Castor

4,225 m

Switzerland, Italy

Also known as Cástor, Punta Castore, +2

Cástor · Punta Castore · კასტორი · Кастор

Elevation: 4,225 m
Prominence: 156 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Jul–Aug
Routes: 2

Routes

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The easiest way up Castor: from the Rifugio Quintino Sella (3,585 m) above Gressoney, up the Felik glacier and a 35° slope to the Colle del Felik (4,061 m), then a narrow, often corniced snow ridge over Punta Felik to the summit. About 640 m and 3 hours from the hut; exposure on the final ridge is the main difficulty.

Elevation Profile

Distance: 7.5 km; one way
Ascent: +1,579 m; −54 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,225 m
Time Up: 6h 19m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 4h 17m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from Staffal (Gressoney-La-Trinité) take the Sant'Anna cable car and the chairlift to the Colle Bettaforca (about 2,670 m), or a 4WD taxi. Follow path 9 north along the broad ridge between the Gressoney and Ayas valleys, over large boulder fields to about 3,350 m and the Passo della Bettolina, then along an exposed rocky crest equipped with fixed ropes, handrails and a wooden bridge to the Rifugio Quintino Sella (3,585 m). Allow about 3–3.5 hours and 900–970 m of ascent. Day two: from the hut go north up the gentle Felik glacier, passing below Punta Perazzi, to the foot of the steep slope under the Colle del Felik. Climb it diagonally rightwards (about 35°) to the snowy crest near some rock outcrops and follow it to the Colle del Felik (4,061 m), about 2 hours. Cross a short flat section, climb the steep snow or ice slope to Punta Felik (about 4,176 m) and follow the ridge, airy in places and corniced towards the south-west, to the summit (about 1 hour). Descend the same way, or traverse the mountain and go down the north-west face to the Zwillingsjoch and the Ayas huts. The Felik glacier has open crevasses and can be icy just above the hut, especially in dry summers.

Start

Colle Bettaforca2,700 m

Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and Sant'Anna–Bettaforca chairlift (summer; limited dates)
Train to Pont-Saint-Martin (Turin–Aosta line), bus up the Gressoney valley to Staffal, then the Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and Bettaforca chairlift.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Colle Bettaforca → Rifugio Quintino Sella	4.4	912	20	3h 38m
2	Rifugio Quintino Sella → Castor	3.1	665	34	2h 41m

Waypoints

Lift:
Colle Bettaforca2,700 m
Top of the Sant'Anna–Bettaforca chairlift
Hut:
Rifugio Quintino Sella3,595 m
Col:
Colle del Felik4,067 m
Summit:
Castor4,225 m

Key Passages

Equipped rocky crest and wooden bridge below the Rifugio Quintino Sella
Felik glacier crevasses
35° slope to the Colle del Felik
Steep slope to Punta Felik
Narrow, corniced SE ridge to the summit

Equipment

0/10 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 85%

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Overview

A 4,225 m snow peak on the Swiss–Italian border in the Monte Rosa massif, twin of Pollux. Its normal route from the Rifugio Quintino Sella above Gressoney is a short PD- glacier climb finishing on a narrow, corniced crest, one of the more accessible 4,000 m summits in the Alps.

Castor (Castore in Italian) stands on the main Alpine watershed between Valais and the Aosta Valley, at the western end of the Monte Rosa chain between the Zwillingsjoch (about 3,848 m), which separates it from Pollux, and the Colle del Felik (4,061 m), beyond which rise the Lyskamm. The Gemini names come from the pair of peaks seen from Zermatt, where the Zwillinge (twins) close the view across the Gorner glacier.

From Italy it is a classic first or second 4,000er. The Rifugio Quintino Sella sits at 3,585 m, so the summit day is only about 640 m: up the Felik glacier to the Colle del Felik, over Punta Felik and along an exposed, often corniced snow ridge to the top. The north-west face above the Zwillingsjoch, approached from the Ayas huts or in a long day from Klein Matterhorn above Zermatt, is slightly steeper (45–50° below the ridge), and many parties traverse the mountain by both lines.

