Challenging hikes

Grades, rescue and insurance

On the CAI scale, EE, escursionisti esperti, means ground that demands sure footing and experience: steep slopes, slippery sections, rock and scree, sometimes with sparse waymarking, and the grade reflects the hardest point of the route rather than the average. Switzerland uses a six-step scale from T1 to T6: mountain paths marked white-red-white generally correspond to T2 and T3, while alpine routes marked white-blue-white run from T4 to T6 and may cross snowfields, glaciers and rock with short sections of scrambling. Length is the other, less visible difficulty: with 2,390 metres of ascent over two days in the Brenta, or over 2,100 in a single day on the Zugspitze, it is the fatigue of the final hours that makes an easy step dangerous.

On walks like these it pays to know in advance whom to call. In Italy the number is 112; in Switzerland Rega answers on 1414, in the canton of Valais the number is 144, and if the call will not connect you can try 112 after moving somewhere with better reception. Helicopter rescue can be expensive, so check your cover: CAI membership generally includes insurance for rescue operations, and in Switzerland many hikers support Rega as patrons. Finally, always leave your route and expected return time with someone.