UKH

Hi,

I’m planning a trip to the alps this up and coming summer. This will be my first trip to the alps so I’m looking for a few bits of advice really. 

I’ll be traveling with my wife, she will be using the trip for a bit of solitude time and low level walking and I’ll be looking at getting some summits in, be it guided or joining another on location. 

I need advice on a location with good low level walking. Amazing beginner summits and somewhere with ample guides or opportunities to join groups. 

Arolla has been mentioned to me from a friend; are there any other places you would recommend? 

Cheers 

Some lovely stuff in the Engandine. Lots of low level scenic walking, valleys and lakes, easy peaks and more exciting outings. Piz Pallu would be a stunning first (guided) alpine tick.

Switzerland is not cheap however

Arolla is great, but Switzerland is very expensive. Well done for being the first person to ask about the Alps next summer there are usually a flurry of question after Christmas!

If Arolla. I would consider doing some high walking with your wife - perhaps the Dix hut and the Aiguille Rouge Hut getting a bit of altitude in etc and then joining a course - perhaps with these people who will look after you.

https://www.frostguiding.co.uk

Self catering in Arolla is manageable if you take a trip down to the co-op in Evolene (15 mins in the bus!)

Loads of below-the-snowline walking, some of it not even involving much ascent, and some brilliant introductory summits.

Also worth considering would be Saas Fee which will probably still have its free uplift policy next summer too. Great hut walks, big summmits, fabulous scenery but not such a magical valley as Arolla.

Not strictly an answer to your question but I highly recommend Bruce Goodlad's book Alpine Mountaineering. As well as an excellent book for learning about alpine climbing as a beginner he also highlights some particular areas and routes such as around Arolla, Saas, Zermatt, Paradiso, Chamonix.

Are you looking for glaciated/snow summits, or pure rock routes? The Dolomites are hard to beat if it's just rock you're after. For a great mix I'd recommend Sulden in Südtirol (not to be confused with Sölden in Austria!); easy rock summits up to 3500m to the north, and the magnificent Ortler, Königspitze and Cevedale, all approaching 4000m, to the south. All three of these have easy to moderate normal routes (glaciated, so not alone), there's a mountain guide office in the village. Also great walking possibilities in the valley, which lies at 2000m and isn't hemmed in by steep hillsides. Two other plus points: you're on the sunny side of the Alps and, beging in north Italy, it won't cost nearly as much as Switzerland.

Massif Des Ecrins, aka Dauphine, based at Ailefroide. Great walking by the standards of many alpine bases, good climbing at a decent range of grades, not overrun by non-climbing visitors/tourists. National Park. Often better weather than other alpine areas. Good places to eat out. Campsite has a variety of types of pitches (and a visiting pizza van). Good guidebook by Sebastian Constant (the one volume one). Suitable, safe (if there is any such thing) routes for absolute beginners.

I like Chamonix (controversial I know!) lots to do and a good infrastructure so you can get back to the centre easily plenty of walking and quite easy to get over to Switzerland and or Italy, but not cheap, although not as expensive as some would have you believe.  Plenty of huts available to discover hut life and walks at all levels.

Austria has a fantastic setup for walking and hutting and well worth a look.

Arolla is great, you can get up to the Vignettes hut in a few hours for a real Alpine experience as the last hour or so is going up the Glacier de Piéce has great views of the surrounding glaciers and is a really nice hut.  The glacier is crevassed though so take care if it is wet ( snow covered).

I agree with you on Chamonix. I'd been over once before as part of a guided trip but went back this summer to do things for myself, so very much at the beginner end.

I went over with the missus and a friend. I spent the first week with the missus doing various hikes on non snow based routes. The second week I did some alpine routes from huts with my friend while she stayed in the valley and relaxed. It worked out well as there was plenty for her to do in town if she got bored and she enjoyed the week of peace while I got to go out and try some routes.

We're going back again next year to do the same as we loved it!

We recently went to the Ecris twice & got on well at Ailefroide the first year then La Berarde the second. There are more huts (& summits?) accessible from LB although it's not such a lively place. Campsite is ok but take earplugs as its near the river (glacial torrent). There is a good guide book to easy routes - Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif by Chevaillot, Grobel & Minelli. Note the walk-ins to most huts from LB are fairly long though. Ailefroide has more popular multi-pitch rock climbing but that's not what we went for. Wherever you go, get yourselves up to about 2500m on the first day & spend the night there (camp or bivvy), it will get acclimatisation off to a good start.