The gear question is often the first one new guests ask. What do I need to buy? What can I hire? What do I really need, and what’s just over-the-top outdoor-shop marketing? Great questions! We’ll answer them as honestly as we can, drawing on the day-to-day experience of mountain guides who are out in the mountains every day with guests of every experience level.
One thing up front: for your first high alpine tour you don’t need to head to the most expensive shop and buy everything new. Lots of things can be hired, combined or replaced with kit you already own. What you shouldn’t compromise on, though, are the essentials: boots, layers and safety. These three make the difference between an unforgettable day in the mountains and one where you’re standing freezing in the fog, waiting for the descent.
Before we get into the detailed list, here’s one principle that overrides everything else: on a summer high alpine tour, the weather changes faster than down in the valley. What starts as a crystal-clear morning can turn into a thunderstorm, snow or thick fog by early afternoon. At the same time, solar radiation at 3000 metres and above is more intense than lower down, the wind is colder and your body is far more vulnerable due to exertion and altitude.
That means: you want to be light enough to move quickly. Warm enough not to get chilled when you stop. And dry enough to stay capable of acting even when the weather turns.
Everything on the following list follows this principle.
Mountain boots with stiff soles (category C or B/C)
This is where we accept no compromises. For a high alpine tour involving glacier terrain, you need mountain boots that hold crampons. That means a sole that doesn’t flex, a defined crampon welt at the front and back, and enough ankle stability.
Hiking shoes, trail runners or soft trekking boots are dangerous on a glacier. They give way when you step in crampons, offer no grip on hard firn and tire your legs out unnecessarily quickly. Investing here pays off in the long run: with regular care, a good mountain boot will last ten years or more. What we recommend: boots from La Sportiva or Scarpa in category C or B/C. Not necessarily the most expensive model, but the right one for the activity you’re planning.
Gaiters
Gaiters keep snow, meltwater and grit out of your boots. Short ones are enough for summer tours without deep snow; long ones are for firn and glacier routes with wet snow. Weight: next to nothing. Benefit: huge. They’re often built into hardshell or softshell trousers, so you don’t have to put on an extra pair.
A high alpine tour usually starts early in the morning in the cold and ends at midday in the sun – sometimes the other way round. Layering isn’t a marketing formula; it’s the only sensible strategy for changeable mountain conditions.
Base layer: technical underwear
Merino wool or synthetic, but no cotton. Cotton holds moisture, doesn’t dry and chills your body dangerously in the wind. Good merino underwear regulates your temperature, absorbs sweat and stays odour-free even after a long day. That’s not a luxury – it’s the foundation for staying comfortable in the mountains.
Mid layer: fleece or light insulated jacket
A fleece or light down jacket for breaks, the summit and the early morning. Usually in your rucksack on the way up, indispensable at the top. Anyone standing by the summit cross at 3500 metres in a T-shirt without putting on another layer will be freezing within minutes.
Outer layer: hardshell jacket (waterproof and breathable)
Your hardshell jacket protects you from wind, rain and wet snow. It needs to be waterproof, not just water-repellent. The difference: waterproof means a sealed zip, taped seams and a hydrostatic head of at least 20,000 mm. Breathability is just as important, because otherwise your own sweat will soak you from the inside as much as the rain does from the outside.
Trousers
Soft softshell trousers or sturdy mountain trousers with a bit of stretch. No jeans, no ordinary sports trousers. When walking in crampons, trousers often snag on the points: a sturdy, not-too-wide pair is better here than a flapping one.
Thermal trousers
For tours with an early start, on glaciers or in September/October, a pair of light thermal trousers as a mid layer is worth bringing.
Wool hat or light balaclava
Even in high summer, a thin hat belongs in every rucksack. At 3000 metres the wind can get bitingly cold, especially when you’re tired. Weight: under 60 grams. No reason to leave it at home.
Sun and wind protection: Buff or balaclava
For glaciers and exposed ridges, a Buff or balaclava protects your face and neck from wind and UV radiation. On a glacier the sun hits you from above and is reflected off the ice: your face gets more UV on a single glacier day than on a whole day at the beach.
