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Water on the Haute Route

There's abundant water on the classic Haute Route Trek from Chamonix to Zermatt. Learn about the availability and qualifications for water before your hike in the Swiss Alps. Make your plans to hike the Haute Route at http://www.alpenwild.com. Video Transcript: Are you looking forward to hiking the Haute Route this summer? That’s a great choice. It is a classic trip in the Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt and is the most scenic trail in Europe. The topic today is drinking water and we’ll address these issues: What is the availability of water on the trail? What is the quality of the water from streams and snow melt? What purification, if any, should you use? How much water should you carry? If you come from the western US where water is in short supply, you would never embark on a week long trek or backpacking trip without considering these questions. But hiking in the Swiss Alps is much different than what you might find at home. Switzerland is the water tower of Europe. Switzerland is in the water business and they have plenty of it and they take it seriously. It should be no surprise then that there is an abundance of drinking water on the Haute Route. You will find water in villages, in public fountains, water on the high Alps in spring fed troughs, water in streams and brooks, and water from snow melt right off the glacier. Is it safe to drink? By law in Switzerland, if water is flowing from a spigot into a fountain or trough, it must be potable, unless a sign declares it otherwise. Know that in North America hikers are always told to purify. That is because the occurrence of giardia, which is a water-borne pathogen, is much higher in the US than in Switzerland. It is extremely rare in alpine streams. The fact is that I have hiked thousands of miles with my clients in the Alps and we have guzzled untold gallons of mountain water from streams, glaciers, and spring-fed troughs and we have never had a problem. Not even once. Should you carry a water purifier? I simply can’t justify the extra weight and space for so small a risk. I do carry water purification tablets in the unlikely event that I need to purify water in an emergency. How much water should you carry? Along the Haute Route you will have access to potable water generally once per mile and usually much more frequently. The risk of dehydration is slim in the Alps so there is no reason to carry more than one liter at a time. As always, if you have any questions about hiking in the Alps, Please feel free to contact us. We’re always glad to share our trekking expertise. This is Greg Witt for Alpenwild. See you on the trail. #alpenwild #hikethealps