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Walkers Haute Route Fitness Preparation

How fit do you have to be to trek the Walkers Haute Route?

Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award 2023

So you have signed up for a summer adventure trekking the Walkers Haute Route. Now is the time you make sure you are fit and ready in order to get maximum enjoyment out of your trek. Walkers Haute Route is a great challenge and preparation is the key to achieving your goal.

The Walkers Haute Route is for sure a stunningly beautiful trek but it isn’t easy and each day you will experience some challenging terrain. The Walkers Haute Route is physically demanding, you will be travelling over rugged and mountainous terrain with a sustained amount of ascent and descent on a daily basis. Make sure you are aware of the daily distances travelled and the height gain and descent so you know what to expect.

Trek Grading

We grade our treks from 1 to 4 (1 being relatively easy & 4 being toughest), each trek receives a grade depending on the difficulty of terrain and numbers of days of sustained trekking.

The Walkers Haute Route is a GRADE 4 trek: TOUGHEST

GRADE 4 Toughest: Walkers Haute Route is one of the most physically demanding treks we offer and a supreme level of fitness is required for the type of terrain you will encounter on this trek & previous mountain trekking experience is essential. Each day the trek has continued and substantial height gain and decent of over + or -1500 m per day without a break. You will trek to an altitude of over 3000 meters & the terrain is remote, exposed and difficult at times with steep, rocky ascents and descents.

Fitness Questionnaire

Take our short questionnaire to help to determine your trekking fitness level.

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Nutrition and Hydration

One of the most important things in addition to fitness is your nutrition and hydration during the trek. Poor nutrition and hydration can severely affect your physical performanceand it is important to get your nutrition and hydration right, you will be burning lots of calories and loosing essential fluid each day so it is imperative you carry the right kinds of food and enough water with you to avoid dehydration and malnutrition.

It is advisable to drink plenty of water before you sent off on each days trek so you are fully hydrated. A pack lunch can be bought from local supermarkets when staying in villages or from the accommodation if ordered the night of arrival. If you are not familiar with the kinds of food and drink that would be good when exerting yourself on a daily basis do some research beforehand and trial what works best for you.

Hydration

It is essential that you stay hydrated before, during and after each day on the trek. The amount you take each day really depends on your personal needs, but we would suggest a minimum of 1.5 litres of water. Depending on the itinerary there might be opportunity to replenish your water supply during the day. This information will be available from your guide or if on a self-guided trek further information will be given on the daily route cards so you can plan accordingly.

Food

You know what suits you best & food is fuel! You will be burning lots of calories so eating well is essential to the enjoyment of your trek. The meals provided on the trek will give you a balanced nutritious diet, evening meals will consist of: A starter of soup or salad, main course of meat or vegetarian option with pasta, rice or potatoes & vegetables plus a dessert. Continental breakfast of cereals, yogurt, bread, jam, meats & cheese. Dietary requirements can be catered for, please specify at the time of booking & remind each accommodation on arrival.

On the Trail

Snacks, trail mix, fresh sandwiches & fruit, you know what works best for you whilst you are out & about in the mountains. There will be opportunity to purchase fresh food each day from a local bakery or supermarket. When staying in the more remote locations the refuges will provide you with a pack lunch at an additional cost, make sure you order this on arrival for the following day. If you have a bag transfer it is worth having a stock of none perishable snacks in your transfer bag so you can top up your backpack with your favourites.

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