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TouringTip | Piz Bernina from the Diavolezza

Through the "Festival Hall of the Alps" to the highest peak in Graubünden

by Lorenzo Rieg 03/12/2017
Like its equally famous neighbor, Piz Palü, Piz Bernina is well known to almost everyone. As the easternmost 4000-metre peak in the Alps and situated in spectacular surroundings, it is often visited via various routes, with the most interesting skiing starting from the Diavolezza lifts.

In principle, it is of course possible to do the tour in one day, but the timing is not so easy. In the typical tour time, you will hardly be able to ski down in good conditions after the cable car opens. It's more relaxed if you either spend the night in the Berghaus Diavolezza and start early the next morning, or set up camp in the (rather spartan) winter room of the Marco e Rosa hut. From there, you can take a relaxed approach to the summit and are probably still alone at the top, as you have a decisive head start on the ski tourers (who often turn up en masse at the weekend) who start from Morteratsch station or the Boval hut.

Ascent

The first part of the ascent is easy with the gondola to the Diavolezza mountain station. From there, the route leads up a steep and rocky south-western slope to Vadret Pers, where the first ascent begins at an altitude of just over 2,700 meters. Climb over the glacier in a large, flat arc, first to the southwest, then further west, past the three northern pillars of Piz Palü in the direction of Fortezzagrat. It gets a little steeper towards the ridge, but the ridge can usually be reached without any problems. Follow it a little to the south, then you have to decide how to proceed.

You can either follow the ridge further south (not easy) until you reach the Bellavista terrace and cross it to the west before descending briefly to the Vadret da Morteratsch and from there ascending to the "Fuorcla Crast'Agüzza" (alternatively, the Bellavista terrace can also be reached via a small glacier break a little to the west of the Fortezza ridge). However, you can also descent a little to the west from the Fortezza ridge to the Vadret da Morteratsch (unclear) and ascent through the "Buuch" glacier break. Afterwards, keep to the west on the flatter glacier, then to the south and finally to the southwest and you will also reach Fuorcla Crast'Agüzza.

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Here you are almost at the Marco e Rosa hut, which is not open in winter. If you want to reach the summit directly, however, it is better to head northwest until you reach the ski depot at the start of the rocky ridge. Here you will have to switch to crampons and, depending on the conditions, continue either along the ridge or on the eastern flank. In good conditions, it is worth taking your skis with you for the time being, as the east flank can then be descended completely. As soon as you reach the south ridge, you will have to leave your skis behind, but the summit is only a few minutes away. After a few meters to the north, you will finally reach Piz Bernina at just over 4000m.

Descent

After you have had your fill of the gigantic view and returned to the ski depot, it's time for the descent. At first, the descent is either rather steep via the eastern flank or noticeably flatter along the ascent route to the upper part of Morteratsch. Soon, however, you have to head east to avoid the maze of crevasses of the "Labyrinth" and descent further north via the (still crevassed) Buuch. In the further course of the descent, keep to the east, or rather to the orographic right edge of the glacier. You soon reach the flat, strongly retreating glacier tongue and leave the glacier. Depending on the snow conditions, you will have to take off your skis and carry them sooner or later, but with luck you will still get quite far along the road towards Morteratsch station. From here, you can take the train back to the Diavolezza lifts.

Information

Difficulty (5-level scale): ****
Special dangers: Very crevassed glaciers, sometimes quite confusing terrain
Exposure: W-N-E
Altitude difference start and finish: 2,973 m | 1.896 m
Altitude difference uphill and downhill: approx. 1500 m | approx. 2300 m
Duration: 8-10 hours
Best time of year: March to May
How to get there: From St. Moritz in the direction of the Bernina Pass to the valley station of the Diavolezza. Of course, you can also arrive by train!
Other recommendations: Overnight stay either at the Diavolezza or in the winter room of the Marco e Rosa hut recommended.

Note: The PG touring tips are general descriptions of tours that we subjectively like. Our touring tips DO NOT REFER TO CURRENT CONDITIONS. Read the situation report and the weather forecast and plan your tour accordingly.

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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