Zinal to Cabane Petit Mountet - the 'high' way

Stunning mountain views

Lowering yourself on a chain through an ice cold waterfall is not everyones idea of a good walk, but if you can cope, you're rewarded with some of the most spectacular views the valley has to offer. This high route is a 'mountain fest' of snow, ice and peaks. In front of you is the whole Imperial Crown -  the collective name for the five 4000m+ peaks (Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinal Rothorn, Obergabelhorn, and Dent Blanche) that sit at the head of the valley, plus the other 'little' mountains that fill your horizon - oh and lets not forget glimpses of the Matterhorn right at the back.

Not for the nervous walker

Taking the cable car up to Sorebois saves the 800m climb up from Zinal village and puts you near the start of the 2400m contour that you follow south. The route winds and climbs around the mountain on flower lined paths, crossing streams, waterfalls, rock shoots and in early summer the possible snow patch before opening out in a meadow - the perfect picnic spot to sit and soak up the view.

Picnic spot with wonderful mountain views

Descend through meadows of Alpenrose to the Cabane

After this point the route descends through meadows of Alpenrose to Cabane Petit Mountet (2142m) where you can relax with a beer and look out onto the Zinal Glacier before heading north and down to Zinal through meadows and across La Pla.

Heading back to Zinal through meadows and across La Pla

Total distance: 14.5 km
Time: about 5 hrs to include stops
Ascent: 250 m
Descent: 1015 m

Waterfall way

Huge variety of waterfalls near Zinal

Melting snow from the peaks and spring rain, produce huge quantities of water that tumble down the mountains all around the valley. As the ground steepens, the rivers turn into spectacular waterfalls. Now is the best time of year to see them, and one of the best walks for waterfall spotting is south of Zinal. Walk across Le Pla, in the direction of the Petit Mountet hut, and coming down on both sides of the valley you will see a huge variety of falls, some are tall, thin showers, others wide and thunderous. Some flow just at this time of year, while others are year round - freezing solid in winter to make fantastic ice-climbing walls.

In winter this freezes and makes a great ice-climbing wall

Over in St Luc you walk down right next to a river and it's waterfalls along the 'chemin des cascades'. It's a steep descent through the forest, but fun to follow the water on it's way to the valley.

Top 100

This is the 100th post on this blog so it seems appropriate to list (in no particular order) some of our favourite things to see, do and experience in and around the Val d'Anniviers

Things to see: 

Black-nosed sheep, gentians and edelweiss.

• Patch of gentians
• Black-nosed sheep
• Ptarmigan
• Edelweiss
• Sunset on the Besso
• Crocus poking up through the snow as spring arrives
• Meadows of summer flowers
• Marmotts running across the fields
• Ibex on the cliffs
• Waterfalls beyond Zinal in spring
• Golden Eagles

Walking routes:

Tour lac de Moiry, Lac Noir and up to Cabane d'Arpitettaz

• Up to Cabane d'Arpitettaz 
• Wiesshorn hotel to Zinal
• From top of Sorebois lift to Cabane Petit Mountet 
• Tour lac de Moiry
• Bisse walk in Vercorin
• Descent of Vallon de Rechy
• Crete de Midi
• Up to Cabane Grand Mountet
• From Bendolla south to the dam
• Chandolin along the cliffs
• Lac noir above St Luc

Best events:

Feeries Christmas Market, Sierre-Zinal race

• 1st August fireworks in Zinal
• Feeries Christmas market Grimentz
• Friday markets in August Grimentz
• Sierre Zinal mountain marathon
• Vercorin jazz festival
• Grimentz three day classical music festival 
• Marche des Cepages, wine and walking tour though the vin-yards
• Desalps
• Grand Raid – Verbier to Grimentz mountain bike race 

Food & Wine:

Locally cured sausages, home-made redcurrant jelly

• Fresh serac cheese from the alpine diary
• Vin de glacier from Bourgeois Grimentz
• Myrtle tart at Hotel Wiesshorn
• Wild alpine strawberries 
• Multi-grain bread from Salamin bakery
• Local cured dried sausages
• Redcurrant jelly made from the wild berries around the house
• Glass of white wine from the caves of Sierre

Favorite pistes to ski:

Illhorn red piste, Chandolin

• Chamois, Zinal
• Pas de Beouf to Prillet, St Luc
• Vercorin blue, from top station to the village
• Blue from Grands Plans chair past Etable du Marais, Grimentz
• Illhorn red piste, Chandolin

