IMAGES: VALAIS WALLIS PROMOTION/DAVID CARLIER; GETTY


FOUR MORE ALTERNATIVE HIKES


1


Tour des Dents-du-Midi, Switzerland


26 miles • two to four days Switzerland isn’t short of in-vogue hiking trails, including the Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route — perhaps the second most popular hike in the Alps after the TMB. The Tour des Dents-du-Midi, a hut-to-hut trek in western Valais canton, is a less popular option, but hikers who give it a chance will take on a memorable climb to Haute Cime, the highest peak of the Dents-du-Midi massif at 3,257 metres. dentsdumidi.ch


2


Ötzi Trek, Austria and Italy


45 miles • six days In 1991, the frozen corpse of Ötzi the Iceman, a murdered hunter-gatherer from 3,200 BCE, was discovered high in the Tyrolean Alps. Created by Innsbruck- based tour company ASI Reisen, the Ötzi Trek pays homage to this remarkable archaeological finding. It follows in the footsteps of this glacier man, traversing the Ötztal mountains from Landeck in Austria to Bolzano in Italy, passing through a dedicated open-air museum. ötzi-trek.com


3


Slovenian Mountain Trail, Slovenia


372 miles • 28 days Slovenia’s 205-mile, 20-day Juliana Trail has taken the plaudits over recent years. But its Mountain Trail, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023, is the longest route that runs through the country. The trek begins in the city of Maribor, journeys across the Pohorje Hills, the Kamnik and Savinja Alps, the Karavanke mountains and the Julian Alps, before finishing on the Adriatic coast at the Debeli Rtič cape. En route, hikers conquer 23 peaks and visit 49 mountain huts.


4


Alta Via 1 (Aosta), Italy


112 miles • between 10 and 17 days Somewhat confusingly, there are multiple Alta Via (‘High Route’) trails across Italy. The most famous and busiest is the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites, but its namesake — the Alta Via 1 in Valle d’Aosta — is a worthy alternative. Also known as the Alta Via dei Giganti (‘The Giants’ Trail’), it crosses the foothills of Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc on a 17-stage trip from Donnas to Courmayeur.


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