The Europaweg was an attempt to put a trail in terrain so hostile to trails that, IMHO, it should never have been attempted. In its brief existence it has repeatedly been rerouted due to rockfall, and the end does not seem in sight.
I heard about it when friends who are planning on doing the haute Route received an email from the Europahütte informing them of the closure of the normal route, and telling them (with minimal detail) that there were a couple of alternative ways from the hut to Zermatt.
Does anyone know more about these alternative routes? My usually reliable friend turned up little relevant information beyond the two links above
I went to have a look at the route this week (7 july 2011) and did the section between Gasenreid to the Europahutte, prior to taking a group of clients on a Haute Route trek that starts Monday. The route (the bit that is open) is in a shocking state, loads of stone fall danger, loose paths that are falling away from the side of the mountain and what little protection there is, has either been taken away by the constantly moving terrain or is placed in-appropriately.
The second half is closed from just beyond the Europahutte due to the new 230 m suspension bridge that opened a year ago being taken away by a landslide. You would need to drop down to Randa at that point and either continue to Zermatt via the valley bottom, climb back up 1300mtrs to the trail after the closure point or get a taxi to Taschalp and walk the last bit into Zermatt.
Yes I agree with the original post, this contrived route is in a totally unsuitable location, they play down the dangers and promote the great views but to be honest you will be too busy looking where you are putting your feet to bother about the vista!
I will be taking an alternative route with my group and will take the Europaweg of the itinerary from now on.
Do you have any experience with the route from Jungu to Topalihütte, which I think is part of the Tour du Cervin and might offer an alternative to the Europawegg for Haute Route trekkers?
On Friday I walked from the Barrage de Moiry to the Cabane de Moiry to spend a couple of days with my friends who are doing the Haute Route. Over dinner I relayed Mont Blanc Treks' warning, and a women at a neighboring table joined the conversation, telling us that she had heard from an accompagnateur en moyenne montagne who had made exactly the same comments; namely that the route to the hut (the officially open section) is a total mess. That woman's group was planning a different route (we did not discuss alternative routes with her).
After discussion my friends decided to accept my advice to take the train to Täsch, the hike up to Täschalp and follow the last part of the Europaweg to Zermatt. Since that saves a day they will have an extra day to hike around Zermatt.
I am not surprised by this, having walked the Europaweg three times over the last 8 years... the route just beyond the Europahütte was different every time because of rockfalls.
I went over the suspension bridge a few days after it opened last year. As we reached the halfway point, a fairly substantial rockfall was set off higher up the hillside; it was quite scary to see the boulders bouncing down the slope below our feet.
Another option for people doing Chamonix-Zermatt and not wanting to follow the valley for the last 2 days would be to spend a night in St Niklaus instead of Grächen/Gasenried, then:
- Get the train to Randa and hike up to the Kinhütte for the night. 1500 metres up but not too difficult (T3), and you rejoin the Europaweg beyond the problem area. The Kinhütte is very basic but the food is good, the wardens are friendly and on the night I was there (a weekend in July 2010) it was virtually empty.
- Next day, continue the final part of the Europaweg to Zermatt; no problems at all here.
This is probably more interesting than just doing the valley walk between St Niklaus and Zermatt, even if it involves "cheating" by getting the train to Randa.
It will be interesting to see, if the Europaweg continues to deteriorate, whether more attention is given to the way along the other side of the valley, via the Jungtal, Wasulicke and Topalihütte (mentioned in one of the posts earlier in the thread).
It looks quite alpine and goes up very high (3,114 m), but possibly is no more difficult than other parts of the Haute Route (this is just a guess, as I have not tried it myself). It's waymarked red and white, which suggests that it isn't excessively hard.
You still have to drop down to either Randa or Täsch though, so the problem of not wanting to arrive in Zermatt via the unlovely valley bottom is not resolved unless you climb back up to Täschalp. There would also be the problem of where to stay on the night before the Topalihütte - coming over the Augstbordpass from Gruben and on to the Topalihütte would be way too far for one day (Swiss Map gives it as 9 hours with 2300 metres of ascent), and I don't think there is any accommodation in Jungu (what a shame!)
Just one more point regarding a plausable route to Zermat/Grachen using the other side of the valley, Kev Reynolds the writer (Cham to Zermat/TMB etc) has tried to plot a route but it proved too difficult.