Tour de Ciel: Arpitettaz Hut to the Tracuit Hut

Some will be glad of an easier day today, before the highest point of the tour the following day. Others will take in an extra summit from the Tracuit Hut. There is a net height gain today to the highest hut of our tour. Plenty of time for an easy afternoon or taking in the optional nearby summit of the Tete de Milon. It is very impressive leaving the hut in the early morning, with the W face of the Weisshorn towering above you. Follow tracks heading N up relatively gentle slopes. It is possible to take the route of the summer path to the Col de Milon at 2975m and some do, however it is steeper the other side. Easier (as marked here) is to head to a slightly higher unnamed col to the E, at about 2990m. The far side of here head N, on a slight R-wards diagonal, before heading slightly more down the fall line, then back R, going no lower than 2760m, before you start traversing horizontally R. Continue upwards now, in a NNW direction, before arcing back R, to follow the least steep terrain leading up to the ridge, to the R of the true Col de Tracuit, on the line of the summer footpath. The modern Tracuit Hut at 3259m lies nearby on the ridge. Many will choose an easy day and stop here, but if legs are strong and the weather is good, after a quick cake and coffee, unload your hut extras and carry on up the Tete de Milon, 3693m. This has unforgettable views of the majestic Weisshorn, 4505m, one of the finest peaks in the whole of the Alps. It is a relatively straightforward skin up this peak, up and back the same way, but can sometimes be icy with some crevasses to avoid.