Breithornzwillinge

4,106 m

Switzerland

Also known as Östlicher Breithornzwilling, Breithornzwilling Este, +2

Östlicher Breithornzwilling · Breithornzwilling Este · Gemello del Breithorn · ბრაიტჰორნცვილინგე

Elevation: 4,106 m
Prominence: 36 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Jul
Routes: 2

Routes

3D Preview

Open 3D

AlpinePD+GlacierNormal route

Sources differ: F+ (SummitPost (Roccia Nera normal route, to the ridge only)) · AD (Camptocamp (as part of the full Breithorn traverse))

The 4,106 m eastern Breithorn twin (marked 'Gendarm' on Swiss maps) is reached as a short extension of the Roccia Nera normal route: a crevassed glacier traverse from the Klein Matterhorn lift to the Rossi-Volante bivouac, a 40–45° snow slope to the ridge, then a corniced snow and mixed crest west to the rocky top.

About <1% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.

Why? 2 check notes

ascent 528 m is 1.9× the net gain 281 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
waypoints not on the route line: Breithornpass (222 m off the trail)

Elevation Profile

Distance: 5.3 km; one way
Ascent: +528 m; −246 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,106 m
Time Up: 2h 55m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 2h 32m; DIN 33466 · same way back

This is not a separate mountain so much as a gendarme on the Breithorn ridge between Breithorn East (4,139 m) and Roccia Nera (4,075 m), with about 36 m of prominence. Nobody climbs it on its own line: it is reached either as an out-and-back extension of the Roccia Nera ascent, or in passing on the Breithorn traverse. From the Klein Matterhorn top station (about 3,820 m) cross the Breithorn plateau to the Breithornpass, leave the trodden track to the main Breithorn summit, and traverse east across the upper Verra Glacier below the south faces of the Breithorn, passing below point 3,831 m and losing about 100–130 m. The glacier here is crevassed and the track changes from week to week. Below the Roccia Nera spur, cross the bergschrund and climb short rocky steps with fixed ropes to the Rossi-Volante bivouac (about 3,750 m); Camptocamp puts the approach at about 1½ hours. Early in the season a higher line towards the Sattel (4,022 m) avoids the worst crevasses. Above the bivouac a steep snow or ice slope (about 40°, sometimes harder ice near the top) leads to the ridge just west of Roccia Nera's summit, often under a cornice. Roccia Nera itself is a few minutes east. Turn west along the broad, corniced snow ridge; it steepens into mixed ground, a short gully of around 50° and a rock step with one awkward move onto the mixed top of point 4,106 m. SummitPost puts the bivouac to the summit at about 2 hours. Descend the same way to the bivouac and reverse the glacier traverse to the lift, allowing for the reascent to the Breithornpass and the last lift down. Parties continuing the traverse west make a 20–25 m abseil from a chained anchor on the north side of the summit and carry on to Breithorn East.

Start

Klein Matterhorn3,825 m

Zermatt–Trockener Steg–Klein Matterhorn (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise) cable cars; or Breuil-Cervinia–Plan Maison–Testa Grigia
Train to Zermatt via Visp (or shuttle train from Täsch), then the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable cars to Klein Matterhorn. From Italy: bus to Breuil-Cervinia and the cable car to Testa Grigia (Plateau Rosa).

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Klein Matterhorn → Breithornzwillinge	5.3	528	246	2h 55m

Waypoints

Lift:
Klein Matterhorn3,825 m
Top station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car from Zermatt; Testa Grigia (3,480 m) is the Italian alternative
Col:
Breithornpass3,805 m
not on route line
Bivouac:
Bivacco Rossi e Volante3,775 m
Unstaffed CAI UGET bivouac on a rock spur above the Schwarztor
Shoulder:
Roccia Nera4,068 m
The ridge is gained just west of this summit
Summit:
Breithornzwillinge4,106 m

Key Passages

Crevassed traverse of the upper Verra Glacier below the Breithorn south faces
Bergschrund and fixed-rope steps up to the Rossi-Volante bivouac
40–45° snow/ice slope to the ridge west of Roccia Nera
Corniced snow ridge west towards the twin
Short gully (about 50°) and a rock step to the mixed summit

Equipment

0/10 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 75%

Download GPX Download KML

Overview

A 4,106 m snow-and-rock gendarme on the Breithorn ridge between Breithorn East and Roccia Nera, on the Swiss–Italian border above Zermatt. It has only about 36 m of prominence and is climbed as a short, steep extension of the Roccia Nera ascent or in passing on the Breithorn traverse.

The Breithornzwillinge (Breithorn twins) are the two eastern tops of the 4 km Breithorn ridge: the higher western twin, usually called Breithorn East (about 4,139 m), and this eastern twin at 4,106 m, which Swisstopo maps simply label 'Gendarm'. In Italian it is the Gemello del Breithorn. It sits between Breithorn East and Roccia Nera, above the Schwarztor (Porta Nera) and the upper Verra Glacier, and is on the UIAA list of Alpine 4,000 m summits, which is the main reason people seek it out.