The ascents are short for their altitude, which means many people arrive poorly acclimatised. Crevasses on the Felik and Verra glaciers, cornices on the summit ridges and icy slopes in dry summers are the main hazards. In good weather the summit gives a close view of the Lyskamm, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.

Climbing Notes

You need basic glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue), confidence in crampons on 35–50° snow and a steady head for a narrow, exposed ridge. Technical difficulty is low, but acclimatisation matters: sleeping at 3,585 m on the first night is a big jump, so if possible spend a night lower down (for example around 2,500–3,000 m) or climb a smaller peak first.

Typical itinerary from Gressoney: lifts from Staffal to the Colle Bettaforca, 3–3.5 hours on a marked path with an equipped crest to the Rifugio Quintino Sella, then a pre-dawn start, the summit in about 3 hours and the descent to the valley the same day. From Ayas, stay at the Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas (about 5 hours from Saint-Jacques) and climb the north-west face. Castor is often combined with Pollux, the Breithorn or the Lyskamm traverse during a few days of hut-to-hut climbing. Local guides from Gressoney, Champoluc and Zermatt lead it regularly. Check the Bettaforca chairlift's limited summer dates before planning.

History

First ascent on 23 August 1861 by F. W. Jacomb and William Mathews with the guide Michel Croz.

Season

Best Jul–Aug

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

Jan: Winter; huts closed or winter rooms only
Feb: Winter
Mar: Ski-mountaineering season begins; winter rooms
Apr: Spring ski mountaineering; some huts open mid-April in some years
May: Spring snow; huts mostly closed late May
Jun: Quintino Sella opens early June (2026: 6 June); good snow cover
Jul: Main season; Bettaforca chairlift weekends only in July 2026
Aug: Main season; Bettaforca chairlift daily in August; more ice and open crevasses
Sep: Huts close mid-September; icier slopes
Oct: Huts closed; early winter
Nov: Winter
Dec: Winter

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Rifugio Quintino Sella: online via rifugioquintinosella.com or +39 0125 366113. Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas: +39 0125 307294 (Società delle Guide di Champoluc-Ayas).

Fees

Rifugio Quintino Sella and Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas: half board (see hut websites for current prices)
Monterosa Ski lift tickets (Staffal–Sant'Anna–Bettaforca)
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car ticket for the Klein Matterhorn approach

Rules

The Bettaforca chairlift runs only on limited summer dates (2026: weekends in July and daily in August); otherwise walk or take a 4WD taxi
Rifugio Quintino Sella: reservation required in season; not open in spring 2026

Getting There

Gressoney-La-Trinité (Italy); Champoluc/Saint-Jacques (Ayas) and Zermatt (Switzerland) for the other approaches

Turin (TRN) or Milan Malpensa (MXP); Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH) via Zermatt

Gressoney: train to Pont-Saint-Martin, then bus up the Lys valley to Gressoney-La-Trinité/Staffal
Monterosa Ski summer lifts: Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and Sant'Anna–Bettaforca chairlift (2026 summer season from 30 May, with limited Bettaforca dates)
Ayas: train to Verrès, bus to Champoluc and Saint-Jacques; 4WD taxi to Pian di Verra Superiore
Zermatt: train via Visp; Matterhorn Glacier Paradise lifts to Klein Matterhorn

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Altitude
Cornices
Exposure
Weather

Huts & Shelters

Rifugio Ottorino MezzalamaRefugeStaffed
3,009 m
Rifugio Guide della Val d'AyasRefugeStaffedBooking required
80 beds · Typically mid-April to May and late June to mid-September; winter room
3,420 m
Rifugio Quintino SellaRefugeStaffedBooking required
140 beds · Summer; 2026 season 6 June – 12 September (no spring opening in 2026); winter room
Book Rifugio Quintino Sella
3,585 m