Description

This is quite a short day on paper but the terrain it takes you through is rugged and rough, so it certainly doesn't feel like a pushover, especially given the effort you've exerted just to get to the start of this day's hike! The views today are truly spectacular, and Himalayan in scale, so if your legs are feeling it after 5 days of tough trekking, the scenery (and the prospect of a shower in Zermatt!) should be enough to keep you going.

The 2 Dents - Blanche and d'Hérens dominate the views but today is also the first day where you'll get a good, close-up look at the Matterhorn. Leave the Cabane de Bertol and make the gradual ascent of the Mont Miné Glacier's upper section to the Col de la Tête Blanche.

From the col it is a short and highly recommended detour to the summit of the Tête Blanche de Valpelline.

From the summit there is a who's who line up of famous 4000 metre peaks including the Dent Blanche to the north, the Dent d'Hérens close by to the south-east, and the Obergabelhorn, Zinalrothorn and Weisshorn all visible in the middle distance.

The Matterhorn is also, suddenly, right in front of you and from here to Zermatt, it dominates the view on your right.

From the summit of the Tête Blanche de Valpelline descend the crevassed Stockji glacier and leave it due west of a rocky ridge called Stockje to reach a faint path.

Follow the path as best you can and then cross over the moraine of the Schönbiel Glacier.

On the far side of this it's a steep climb up to the Schönbiel Hut, a superbly positioned building that sits right beneath the north faces of the Matterhorn and Dent d'Hérens.