MountainArea.com - Piz Roseg

Piz Roseg

12916 feet/3937 meters
Lombardia/Graubünden (Bernina), Italy/Switzerland, Europe

Last update: April 15th, 2002
© Copyright by Rahel Maria Liu

Piz Roseg with its impressive Northface

© Copyright by Rahel Maria Liu

Overview

The Piz Roseg is a big firn pyramide on a black rock massiv. The great northface stands out with its heavy ice balconies and hanging glaciers. The Piz Roseg has 2 summits, the main summit with 3937m ( Vanis ) and the secondary summit with 3920m ( Vanis ), the 'Schneekuppe'. You have the best view to the magnificent northface from the NW-ascent/Eisnase to the Piz Scerscen which is located just on the opposite side of the Piz Roseg. Especially, if there are a lot of climbers in this route, you have a lot of waiting time in the rock passages which you can use to get impressed by this great iceface. The impressive effect of this face is reinforced by the the big notch between the Porta da Roseg, which separates this western foremassif from the mainmassif of the Bernina. It seems incredible to find a way through the enormous hanging glaciers to the summit of the Piz Roseg. But this route has already been climbed more than 100 years ago. On the 16. July 1890, Christian Klucker, the most important pioneer of the Bündener Alps, has climbed the NE-face of the Piz Roseg together with Ludwig Norman-Neruda, only a few days after their common victory over the Northface of the Lyskamm . The second climbing of this NE-face of the Piz Roseg has been undertaken not until 1925 by Hans Fritz von Tscharner and his companions, 35 years after the first climb of the northface. In the upper part of the face, they climbed more through the left side then the first climbers. In 1958, Kurt Diemberger and Karl Schönthaler opened the direct route through the northface. They have passed the icebreaks in the left lower part of the face and met the Tscharner-route in the middle of the face. Just because of its extreme difficulties, it is climbed more and more today. The development of "ski extreme", which began during the time between the both world wars, has reached the Piz Roseg as well. This terrifying northface has been gone down with ski by Kurt Jeschke and Martin Burtscher on 4. June 1978. It is extremly dangerous. Heini Holzer, a very successful skimountainer concerning steep faces, had been fallen to death here in the Roseg-NE-face one year ago. The littlest mistake in this face is probably the last one.

Routes Overview

1. NE-face:

52°, different routes, 650 hm, 4-6 h ( Vanis )

2. N-ridge (Eselsgrat):

3 h down to the Tschiervahut via the Tschiervaglacier ( Vanis )

3. NW-ridge (over Aguagliouls-saddle):

3 h down ( Vanis )

Getting There

1. To the Piz Roseg:

You come from the Tschiervahütte: cross the glacier with direction to the W-foot of Piz Umur, from there you go the steeper snowflank up and on the glacier along the west side of Piz Umur.

2. To the Tschiervahütte:

You reach the hut from Pontresina: on foot (1h), by mountainbike (to rent at Roseg-inn) or with coach (reservation by phone necessary!) to the Roseg-Inn (1999) in Roseg valley. You only have to follow the wide road.

From Roseg-Inn, you cross the river via a bridge and go along the river till the way goes up over the hangs. You follow the way all the time and reach in 2 h the Tschiervahütte.

You reach Pontresina by train or car on the road no. 29 from Samedan. You reach Samedan on the road no. 27 either from the NE (Zernez, via road no. 28 from Davos in the N or from Bozen in the E) or from the SW from St. Moritz. To St. Moritz a few kilometers on the road no. 27 from Silvaplana (and the Lago di Como). To Silvaplana, you can come also from the N from Chur on the road no. 3. To Chur: On the A13 from the N from the Bodensee.

When To Climb

Summer (june to september)

Camping and/or Accomodation

There is a camping ground in Morteratsch, 10 min. by train from Pontresina.

Mountainhuts

Tschiervahütte (2580 m)

Tschiervahütte

Mountain Conditions and General Information

1. GENERAL INFOS:

Phone-numbers:

Coacher (for reservation): 0041/81/8426057

Roseg-Inn: 0041/81/8426445