The south side is a glacier slope of 40–45°; the north side drops as a steep mixed wall to the Schwarzgletscher. The usual way up is the Roccia Nera normal route from the Rossi-Volante bivouac, turning west along the ridge instead of east. That last section is short but steeper and more exposed than anything on the nearby Breithorn West normal route: a corniced snow crest, a gully of around 50° that is often icy, and a rock step to a small mixed top.

Because the Klein Matterhorn and Testa Grigia lifts put you at 3,480–3,820 m, the twin can be climbed in a day from Zermatt or Breuil-Cervinia, but the glacier crossing below the Breithorn is crevassed and the timing against the last lift down is tight. Many parties sleep at the Rossi-Volante bivouac or the Guide d'Ayas hut and combine it with Roccia Nera, Pollux or the whole Breithorn traverse.

Climbing Notes

You need to be fit enough for 6–8 hours at 3,700–4,100 m, competent at roped glacier travel and crevasse rescue, and comfortable on 40–50° snow and ice with crampons and one axe. The rock step and gully below the summit are short but exposed; a few ice screws and slings make them safer. Parties without that experience should hire a guide or turn round at Roccia Nera.

Acclimatise first, for example with a night at 3,000 m or more and an ascent of Breithorn West. Typical plans are: first lift from Zermatt to Klein Matterhorn, about 1½ hours to the Rossi-Volante bivouac, 2 hours to the summit, and back to the lift before the last descent; or a night at the bivouac (10–12 places, no reservations, often full) or at the Guide d'Ayas hut, then Roccia Nera and the twin early the next morning, possibly continuing over Breithorn East, Central and West (AD, 5–8 hours). Cornices overhang the north side of the ridge: keep to the south of the crest.

History

Camptocamp credits the first east–west traverse of the Breithorn ridge to J. Stafford Anderson with the guides Ulrich Almer and Aloys Pollinger on 16 August 1884, bypassing Roccia Nera and the Central Breithorn on the south; the first complete traverse was by Eduard Hahn and companions on 19 July 1900. The north-east side of the twin has hard modern lines, including the ENE wall (Anna Molinari and O. Frachey, 23 September 1951) and Giancarlo Grassi's NE face route (with B. Mailhot, 30 June 1984).

Season

Best Jul

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Possible
April: Possible
May: Possible
June: Good
July: Best (best window)
August: Good
September: Good
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Winter; ski-mountaineering only, very cold and windy
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Ski tours to Roccia Nera are possible; the ridge to the twin is often icy
Apr: Ski-mountaineering season; Guide d'Ayas hut open from mid-April
May: Spring snow; crevasses well bridged
Jun: Good snow cover on the glacier; Guide d'Ayas hut reopens around 20 June
Jul: Main season
Aug: Crevasses open on the Verra Glacier; summit slope and gully often bare ice
Sep: Quieter; icy slopes and open crevasses; huts close mid-September
Oct: Short days, early snow; huts closed (bivouac always open)
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas: Società delle Guide di Champoluc-Ayas (+39 0125 307294). Rifugio Ottorino Mezzalama: CAI Torino. The Rossi-Volante bivouac cannot be reserved.

Fees

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car (Zermatt–Klein Matterhorn) or Breuil-Cervinia–Testa Grigia cable car ticket
Bivacco Rossi e Volante: overnight fee paid in cash at the bivouac (about EUR 10–15; not verified for the current season)

Rules

Zermatt is car-free: park in Täsch and take the shuttle train
Bivacco Rossi e Volante cannot be booked; places are first come, first served

Getting There

Zermatt (Switzerland); Breuil-Cervinia or Champoluc (Italy)

Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH) for Zermatt; Turin (TRN) or Milan Malpensa (MXP) for the Italian side

Zermatt: train via Visp; by car, park in Täsch and take the shuttle train. Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable cars to Klein Matterhorn (about 3,820 m)
Breuil-Cervinia: train to Châtillon-Saint-Vincent and bus up the Valtournenche; cable car via Plan Maison to Testa Grigia (3,480 m)
Val d'Ayas: train to Verrès, bus towards Champoluc; road to Saint-Jacques (1,689 m), with a 4WD taxi part of the way to Pian di Verra

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Cornices
Altitude
Exposure
Weather

Huts & Shelters

Rifugio Ottorino MezzalamaRefugeStaffed
About mid-June to end of September, and spring ski-touring season
Website of Rifugio Ottorino Mezzalama
3,036 m
Rifugio Guide della Val d'AyasRefugeStaffed
80 beds · About 15 April – 20 May and 20 June – 15 September; winter room with 16 places
Website of Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas
3,420 m
Bivacco Rossi e VolanteBivouacUnstaffed
10 beds · Always open, unstaffed; renovated 2022
Website of Bivacco Rossi e Volante
3,750 m