UKH

Hi I’m planning a trip to the Swiss alps for September, currently planning to head to Arolla followed by Saas-fae mainling looking to do alpine rock routes and alpine routes. I’m struggling to find some guidebooks for the area, if anyones got any recommendations that would be greatly appreciated. 
 

thanks 

This covers the arolla rock routes. I think there’s a slightly more up to date version elsewhere.

https://www.evolene-region.ch/UserFiles/File/organisme/UserFiles-evolene/Fi...

For alpine routes the SAC tourenportal is unbeatable. It allows you access to the whole history of SAC paper guides in PDF form and also the new updated routes. Unfortunately they recently cancelled the one month subscription so you will have to get a yearly subscription at 42 francs.

If you prefer a paper guide. The Topo Verlag - Hochtourenführer Walliser Alpen by Silbernagel is good. Mostly classical alpinism.

You could also get the older SAC guides : Mont Dolent - Grand Combin - Pigne d'Arolla and Matterhorn - Dent Blanche - Weisshorn. These are very comprehensive, but not very user friendly. (No inspirational pictures inside!) Also note that some routes mentioned in these guides get repeated very infrequently if ever and might have become dangerous already. So take extra care.

@Jesse probably worth noting that none of the books you mention are in English as far as I'm aware.

@OP: +1 to the SAC portal, which seems very comprehensive and modern, and much if not all of the content now appears to be translated into English as well.

Martin Moran's 4000m Peaks is still the go-to English guide book for the big peaks although Arolla of course doesn't really feature.

The SAC Oberwallis book has a great deal of sport and multipitch rock for the Valais and is in English. Also Swiss Plaisir Ost and West (band 2) for rock.

Swiss Plaisir Alpin - small book but in English and has some routes on sub-4k peaks e.g. normal route on Aiguille de la Tsa.

Yes the guides I named are all German, definitely important to mention.

Oh, and there are some Arolla and Saas routes also described in the back of the book Alpine Mountaineering by Bruce Goodlad - it's predominantly an intro/reference book on best practice for alpine climbing (and very good), but also has a small section of routes in the back to get started on.

really good.  never seen that before

Just take a look at the conditions reports Emlyn. Things are incredibly dry, and even many of the easy approaches to the classic routes have become prone to high objective danger.

John C

We did "Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ?" Pleasant climbing in a stunning setting. Would happily return to sample more of the routes.

You might be better off going to the Andermatt area, which, from my limited experience, has more solid alpine rock routes and excellent guidebooks, including those from https://www.filidor.ch/. The Vertical Life App is ok, if a bit awkward to use. I signed up and was given a month's free trial.