Learn how my approach to training for the Alps has changed over the last 5 years and how Stacey from Pique to Peak has designed a session to help hikers create their own plan.
2023 Trail Updates
We complete a “Break The Trail” journey to provide the first trail report for the key legendary trails in the Alps - Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route and Tour of Monte Rosa. We share these updates with thousands of hikers that travel to the Alps each year for their epic bucket list hikes. This information is particularly valuable for early-season hikers to understand the latest snow conditions, route detours, and gear recommendations. This year, our program is bigger and better, giving you updates across multiple channels throughout June. Check it out!
Our 2023 TRAIL UPDATE PROGRAM
This year our program will consist of 3 key elements:
2023 Break the trail
Early season conditions can vary dramatically from year to year. June 2019 was a particularly çhallenging season with significant snow on high mountain passes throughout June
~ Col de la Seigne, Italy (Tour du Mont Blanc)
We will kick off our 2023 trail updates from Chamonix, starting at the end of May. Each day we will share updates including snow conditions, route detours, transport updates and gear recommendations. Our focus is on the conditions on the mountain passes, peaks and difficult trail sections, as this is where the most uncertainty exists.
Usually, we would do a continuous journey covering big daily distances and elevations. But this year, we’ve come up with a different format that still takes us to all the necessary places whilst keeping life fun and manageable with our 1 and 3 year old daughters! Therefore, we’ll be taking 3 weeks to complete all 3 trails. Tag teaming, taking transport, and trail running where needed to check out all the passes and key routes. No doubt it will be a comedy :)
Follow us on social to get real-time trail updates
live webcast: chamonix & zermatt
From the start of the Tour du Mont Blanc, to the end of the Walker’s Haute Route and the mid-point of the Tour of Monte Rosa. Join us for live trail updates!
This year, in addition to our daily trail updates on social media, we will be hosting free webcasts live from the Alps throughout June. Join us to learn about the latest trail updates, snow conditions, route detours (if any) and gear recommendations. We will share latest photos and descriptions of key mountain passes and difficult trail sections, for our 3 legendary trails - Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route and Tour of Monte Rosa.
WATCH Session 1: Sunday June 4th from Chamonix, France
WATCH Session 2: Friday June 23rd from Zermatt, Switzerland
trail ambassadors
Hiking in June or July? Keen to share updates from your epic journey with your fellow hikers? Come on board!
📷: Shout out to Sanna, one of our 2021 trail ambassadors.
UPDATE: APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR 2023
35 ambassadors took part in our 2023 program.
What will you do?
As a trail ambassador, you will provide “live from the trail” content about trail conditions, route updates, and memorable experiences. This content will be shared with The Hiking Club community to keep fellow hikers up-to-date, including:
In return, you’ll receive exclusive swag to rock on all your hiking (and non-hiking!) adventures!
Who are we looking for?
Hikers who are completing one of the below trails during June and July 2023;
Tour du Mont Blanc
Walker’s Haute Route
Tour of Monte Rosa
Alta Via 1 (Dolomites)
What is the time commitment?
Kick off session: To ensure we set you up for success, there will be a 30 min briefing session in May/June (depending on your start date)
During your hike: Share your trail updates and photos via Whatsapp or email (max 15 mins per day)
Does this sound like you? Get it touch to find out more. We’re excited to bring you on board!
Did you know that we’ve been doing Break The Trail since 2019? Read about how our project has evolved over this time.
2019 Early Season Conditions
In 2019, we completed 486 km / 302 mi, with over 30,000m of elevation gain and loss, over 18 hiking days.
There was significant snow on high mountain passes that resulted in detours, additional gear and the help of transport to complete the journey!
Read the full 2019 trip report
2020 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS
June was a quiet month due to COVID-19 uncertainty and travel restrictions preventing many early season hikers from reaching the trail. This led to less information being shared online about the trail making it hard to get a sense for how rapidly the snow was melting and conditions improving.
We were able to enter France on 1st July (the day the borders opened!) and quickly got on the trails to check them out.
In general, the conditions were excellent but there was still a few sections with challenging snow cover and accommodation options that were closed for the season.
Read the full 2020 TMB trip report.
2021 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS
Unfortunately COVID travel restrictions prevented us from travelling to the Alps this year 😭 With the help of our trail ambassadors (Sanna, Alia, Bruno, Alistair and Tui) we were still able to share trail updates to the community.
A cold and snowy May made for some difficult early-season hiking conditions. While a spell of warm weather in early June is causing the snow to rapidly melt, it will still take a few weeks before the trail is completely snow-free. The late snow and warm weather are also causing wet slide avalanches to come down throughout the Alps.
2022 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS
In general, the conditions for this time of year were exceptional. The amount and depth of snow were much less than in typical years. Most people were saying 4-6 weeks ahead of a typical season. Microspikes and poles are recommended for anyone hiking in June to support snow crossings. There were a number of disruptions to transport this season that may affect hikers, including: Le Tour gondola closed, Le Chable closed in June, and Grimentz cable car closed.
Read the full 2022 trip report.
Best hikes in Engadin, Switzerland
Prepare your body for hiking in the Alps
Stacey Hardin is a hiker, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and athletic trainer that grew up with the Pacific Crest Trail in her backyard. Stacey’s experience on the Tour du Mont Blanc confirmed that there are a huge number of preventable injuries that impact bucket list hiking trips each year.
