Transfer from Malpensa airport to Alagna and accommodation in Hotel Montagna di Luce. Dinner at the hotel. The trip from Malpensa usually takes about 2 hours through the lowlands before heading toward the spectacular Alps. Our hotel is the last accommodation before the mountains and provides a quiet place to relax, eat and sleep between climbs. (D)

This morning we will do a mountain gear check, making sure everyone has the right equipment and if not, we can hire the gear in town. In the late morning, we will walk from the hotel, down through Alagna and then up into the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Otro Valley. This is where we will learn about the Walser people who still inhabit both the Italian and Swiss side of the Alps. The Walser arrived in the Alps in the 1500’s, making their home among the spectacular summits. Their traditions live on in their architecture and their way of life. We will have lunch in the Otro Valley before heading back to Alagna for dinner. (B,D)

Today is our first big climb as we climb Punta Giordani. Early morning we will take the cable car from Alagna to Punta Indren 3275 m. From there we will be shown the basics of crampons, how to fit them and use them and how to read the glacier and lines up mountains. The ascent is quite steep and usually takes between 3 and 4 hours to reach the summit of Punta Giordani at 4046 m, one of the easiest 4000 peaks of the Alps. But don’t be fooled, while considered easy, under certain circumstances the conditions can be made difficult. From the summit, we will have spectacular views over the glaciers that spill down the mountain and other high peaks of the Alps. It is about a 2.5 to 3-hour descent back to the cable car which will take us to Alagna. (B,D)

There is no rush today. You may feel a little tired from your climb the day before so we will take things slowly. At around midday we will head up the valley into the National Park and stroll to Rifugio Pastore, an hours walk from the road head. Here we can sample Rifugio food and have a great view of the Monte Rosa massif, with all its’ glaciers spilling down and the summits that we are going to attempt in the coming days. This is essentially a rest day, readying ourselves for the following days of climbing. After lunch, we will head back to Alagna where you may like to relax at the hotel or head into town for some last-minute shopping or even grab a delicious gelati. (B,D)

Our day will start late today as we do not need to take the cable car until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. After lunch, we will take the cable to Punta Indren 3275 m, the same place we started our climb up to Punta Giordani. However, instead of heading up the summit, we will head West around the glacier and up to Rifugio Gnifetti 3647 m. This trek only takes just over an hour and requires limited use of crampons. The last section of the walk is a 20 to 300-meter cliff where we will need to climb metal rungs to reach our Rifugio. Rifugio Gnifetti is situated just above the main glacier on the Italian side of Monte Rosa and provides not only our accommodation and meals for the night, but affords us some of the best views of the mountains and the glacier. Rifugio life is a little hectic and cramped with climbers from all over the world housed in a relatively small building. However, the atmosphere is electric with anticipation. Dinner at the hut. (B,D)

Today is the big day where we will climb the second highest peak in the Monte Rosa massif AND stay at the highest Rifugio in the Alps, Rifugio Margherita at 4555 m. The first objective is to climb to Col Felice at just over 4200 meters. From here we can see the sun rising on the Gran Paradiso, Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. After a short break, we head onto the Swiss side of the massif into a large gully before heading back up toward our final destination, Punta Gniffeti. The trail provides for spectacular views over all the Alps. The last section up to the Rifugio is particularly steep but the views are incredible. We will stay the night at the Rifugio with amazing views of the flat plains home to Milan and Torino. Lunch and Dinner here. (B,D)

We will descend to Alagna today, but not until we have climbed a couple more 4000-meter peaks on the way down including Vincent and possibly Ludwig. This can be a difficult day as our night’s sleep may not have been particularly good. However, we will have lunch at Rifugio Mantova before taking the cable car down to Alagna for our dinner at our hotel and a celebration of the week we just had. (B,D)

After breakfast, we will bid farewell to our hosts for the week and transfer to Malpensa airport. (B)