Things to do and visit:

Grimentz old town, moon light walk in winter, Hotel Weisshorn

• Histoic house, Zinal
• Walk through Zinal old town
• Centre of Grimentz
• Moon light walk in winter
• Sleep out under the stars on a summer's night
• Visit old flour mill in Grimentz
• See cheese being made in the mountain dairies
• Star gaze from the St Luc observatory
• Visit hotel Weisshorn – even better stay overnight
• Visit Tzoucdana cafe and see the farm animals
• Overnight in a mountain hut 
• Via ferrata below Moiry dam
• Snow shoe to the snout of the Zinal glacier and discover the ice-cave

Best off piste:

Down to the dam

• Down to the dam from Zinal
• Orzival
• Vallon de Rechy
• Variants around Chamois
• Off back of St Luc into Turtmann valley
• Zinal free-ride zone
• Vercorin trees
• Lona
• Pylon route 
• Middle bowl, Zinal
• Abondance
• Trees to Chiesso Blanc

Views to see:

Weisshorn, glaciers above Grand Mountet, sunset from Tracuit

• Sunset from Cabane Tracuit
• Top of Ilhorn over Rhone valley
• Col des Arpettes into Turtmann valley
• Glaciers from Cabane du Grand Mountet 
• Besso from Lac d'Arpitettaz
• Glaciers from Cabane du Moiry
• From Niouc the 'Imperial Crown'
• Weisshorn from bridge above Zinal 
• South from Barneuza
• South into Vallon de Rechy from top of Vercorin

Day ski-tours:

Basset de Levron, Bec de Bosson, Col du Pigne

• Tourno, St Luc
• Basset de Lona, Grimentz
• Cabane d'Arpittetta and on to Glacier de Moming
• Basset de Levron, Grimentz
• Off back Grimentz and over to Nax
• Glacier de Moiry and Col du Pigne
• Off back of Bella Tola

Favourite time of year:

Autumn colours, Zinal

• January – low sun and wonderful light
• February – early on, good snow and no people
• March – warmer and longer ski days
• April – spring snow
• May – crocuses appear through the melting snow
• June – meadows around the house are full of flowers
• July – higher alpine meadows come into flower
• August – lots of music and other events in all the villages
• September – warm days, no people and great walking
• October – larches turn golden and first snow on the peaks
• November – Zinal opens for weekend skiing
• December – Feeries market in Grimentz

Look back on winter 2014

As winter melts away it's fun to look back at some of the great days we've had this season....

Seeing the wood for the trees.

Followers of our Facebook page will have noticed that I often take pictures of snowy trees. Snowy and cloudy days obscure the mountains and the forests around the chalet come to the fore. On these 'dull' days I love the natural monotone caste and the layers of snow and branches are great to photograph. Recently, we've had some pretty snowy days so I've put together the following collection of colour photos...

'The Ski' reborn for the 21st Century

Scott have launched a new ski with an old name. 'The Ski' first hit the slopes in the 1970's as a must have freestyle ski designed by Sun Valley local Bobbie Burns.

'The Ski' - more fun on piste than seems right, and a brief test last season told us it's nice off piste too

Four sizes, four colours, 'The Ski' from Scott has been designed as one ski for all conditions. The shaping gives 'The Ski' a longer radius underfoot making it easier to handle on all types of terrain and conditions. The core is 100% wood from tip to tail which gives consistent flex and torsional stiffness.

Last winter we got a a pre-launch taster day. This season we have the whole fleet available for testing; we took them to St Luc for a blast around the piste with Scott UK general manager Steve. Verdict - great; we look forward to trying them in powder...

Bar-e-Vox rescues Cabane de Tracuit

Just before Christmas a new bar opened in Zinal - the Bar-e-Vox. It's name is inspired by the Mammut transceiver the 'Barryvox' - used by many skiers and mountaineers to aid the rescue of avalanche victims. 

The old stove, baskets and shutters from the Cabane de Tracuit
(left: their original positions - right: their new home in the Bar-e-Vox)

The Bar-e-Vox has also done a bit of rescuing, and is the new home for several items from the original Cabane de Tracuit. Following the completion of the new Cabane last spring the old building was deliberately destroyed with these few pieces being saved. 

Tables, stools and honesty box now in their new home

Now you can have a glass of wine sitting around the same tables, on the same stools, 1600 vertical meters lower. You can see more pictures in our Facebook album.