Corn da Tinizong
3,173 m
Switzerland
Also known as Тинзенхорн, Tinzenhorn, +1Also known as
Тинзенхорн · Tinzenhorn · კორნ-და-ტინიძონგი
- Elevation
- 3,173 m
- Prominence
- 474 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Ela-Hütte SAC → Bot Radond: straight line 1738 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Ela-Hütte SAC → Bot Radond: straight line: 62° over 25 m (> 55°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Ela-Hütte SAC → Bot Radond: sustained 56° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 1729 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Ela-Hütte SAC → Corn da Tinizong: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 1.7 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Fil da Stidier, Summit block chimneys
- waypoints not on the route line: Bot Radond (263 m off the trail)
Sources differ: PD+ (hikr.org (WS+, II+)) · II+ (hikr.org)
The first ascensionists' line up the 'little Matterhorn of Graubünden': from the Ela-Hütte (2,252 m) over grass and scree to ledges below the north-east ridge (Fil da Stidier), then short chimneys, gullies and an exposed step on the summit ridge (II to II+) on dolomite. About 900 m and 3–4 hours from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 11.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,204 m
- −112 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,173 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 9h 01m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 14m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Reach the Ela-Hütte (2,252 m) from Filisur station through the Val Spadlatscha (T2, 4 hours, 1,270 m) or from Bergün via the Chamanna d'Uglix and the pass at P. 2385. From the hut, walk south to about 2,300 m, then climb west steeply over grass and rock to the scree slope north of Bot Radond (2,509 m), and follow traces and cairns to the broad rock rib that comes down from P. 2854 on the north-east ridge (Fil da Stidier), T3. Continue west on scree and then on ledges below the north-east ridge (cairns) to a notch at about 3,000 m, where people leave their poles. Go easily onto the ridge and along it to the summit block. Traverse left on a ledge into the south-east flank, climb the right-hand of three chimneys for about 5 m (II+, sling, abseil point), then trend left over inclined terraces, a gully (II), a rock rib (II) and a narrow gully (II) to the summit ridge. Climb over a first gendarme (II), step down about 2 m, exposed, onto a sloping ledge on the north-west side, and regain the crest by a steep, juggy step to the summit. Several variants are cairned. Descend the same way; the abseil points can be downclimbed when dry. Alternatively, from about 2,550 m traverse the east flank south on scree to the marked path over the Pass digls Orgels (2,699 m) and descend past Lai Tigiel to Tinizong in the Surses. Snow on the shaded north side makes the route considerably harder.
Start
Filisur1,081 m
- Rhaetian Railway (Albula line) to Filisur or Bergün/Bravuogn; from Tinizong, Postauto along the Julier route.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filisur → Ela-Hütte SAC | 9.9 | 1,246 | 79 | 5h 32m |
| 2 | Ela-Hütte SAC → Corn da Tinizong | 1.7 | 953 | 32 | 3h 28m |
Waypoints
- Station: Filisur1,081 m
- Hut: Ela-Hütte SAC2,252 m
- Feature: Bot Radond2,508 m
Scree slope on its north side (not on route line)
- Summit: Corn da Tinizong3,173 m
Key Passages
- Steep grass and rock above the hut to the scree north of Bot Radond
- Ledges below the Fil da Stidier
- Chimney into the south-east flank (II+)
- Exposed step down onto a sloping ledge on the summit ridge
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The Tinzenhorn (3,173 m), a slender dolomite spire between the Albula valley and the Surses, often called the 'little Matterhorn' of Graubünden. Its north-east-face normal route from the unstaffed Ela-Hütte is a PD scramble with short pitches of II.
Corn da Tinizong, better known by its German name Tinzenhorn, stands east of Savognin and south-west of Filisur in the Bergün group of the Albula Alps, at the heart of Parc Ela. Its four faces drop in broken dolomite walls, giving the peak an almost Gothic outline that the painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner put in many of his Davos-period landscapes. Late-Triassic sauropod footprints, among the oldest known, have been found on the mountain. Below its 500 m south face lie the Pass digls Orgels, named for organ-pipe-like dolomite towers, and the lake Lai Tigiel.
The normal route, the line of the first ascensionists, climbs the north-east side from the Ela-Hütte: steep grass and scree, then ledges below the north-east ridge and a summit block with short chimneys, gullies and an exposed step, graded WS (PD) with moves of II to II+. From the Surses, the west ridge (ZS) is the normal route; the south face and south ridge carry hard rock climbs up to EX.
The Tinzenhorn suits sure-footed scramblers who are at ease on loose rock and may want a rope for a few moves. It is often combined with Piz Ela from the same hut.
Climbing Notes
Requirements: sure-footedness on steep grass, scree and loose dolomite, scrambling to II+ with some exposure, and abseiling or confident downclimbing. A helmet is essential; a 30 m rope and a few slings let a party belay the chimneys and abseil when wet. Guides offer it as a two-day trip with Piz Ela, July to September.
Typical itinerary: train to Filisur and 4 hours through the Val Spadlatscha to the self-catering Ela-Hütte (or from Bergün via the Chamanna d'Uglix). Next day 3–4 hours to the summit, then either back to the hut and Filisur, or traverse from about 2,550 m to the Pass digls Orgels and descend past Lai Tigiel to Tinizong in the Surses, for a crossing of the range.
The shaded north-east side holds snow after early or late-season snowfall, which makes the ledges and chimneys much harder; a light ice axe helps then. Carry food: the hut serves no meals.
History
The first ascent was made on 7 August 1866 by Douglas William Freshfield, François Devouassoud and E. Hauser with Peter Jenny and Alex Flury, by today's north-east-face route. Parc Ela, which surrounds the peak, opened in 2006.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Snow on the north-east side
- Jun
- Late snow on ledges and chimneys
- Jul
- Season; hut warden present at weekends
- Aug
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often dry; watch for early snow late in the month
- Oct
- Possible if dry; shaded north side may be snowy
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Ela-Hütte SAC: compulsory reservation via alpsonline.org; no phone bookings.
- Fees
- Ela-Hütte overnight fee (from 1 November 2024): CHF 23 for SAC/alpine club members, CHF 33 for non-member adults
- Toll for private vehicles on the Val d'Err alp road from Tinizong to Pensa (Surses side)
- Rules
- The Ela-Hütte is self-catering and reservation is compulsory, online via alpsonline.org only
- The mountain lies within Parc Ela regional nature park
- Getting There
Filisur and Bergün/Bravuogn (Albula side); Savognin and Tinizong (Surses side)
Zurich (ZRH)
- Rhaetian Railway (Albula line) to Filisur, then 4 h on foot (T2) to the Ela-Hütte
- Rhaetian Railway to Bergün/Bravuogn, then the hut path via the Chamanna d'Uglix
- Surses side: Postauto to Tinizong or Savognin; a small road leads from Savognin to the car park at Plang la Curvanera, start for the west ridge and south-face routes
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,252 m
Ela-Hütte SACHutUnstaffedBooking required
26 beds · Open all year, unstaffed; a section member is present at weekends from July to October