Gloves (two pairs)
Thin liner gloves as a base layer, warm mittens or mountain gloves for wind and cold. When walking with an ice axe, gloves are important and mandatory.
Glacier sunglasses (cat. 4)
Normal tinted sunglasses often aren’t enough on a glacier. You need category 4 UV protection, ideally with side shields. Snow blindness is painful, lasts for days and is completely avoidable.
On a guided high alpine tour with Exped Tribe, you put together the following yourself:
Rucksack (25 to 35 litres)
Big enough for all your layers, food, water and safety gear. Small enough not to weigh on your back when climbing. A hip belt is important for long approaches.
Water bottle or flask (at least 1.5 litres)
There’s (sadly) no café on the glacier. On a high alpine tour, exertion and dry mountain air mean you need considerably more fluid than usual. Bring at least 1.5 litres, and 2 litres for long tours.
Food and bars
Eating regularly on a high alpine tour isn’t a luxury – it keeps you performing. Nuts, bars, cheese, bread, chocolate: anything goes as long as it’s rich in calories and nutrients and doesn’t freeze.
Head torch with spare battery
High alpine tours start early. Very early. Often at three or four in the morning, while the firn is still hard and safe. Without a head torch, you often can’t set off at all.
Optional: a walking/trekking pole
First aid kit and personal medication
Ibuprofen or aspirin for headaches caused by altitude or fatigue. Plasters for small blisters. SPF 50 sun cream and lip balm for the glacier.
Climbing helmet
Harness
For high alpine tours, a lightweight harness – also known as an alpine or mountaineering harness – is often all you need.
Ice axe
With your arm stretched down, it should reach roughly ankle height – it’s not meant to be a snow anchor 😉
Crampons with anti-balling plates
We recommend crampons with a toe basket at the front and a heel clip at the back (semi-automatic). These also work well on mountaineering boots.
2 screwgate karabiners for tying in quickly on the glacier.
1 sling (120 cm) as a self-belay sling or for a prusik on a fixed rope.
For hut stays you need very little extra. SAC huts are modern, comfortable and much like a high-altitude hotel 🙂
Silk sleeping bag liner
Toiletries (kept to a minimum)
Personal medication
A few spare clothes
A fresh T-shirt and socks will have to do for a two-day high alpine tour.
Cash for drinks and food at the hut
Snacks such as sandwiches, bars and chocolate can often be bought on site
On a guided high alpine tour with Exped Tribe, your guide brings the following:
Rope, local maps and weather forecast, bivouac gear for emergencies.
What you can bring, but don’t have to: your own crampons, ice axe, helmet and screwgate karabiners. If you’re in the mountains regularly, it’s worth investing. If it’s your first high alpine tour, we recommend hiring: it’s more convenient, costs less, and after your first tour you’ll know better what matters to you and what your next ice axe needs to be able to do.
Our recommendation for beginners:
Worth buying: mountain boots (they have to fit), hardshell jacket (trust your own), technical underwear (personal), sunglasses (fit).
Worth hiring: crampons, ice axe, helmet. These items are expensive, model-dependent and you don’t need to own them for your first tour.
Exped Tribe arranges hire gear for all booked tours. Just ask us when you book.
With the gear described above, you’re well prepared for the following Exped Tribe tours (and many more):
On the Sustenhorn (3502 m) you head up via the Steingletscher to one of the finest viewpoint summits in the Uri Alps: exactly the right terrain for getting to know crampons, ice axe and layering in practice.
If you’re after the big challenge, you’ll find it on Piz Bernina via the Biancograt: one of the most classic ridge routes in the Alps, where gear and experience are put to the test together.
And for anyone who doesn’t know a mountain guide yet or isn’t sure which tour suits their level: a no-obligation enquiry is all it takes.
👉 Enquire about a high alpine tour and get advice
Exped Tribe is a mountain guiding school based in Erstfeld, Uri. We take guests on guided high alpine tours, glacier treks, ski tours and expeditions in Switzerland and worldwide.
