Basòdino
3,272 m
Switzerland, Italy
Also known as Monte Basòdino, ბაზოდინო, +1Also known as
Monte Basòdino · ბაზოდინო · Basodino
- Elevation
- 3,272 m
- Prominence
- 960 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Lift closedReported 7 Oct 2026 · until 12 Jun 2027
The San Carlo–Robiei cable car's 2026 season ended in early October; the operator's website already lists the next season as 12 June – 10 October 2027. Until then Robiei is reached only on foot.
robiei.ch
Routes
1Sources differ: F (Hikr reports) · PD+ (SAC Tourenportal (ski-touring version, no. 514a))
The Swiss normal route: cable car from San Carlo to Robiei (1,890 m), a marked path to Randinascia, cairned slabs to the shrinking Basòdino glacier and a short ridge of blocks (I–II) to the summit cross. About 1,400 m of ascent from the Capanna Basodino.
About 89% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- 89% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.46
- Capanna Basodino CAS → Basòdino: dem (detour, 5.6 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Randinascia, Ghiacciaio del Basòdino, East ridge saddle
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 6.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,529 m
- −151 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,272 m
- Time Up
- 6h 11m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 21m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Robiei top station (about 1,890 m) or the Capanna Basodino just below it (1,856 m), follow the road towards the Lago del Zött for a few minutes to a signed junction (Bocchetta di Val Maggia, Randinascia, Basodino) and climb left in zigzags. A small valley right of a stream leads over a little saddle into the grassy basin of Randinascia (2,156 m). Continue up the Valletta di Fiorina and, where the Bocchetta di Val Maggia path branches right, follow the blue-signed Basodino route left up a steep scree slope beside a rock step. Cairns and marks lead over grass, stones and then glacier-polished slabs, trending right then left to avoid smooth slabs, to the tongues of the Basòdino glacier. Rope up and climb the glacier, first towards the Pizzo di Cavergno, then diagonally left to a saddle at the foot of the east ridge (reported at about 3,014 m in summer and about 3,170 m as the ski depot). The glacier has few crevasses but is confusing in poor visibility. The east ridge is a crest of stacked blocks and steps (I with short II passages), followed on or just right of the crest to the first summit block with the summit book and a small Madonna; a short drop and a small tower lead to the highest point and the metal cross. Descend the same way. Allow 4–5 hours up from the hut, and if relying on the cable car, check the last departure from Robiei; the path between San Carlo and the hut (T2) takes about 3 hours up.
Start
Robiei1,894 m
- San Carlo–Robiei cable car (about 15 minutes), usually mid-June to early October; CHF 24 return for adults; the last departure from Robiei is 16:45 (17:20 at weekends and holidays).
- Train to Locarno, PostBus up the Valle Maggia and Val Bavona to San Carlo, then the cable car to Robiei; several cable car departures connect with the PostBus.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robiei → Capanna Basodino CAS | 0.7 | 0 | 37 | 13m |
| 2 | Capanna Basodino CAS → Basòdino | 5.6 | 1,530 | 114 | 6h 02m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Robiei1,894 m
Top station of the San Carlo–Robiei cable car
- Hut: Capanna Basodino CAS1,857 m
- Summit: Basòdino3,272 m
Key Passages
- Steep scree beside the rock step above the Valletta di Fiorina
- Cairned, glacier-polished slabs below the glacier
- Basòdino glacier (route-finding in poor visibility)
- East ridge of blocks and steps (I–II)
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 46%Overview
A 3,272 m glaciated summit on the Swiss–Italian border at the head of the Val Bavona, Ticino's second-highest peak after the Rheinwaldhorn. A cable car to Robiei makes the easy glacier and ridge climb a straightforward two-day trip.
The Basòdino stands on the frontier between Ticino and Piedmont's Val Formazza, above the reservoirs of Robiei at the head of the Val Bavona. Its broad north-east side carries the Basòdino glacier, explored by a glaciological trail from Robiei; it is retreating steadily, and the slabs it has left are now a large part of the approach. The summit is a short crest with two tops: the first with the summit book and a Madonna, the second, slightly higher, with a metal cross.
The San Carlo–Robiei cable car, built for the hydro scheme, lifts walkers to about 1,890 m, where the Capanna Basodino and a hotel stand near the dams. From there the normal route climbs marked paths and cairned slabs to the glacier, then an easy ridge of blocks to the top. It is graded F+ in summer and is a common first glacier summit for Ticino climbers. The Italian side, reached from Riale in the Val Formazza, has more serious routes, including the SSW ridge from Rifugio Piano delle Creste.
In winter and spring the peak is a popular ski tour from Robiei, All'Acqua and the Val Formazza, although the cable car does not run then.
Climbing Notes
Requires basic glacier skills and fitness for about 1,400 m of ascent and 7–9 hours round trip from the hut; the ridge is easy scrambling (I–II) but needs care when snowy or icy. Altitude is not an issue. Without glacier experience, go with a guide.
Typical itinerary: cable car from San Carlo to Robiei and a night at the Capanna Basodino or the Robiei hotel, then an early start for the summit and back to Robiei for the afternoon cable car (last departure 16:45, 17:20 at weekends). The glacier has few open crevasses on the usual line, but the slabs and glacier are confusing in fog; follow the cairns carefully.
The summer season runs from late June, once the slabs are free of snow, to September. In spring it is a ski tour, but the cable car is closed, so the hut is reached on foot or on ski from Val Bedretto.
History
Gulliver.it gives the first known ascent as 3 September 1863, by Swiss topographers via the east side. The first tourist ascent is credited by Camptocamp to William Dawes Freshfield in 1865, probably with Antonio Zertanna, innkeeper at the Frua in the Val Formazza. Luigi Brioschi, Carlo R. Baumann, the guide Silvio Padovani and the porter Ferdinando Tonini traversed from the south summit to the main summit on 6 August 1875, and Arthur Cust climbed the SSW ridge to the south summit alone on 19 September 1878.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; cable car closed; hut winter room only
- Feb
- Ski-touring for experienced parties; long approach without the cable car
- Mar
- Ski-touring; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring season from All'Acqua, Robiei or the Val Formazza
- May
- Late ski tours; cable car still closed
- Jun
- Cable car opens mid-June; lots of snow on the slabs and glacier
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; glacier increasingly bare and icy
- Sep
- Often settled; bare ice on the glacier
- Oct
- Cable car closes in early October; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Capanna Basodino (CAS Locarno): phone +41 91 753 27 97, email info@capannabasodino.ch, or via capannabasodino.ch.
- Fees
- San Carlo–Robiei cable car: CHF 19 one way, CHF 24 return for adults; 20% off with the Ticino Ticket; 50% off the return fare for Robiei hotel guests
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The cable car does not carry mountain bikes
- The summit ridge is the Swiss–Italian border
- Getting There
San Carlo (Val Bavona); Bignasco and Cevio in the Valle Maggia; Locarno
Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Train to Locarno, then PostBus up the Valle Maggia to Bignasco and the Val Bavona to San Carlo (about 1 hour from Locarno); several cable car departures connect with the bus
- By car: Locarno – Valle Maggia – Bignasco – Val Bavona; parking at the San Carlo cable car station about 1.5 km beyond San Carlo
- San Carlo–Robiei cable car to 1,890 m, then 5–10 minutes down to the Capanna Basodino; on foot from San Carlo about 3 hours (T2)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,856 m
Capanna Basodino CASHutStaffed
59 beds · Fully staffed May to September, partly October to April; winter room with 20 places open all year