environmental monitoring. Using satellite data as well as weather and climate models, and modern machine learning techniques, ExoLabs is able to gain a comprehensive insight into the condition of our environment. This valuable information is then presented in a user-friendly format in order to facilitate informed and sustainable decision-making.

About The Hiking Club: The Hiking Club allows adventures to easily plan and safely navigate legendary trails in the Alps. With a trip planning app, GPS mobile maps, and up-to-date trail information, The Hiking Club has everything a self-guided hiker and trail runner needs for their inspiring and challenging journey.

2024 Training Diary: First 6 weeks

Off season activities: I enjoyed competing in a local triathlon during the off-season. Michael (L) and Brendan (R).

In October each year, I transition to my hiking off-season exercise regime, which involves very little forward planning, structure, or activity tracking. This is in stark contrast to my action-packed hiking season in the Alps, which is all about detailed daily planning and capturing content. While my off-season approach to exercise usually adds a couple of inches to the waistline, it’s a great way to unwind and give my body a break.

At the end of February, my approach to exercise changes gear as I move from free-wheeling to a formal training plan in preparation for the upcoming hiking season in the Alps! I started following a structured plan in the lead-up to last season and found it to be a game-changer given my old approach was no longer working for me. You can read more about my training environment and change in approach here.

As noted in our first training diary blog post, Susan and I are planning to complete 8 legendary hikes to share updates for our existing trails and capture content for new trails we’ll be adding to The Hiking Club platform. My training plan for this year has been designed around completing the Tour du Mont Blanc in 5 days. All the trails I do after this will have similar size days, so provided I stay healthy and focus on recovery and maintaining my fitness between hikes, this is the right plan for me.

Training plans for hiking in the Alps: The Hiking Club has an educational webinar and template to help hikers create their own training plan.

I created my own training plan by using our template last year to prepare for my ‘Break the Trail’ hike. Given I was able to achieve all my hiking goals in 2023, I’m using our training program again for my 2024 preparation! Below, you will find a few notes and a self-determined grade for each of the training components over the first 6 weeks of my 2024 training plan.

Starting point

I chose to immediately build on my average weekly step count from the weeks leading up to the start of my training program rather than reducing my step starting point by taking credit for introducing strength sessions. I felt confident doing this wouldn’t overload my training, as I had already taken a conservative estimate on my current weekly step count and was already doing a lot of cardio training, which would be reduced. By using this approach, based on my average weekly steps before starting the program, our training framework calculated that I needed a 12-week training plan to reach the goal of being ready for a 5-day Tour du Mont Blanc.

Strength sessions

Mark: 5/10

Despite having the best intentions to complete these, I’ve only done half of the sessions so far. Because of this, I haven’t done any ‘deload’ weeks as I’m already having these rests by not doing all the sessions. I’m disappointed by this, given I know how important and beneficial they are! I always plan to do them in the evening after the kids have gone to bed. However, I’m not very motivated to exercise at this time, especially when it’s the second workout of the day, so I needed to change it up for the next 6 weeks!

ENDURANCE TRAINING - SHORT CARDIO

Mark: 10/10

Bike riding: I love understanding how to take credit for different activities with the conversion table in our training plan. Pat (L) and Brendan (R)

I’m enjoying a variety of activities for my short cardio, including swimming, running, stair-stepping machines, and bike riding. I haven’t had any problems achieving my short cardio goal, and I regularly go well over the weekly target, given that it’s normal for me to do a lot of cardio each week.

ENDURANCE TRAINING - STEPS

Mark: 8/10

Training in Australia: A steps endurance session quickly turns into a short cardio session when there is a snake on the trail!

I’ve had a lot of variability in my step count each week. In total, I’ve done 33,000 more steps than I needed to over the first 6 weeks of the program, however, I’ve gone way over the weekly goal in half the weeks and then between 2,000-7,500 steps under on the other half. Each week, I’m pleased to have completed a longer endurance session on Saturday and will focus on trying to get closer to the step goal each week.

One thing I realised is that my stride length is nearly 50% higher when I run than when I walk. Therefore, I’m doing a distance-based step conversion for any hiking/running where my stride length is more than a walk, so they can be applied to the overall step count in the same step unit measurement (which is my average step/stride walking length).

REST

Mark: 8/10

One planned rest day and occasionally I’ve also had another unplanned day when I couldn’t find the time for training. Rather than changing my plan to train on my next planned rest day, I’ve opted to ‘catch up’ on the endurance training.

It’s great to be back training with purpose again. Based on how I’m feeling halfway through my 3-month program, I’m confident that I’ll have the endurance and strength to thrive on my 2024 Break The Trail hike. If you want to use our training program to create your own plan, check out the bundle below.

