Although perhaps not as famous as the celebrated traverses above Chamonix, Zermatt and Grindelwald, the crossing of the Stubai Alps is a classic ski mountaineering expedition.

This is a high altitude tour across huge glaciers and should be treated with respect, but if you get good weather and snow conditions, it's a fabulous tour of wild, wonderful mountains. You don't have to follow the exact schedule we've suggested because there are plenty of huts in the area and you can alter your itinerary according to conditions.

The vast glaciers of the Bernese Oberland feel more arctic than alpine in scale, creating a rugged, white wilderness high up above, and far away from anything you’ve experienced before.

Being the highest mountain solely in Italy, the Gran Paradiso holds a special place in the hearts of Italian mountaineers and is a highly coveted summit. The fact that it is also one of the lowest and technically easiest of the Alpine 4000 metre peaks makes it all the more appealing to alpinists and ski tourers of all nationalities.

Make no mistake about it - this is a long, serious and "out-there" ski tour. To complete it you'll need skill, experience, good weather and a solid team to ski with. However (as with all difficult mountain endeavours) the rewards when the stars align are more than worth the effort you put in.

Starting and finishing in the Swiss village of Pontresina, this is a connoisseur's ski tour. With the exception of the Piz Bernina itself (the Easternmost 4000 metre peak in the Alps) the summits and cols that this tour traverses are not famous but they really ought to be; they are big, beautiful and ideal for ski mountaineering.

There are longer, tougher and more extreme ski tours out there but this route, from Chamonix to Zermatt, is without doubt the most celebrated and historic ski journey in the World. There are several variations on the route but this option (via Verbier) is one of the most aesthetic and logical ways to do the trip.

Starting and finishing in the famous alpine village of Zermatt, this is a great tour for mountaineering and ski historians, for whom the names of the mountains this route traverses will be very familiar.

Many of the better known ski tours in the Alps are serious, high altitude affairs and while this tour does traverse some big glaciers, the majority of the terrain is mellower and less intimidating than is found on most hut to hut tours. As such it makes an ideal first multi day ski tour.