In this guest blog post, Stacey breaks down the factors that cause injuries on the trail and introduces a few simple exercises that can address one of them to start preparing your body for hiking in the Alps.
How we calculate hiking time estimates
Hiking time estimates are the backbone of any hiking plan and directly impact the overall experience.
Given that standard time estimates don’t work for over 80% of hikers, The Hiking Club has come up with a way for hikers to personalise time estimates so that anyone can create an achievable and enjoyable hiking plan.
The Bear Trek: Stages of the Via Alpina 1
The Bear Trek is located in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland and is part of the Via Alpina 1 hike that includes 20 stages from Lichtenstein and continues to Montreux, Switzerland. Read Cindy and Bob’s trip report documenting stages 10 - 15 from Meiringen to Lenk, Switzerland. Spoiler: No bears were seen on this hike!
Best Mountain Huts in the Alps
We’ve created a collection of the top mountain huts across Switzerland, France and Italy for hikers. None of these huts require technical gear to reach them - no glacier crossings, no via ferrata, no climbing equipment etc. Most are located in alpine areas and therefore all you need to reach them is good fitness.
The Montafon Hut Circuit
The Montafon Hüttenrunde (Hut Circuit) is a multi-day hiking trail located in western Austria. Read Julie’s trip report for their 11 day hike starting in Bartholomäberg and ending in Latschau, Austria, staying in mountain huts along the way. They hiked 141km, climbed 7,500m in elevation and reached Seelucke at 2,744m. The trail travelled through the heart of the three very different mountain ranges that frame the Montafon Valley - the moody highland heaths and silent peaks of the Verwall, the sharp dark teeth and looming glaciers of the Silvretta, and the sheer white cliffs of the Rätikon.
Complete Guide to Hiking in the Alps
Break the trail 2022 update
I’m en route to the Alps and have revised my Break the Trail hiking plan. The 10 day journey through the Pennine Alps has been designed to spend time on the Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route, Tour of Monte Rosa, and Tour des Combins.
My revised route still comes in at just over 270 km / 169 mi with an intimidating 19,900 m / 62,000 ft of elevation gain. In this blog, I will share details about the current conditions and my revised route.
Break the trail 2022
As the days get longer and the weather starts to warm up in the Alps, I’m excited to share the draft plan I’ve come up with for my first adventure this hiking season. The 10 day journey through the Pennine Alps has been designed to spend time on the Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route, Tour of Monte Rosa, Hidden Paradise Tour, and Tour des Combins.
My proposed route comes in at just over 270 km / 169 mi with an intimidating 20,400 m / 67,000 ft of elevation gain. In this blog, I will share details about my proposed route, preparation, and goal for the hike.
Finding your people: a global hiking community
When I started walking the Camino de Santiago it didn’t take me long to realise I had found my people. In fact, only about 2km. I met Viviane, who like me, was on day one of this ancient pilgrimage trail. As we walked we enjoyed our new friendship that was fun and easy, having been instantly built on our shared love of a new adventure.
780km and 38 days later, I stood at the foot of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the end of my journey, and feeling … well, honestly, not much at all. It was simply because, for me, walking this camino was less about the destination or even the trail (although it is amazing, don’t get me wrong!); it was all about the incredible people, like Viviane, who walked alongside me. They are my people.
I continue to find these people on every hike I’ve done since. On trails through fields, farms, villages, cities, valleys and mountains, their company and their stories empower me.
It is for this reason, we at The Hiking Club are laying the foundations for a community of hikers and adventurers!
This is a place for all hikers to share a love of walking in the wild. Whether you’re wandering the hills of the South Downs, trekking through the mountains of the Swiss Alps, hiking the Timberline Trail, walking the Camino de Santiago (highly recommend!), or you’re exploring the trails of your local national park…we believe everyone has a hiking story to tell (big or small!) and that story has the power to inspire others.
What we stand for
The global hiking community is filled with adventurers, each as unique as the trails they walk. It is this tapestry of personal experiences bound by a shared love of spending time in the outdoors that is truly special and worth celebrating.
The aim of The Hiking Club community is to create a place of discovery where you can be inspired by, and connect with, other hikers.
Inspire. Be inspired by the stories of other hikers and discover new places to explore! Share your own story and the amazing places you’ve visited, what trails you’d recommend, and your own incredible experiences.
Connect. Find your people. This is the place to meet fellow hikers from around the world in between adventures. Ask a question, share an idea, or simply reach out to a group of people who come from all corners of the globe.
Grow. Through stories, experiences, tips and recommendations, we hope this community will encourage and motivate us to grow in confidence, expand our knowledge, and reach our hiking potential.
If you love hiking, love walking in nature and love the adventure of the trail, then we are your people!
Join The Hiking Club community - we can’t wait to meet you and hear your stories from the trail.
Author: Greta Stevens
Greta discovered a love for multi-day hiking on the Camino de Santiago and has never looked back. She co-created the Modern Adventurers book with The Hiking Club before joining the team full time to help empower a global community of adventurers to walk the way they want in the wild!
Who are we?
The Hiking Club empowers anyone to walk the way they want in the wild with personalised self-guided hiking experiences that are easy to find, quick to plan and simple to navigate.
We believe hiking experiences have the power to transform lives. With a growing range of personalised hikes that take into account your preferences, fitness and interests, we give you everything you need to explore the legendary trails of the world!