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2025 Training Bundle: How to train for a multi-day hike in the Alps

Sale Price:€29.00 Original Price:€48.00

Author: Brendan Jones, The Hiking Club
A pizza-making, craft beer-loving, peanut butter connoisseur that has been exploring the great outdoors since completing the Duke of Edinburgh Award in high school. He started The Hiking Club to democratise hiking and the benefits that come from spending time in nature. You can read more about Brendan and the team here.

The Alta Via 1 Anytime Itinerary

Have you started planning your Alta Via 1 Dolomites hike in the usual 11 stages and finding fully booked locations for the dates you want?

You’re not alone!

Accommodation booking anxiety is experienced by most self-guided hikers that book their own accommodation…and a popular conversation topic on the trail :)

INTRODUCING THE “AV1 6 DAY ANYTIME” Itinerary

When accommodation availability becomes scarce, this 6-day itinerary can keep your Alta Via 1 dreams alive! Staying at villages and using transport provides you a much needed bed and allows you to hike 100km / 62mi along the Alta Via 1 route. You can opt to use just one, a few or all days to make your hike happen.

Average daily stats:

• Distance: 17km / 11mi

• Elevation gain: 950m / 3,100ft

• Time (steady pace): 6 hours, not including breaks

• Accommodation: Staying in villages that have the most accommodation options

This 6-day itinerary for the Alta Via 1 Dolomites gets around all of the Northern locations that are typically booked out…without needing to do any camping!

The Hiking Club has always championed self-guided hikers who want to stay in control of their itinerary and costs, by planning and booking their own trips. We have over 5 years of experience creating itineraries that are available to book at any time of the year. Our new trip planning app is the 3rd generation of our self-planning product that gives hikers the power to easily create an achievable, inspiring, and available-to-book itinerary in one session.

If you want some assistance in designing an itinerary that is ready for you to book based on your specific dates and requirements, we can do this via our Expert Access package.

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day 1: lago di braies to san vigilio

The first stage travels through the Fanes, Sennes, Braies Natural Park, with 4 rifugios to choose from (Biella, Sennes, Fodara Vedla and Pederu). Once these are booked up, hikers have two options to overcome fully booked locations here:

1. Continue hiking into Fanes section of Natural Park (Total 22km / 14mi) to reach 3 more accommodation options (Ucia dles Muntagnoles, Fanes, Lavarella)

2. Catch the bus to stay in San Vigilio for the night. It takes 20 minutes and has 20+ hotels, b&bs, holiday rentals and campgrounds for hikers to choose from. In the morning, catch the same bus back to the trailhead to continue your hike.

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Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.

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day 2: san vigilio to san cassiano

One of the most popular rifugios on the AV1 is Rifugio Lagazuoi. It (and surrounding rifugios) often book out quickly for peak dates and therefore forces hikers to either hike a longer day to find accommodation or use public transport to reach a nearby village.

For those that can’t find accommodation along the trail at popular rifugios (including Lagazuoi, Scotoni, Valparola, Passo Giau), the best option is:

• Catch the bus from either Sciare or Passo Falzarego to San Cassiano for the night. There are 15+ hotels, b&bs and holiday rentals to choose from. In the morning, catch the same bus back to the trailhead to continue your hike.

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Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.

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day 3: san cassiano to cortina

There are 6 rifugios in and around the Cinque Torri and Nuvolau area [Cinque Torri, Scoiattoli, Averau, Nuvolau, Fedare and Berghotel Passo Giau]. If these are all booked out on your dates, it is too far to continue on to Citta di Fiume, the next rifugio along the trail.

Therefore, the best options are:

• Finish your hike at Cianzope bus stop and catch the 20 minute bus into Cortina, where there is lots of accommodation to choose from.

• Finish you hike at Cianzope bus stop and catch 2 buses to San Cassiano, if you plan to stay there the previous night. Therefore you can hike today with just a daypack (luxury!).

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day 4: cortina to pescul

If you are unable to secure accommodation at Rifugio Citta di Fiume, Aquileia or Passo Staulanza, your options are:

• Continue hiking to Rifugio Palafavera (Total 27km / 17mi)

• Finish your day by taking an alternative trail to Pescul, a small town with 10+ hotel, b&b and holiday rentals to choose from.

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Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.

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Day 5: Pescul to alleghe

If you are unable to secure accommodation to Rifugio Coldai, Tissi or Vazzoler, then you’ll need to find accommodation in Alleghe for the night:

• Catch the gondolas down to Alleghe, a small town with 10+ hotel, b&b and holiday rentals to choose from. In the morning, catch the gondolas back to the trailhead to continue your hike. If you are feeling energetic, you could walk this section, rather than take the gondola.

