We are signed up for the My Way tour in the first week of September. We are comfortable that we understand the average temperatures at lower elevations, but concerned about dressing for higher points this time of year.
Any advise for packing would be very much appreciated.
I'm not sure exactly which mountain excursions the RS Alpine tour offers...
...however, I can tell you that I've been on top of many Alpine peaks in the month of December, and a sweater or light jacket is all I have ever required. Part of the reason is that I usually hiked to the top and would otherwise have been burning up from the exertion. Barring some extreme weather (in which case an ascent would probably be cancelled anyway), September temperatures at high altitudes are usually very mild. Neither too warm nor too cold, but comfortably cool.
I took the tour in early June. Everyone was in summer clothes most of the time, maybe a light sweater or jacket some evenings. The day hiking in the Alpi di Siusi started out fairly cold (you'll be on an open T-bar lift to the hiking trails) but after a couple hours we were all shedding layers. Then mid-afternoon it turned chilly and very rainy for a couple hours, so the layers went back on. For the mountain tops (Zugspitz, Lauterbrunnen, Chamonix) I was glad to have a thermal layer under my fleece jacket (windproof would have been much better), and winter hat, gloves and scarf. But you're only up top for an hour or two each time and there are indoor places to warm up. At least as important is taking enough water and drinking a lot to avoid or limit altitude sickness, UV-protective sunglasses and sunscreen.
If charging along a trail, I can be very comfortable in limited clothing. Stopping to drink in magnificent views and possibly a hot chocolate, demands a bit more clothing as I cool quickly. As often mentioned...layers are the way to go. For this trip, I'd include a very lightweight t-shirt and lightweight sweater...both soft, comfortable merino wool. Add a wind/rain resistant hooded jacket. If warmth is an issue, include a, scarf, fleece hat and lightweight gloves. Post a trip report afterwards?
We toured Switzerland in September and during our hike near Murren we had snow! I ended up buying cheap gloves and hat at one of the shops. The rest of the time a light jacket worked. Layers! I would opt for purchasing gloves and hats once you are there if you need it. Great souvenir!
I've been to the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch on two separate trips both in September. For the Schilthorn I wore a light weight down jacket over a long sleeve t-shirt. It was perfect for me. I kept the hood up, but did not have gloves. For the Jungfraujoch, I wore a long sleeve t-shirt, a fleece and a waterproof windbreaker and a warm hat. This worked equally well. My hands got cold both times, but I just put them in my pockets. My husband did not dress quite as warmly, but he never gets as cold as me. We did NOT hike up. In Murren, it was significantly warmer, although it got a bit cooler at night.
We were on this tour this past September (started 9/12 I believe). I had a light weight rain jacket; my sister and I had "Buffs" which are easy to pack and we used to cover our ears at Aguille du Midi (it had snowed the night before and was VERY COLD!). Also used them hiking in the Alpe di Suissi as it was cloudy and cold. For my legs, I wore standard light-weight hiking pants with my rain pants over them, and usually had a light-weight "long underwear" top on. Also had gloves. We were not at the highest points for very long, but glad to have some easy-to-pack, light-weight items that could be shed when at the lower elevations. Key thing was layers! And a small pack to put them in if not needed later. We loved the tour!