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Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.

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day 6: alleghe to listolade

If you are unable to secure accommodation at Rifugio Carestiato, San Sebastiano or Passo Duran, then there are two options:

• Continue hiking to Rifugio Pramperet (Total 35km / 22mi)

• Finish you day (and your hike!) by taking an alternative route down to Listolade, a small village on the main road between Alleghe and Belluno. From here you can choose to catch a bus back to Alleghe, to Agordo for the closest accommodation, or all the way to Belluno, where you can stay or catch bus/train on to Venice or Cortina.

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optional day 7: passo duran to forno di zoldo

If you have been able to secure accommodation at one of the 3 rifugios near Passo Duran, including Rifugio Passo Duran, San Sebastiano, Carestiato, then you can continue your hike south. The next difficult spot to secure accommodation is Rifugio Pramperet, Malga di Pramperet and Rifugio Pian de Fontana. If you are unable to get a bed in one of these locations, you will need to:

• Finish your day by hiking an alternative route to Forno di Zoldo, a small town with 10+ hotels, b&bs, holiday rentals and campground to choose from. There is a shuttle bus to reduce the last stretch of this section

Many people that stay in Forno di Zoldo, choose to finish their hike here. Otherwise it is necessary to retrace all the way back to Rifugio Pramperet to continue on the main trail to the official finish point, La Pissa Bus Stop, or via Soffranco/Longarone on the alternative route.

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Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.

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So there you have it. The “AV1 6 Day Anytime” itinerary for those booking in October, January, March or July. This itinerary can provide you accommodation options to make you Alta Via 1 journey a reality!

Oh and if you want the “AV1 6 Day Anytime” itinerary, it’s available in our itinerary library so all you need to do is buy a self-guided AV1 package and this itinerary can be loaded straight into your app for planning, booking, and navigating!

2024 Training Diary: Preparing to hike 8 legendary hikes of Europe

This summer, Brendan and I will be completing over 1,200km / 750mi to hike the top 8 multi-day hikes in Europe. We’ll be doing this as part of our 2024 Trail Updates program, as well as launching new hikes onto The Hiking Club platform. Sounds exciting, right? But, if I’m honest, also a little daunting. When it’s not hiking season in the Alps, I live at sea level and don’t have mountains on my doorstep. Not the best environment to get my body mountain fit!

Luckily, we have Stacey Hardin in our corner. Stacey is the Founder of Pique to Peak, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainer. We worked with Stacey to develop our 3-month training plan. A training plan that helps people like us, build the endurance and strength to complete a multi-day hike in the Alps.

The aim of this training diary is to keep us accountable, share our progress and hopefully motivate you to start or continue training for your next epic hiking journey. We’ll be using the 3-month training template to develop our own training plan based on improving our performance through a combination of step endurance, cardio, and strength activities. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you’re interested in which 8 legendary hikes we’ll be doing (while keeping The Hiking Club propelling forward), here they are: Tour du Mont Blanc, Alta Via 1 Dolomites, Walker’s Haute Route, Bernese Oberland Traverse, Tour of Monte Rosa, and a few we’ll keep on the downlow :P

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susan’s WEEK 1: creating my training plan

(Sunday 18 February > Saturday 24 February)

The first hike that I’ll be tackling is the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites. The trail is 120km / 75mi, 7,400m / 24,00ft in elevation gain, and I’m hoping to complete it in 5 days.

One of the first pieces of information the training template needs to calculate how long it will take me to prepare for this trail distance is my current weekly step count. Luckily, I wear my Apple Watch everyday so I can easily check last week’s count - 85,000 steps.

Based on the above information, it shows it will take me 12 weeks to work my step count to the hike distance of 120km / 75 mi. (See how the right column turns green at week 12 when my step gap to readiness goal is met).

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Based on last week’s step count and the trail stats for Alta Via 1 Dolomites, the training plan shows it will take me 12 weeks to build up the endurance to complete the trail in 5 days.

The next step is creating my week 1 training plan. This week is a little bit different from normal as I have an aquathon race on Friday so I’ll plan my week around that. I’ve decided to start the week strong with a rest day (the key to every good training plan!) and then attempt 3x runs, 2x swims, yoga and a strength session. A good mix of strength, cardio and step endurance.

Here’s what my week 1 plan looks like:

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My week 1 training plan using the training template from the 3 Month Training Program.

I’ll report back on progress over the next few months. Wish me luck!