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Lyskamm

4,527 m

Switzerland, Italy

Also known as Liskamm, ლისკამი, +1

Liskamm · ლისკამი · Лискамм

Elevation
4,527 m
Prominence
379 m
Difficulty
6/10
Alpine climb
Best Season
Jul
Routes
3

  • Hut closedReported 14 Sep 2026 · until 18 Mar 2027

    Monte Rosa Hut closed for the season and its official approach closed. The upper approach (Panoramaweg) is no longer passable: markings and the stair have been removed. The lower 'Alter Weg' is still marked; winter-room users must use it. 2027 seasons announced: ski touring 18 March–17 May, summer 18 June–18 September.

    monterosahuette.ch

  • AdvisoryReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 1 Dec 2026

    Rifugio Quintino Sella: bookings for 2027 are closed until 1 December 2026 while the booking system is updated; the hut was not opened in spring 2026.

    rifugioquintinosella.com

  • AdvisoryReported 16 Jul 2026

    In the hot summer of 2026 some guides reported many open crevasses on the Monte Rosa glacier routes and higher than usual rockfall; check current conditions with the hut before going.

  • AdvisoryReported 8 Jul 2026

    A 34-year-old climber was killed by rockfall at about 4,300 m on the north side of the Lyskamm on 7 July 2026; the Valais prosecutor opened an investigation. Rockfall on the Swiss faces increases in hot spells.

    swissinfo.ch

Routes

3
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Sources differ: SS (Monte Rosa Hut tour list) (monterosahuette.ch)

The normal route to the higher East summit: from the Gnifetti or Mantova hut up the crevassed Lys glacier to the Lisjoch, then a 45° ramp, a long, knife-edged and heavily corniced snow crest, 40–45° slopes on the north side and a short rock step (II) to the top. Short in height gain (about 880 m) but serious: cornice collapses have killed many climbers here.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
3,0003,5004,0004,5005,0000 km123456Punta IndrenCapanna Giovanni GnifettiLisjoch
Distance
6.4 km
one way
Ascent
+1,344 m
−85 m lost on the way up
High Point
4,527 m
Time Up
5h 28m
DIN 33466
Time Down
3h 47m
DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from Staffal (Gressoney) or Alagna take the lifts to Passo dei Salati and the cable car to Punta Indren (3,275 m), then cross the Indren glacier and the short fixed-rope barrier to the Rifugio Città di Mantova (3,498 m) and the Capanna Gnifetti (3,647 m), about 1–1.5 hours. Day two: from the Gnifetti hut climb the left bank of the Lys glacier (many crevasses late in the season), passing below the Pyramide Vincent and the Balmenhorn, to the Lisjoch (4,151 m). Cross the bergschrund and climb the ridge, which steepens to about 45° until it levels out. For a few hundred metres it then becomes a very sharp, narrow crest with cornices on the south (Italian) side that can be very large: stay well off the crest and do not walk in old tracks on the cornice. The ridge then steepens again and widens; climb it on the north side (40–45°) to a cross on the fore-summit and a short rock step (II) to the main East summit (4,527–4,532 m). Descend the same way, which needs the same concentration as the ascent, or continue west along the crest to the West summit and down to the Quintino Sella hut. Climb only in stable, calm weather with well-consolidated snow; turn back if the ridge is corniced in a way you cannot read.

Start

Punta Indren3,269 m

  • Monterosa Ski: Staffal or Alagna to Passo dei Salati, then the Passo dei Salati–Punta Indren cable car (summer)
  • Train to Pont-Saint-Martin, bus up the Gressoney valley to Staffal; or train to Varallo and bus to Alagna Valsesia. Then the Monterosa Ski lifts to Passo dei Salati and Punta Indren.

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Punta Indren → Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti2.2364181h 31m
2Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti → Eastern Lyskamm4.3980673h 56m

Waypoints

  1. Lift:
    Punta Indren3,269 m

    Top station of the Passo dei Salati–Indren cable car

  2. Hut:
    Rifugio Città di Mantova3,448 m
  3. Hut:
    Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti3,616 m
  4. Col:
    Lisjoch4,151 m

    Broad col between the Lyskamm and the Ludwigshöhe; also called Colle del Lys

  5. Summit:
    Eastern Lyskamm4,527 m

Key Passages

  • Crevassed Lys glacier
  • Bergschrund at the Lisjoch
  • 45° ramp onto the ridge
  • Knife-edge corniced crest (cornices on the south side)
  • 40–45° north-side slopes and the rock step (II) below the summit

Equipment

0/12 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

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Overview

A 4 km long, double-summited snow ridge between Monte Rosa and Castor on the Swiss–Italian border, nicknamed the 'man-eater' for its huge, unstable cornices. The East summit (4,532 m) is reached by an AD corniced ridge from the Lisjoch; the full traverse to the West summit is a classic.

The Lyskamm (Liskamm) is the long ice ridge that joins the Monte Rosa massif to the Castor and the Breithorn. Its north side drops to the Grenz and Gorner glaciers above Zermatt in faces of more than 1,000 m; its south side falls to the Lys glacier above Gressoney. It has two summits about 1 km apart: the East summit, 4,527–4,532 m depending on the survey and the highest point, and the West summit at 4,479 m.

The normal route to the East summit starts at the Lisjoch, reached from the Italian Gnifetti and Mantova huts or by the long Grenzgletscher from the Monte Rosa Hut. It is graded AD, with no hard climbing beyond a short II rock step, but the long knife-edge crest carries cornices on the south side that can be enormous. North-easterly winds build them and southerly winds undercut them, and several fatal accidents have happened when climbers walked on cornices that broke. Rockfall and ice avalanches affect the north faces.

The traverse of both summits, usually from the Quintino Sella hut west to east and down to the Gnifetti hut, keeps you above 4,000 m all day and is one of the most famous snow ridges in the Alps. It is a good objective for well-acclimatised parties who are confident on exposed, corniced ground and can judge snow conditions.

Climbing Notes

You need to be secure on 40–45° snow and ice with crampons, move confidently along a narrow, exposed crest, and understand cornices: stay below the crest on the north side where it is corniced, and never follow old tracks onto the cornice. Good glacier skills and crevasse rescue are essential for the Lys glacier and the Grenzgletscher. Acclimatise first with two or three nights above 3,500 m and easier summits such as the Pyramide Vincent, Castor or the Signalkuppe.

Typical itinerary from Italy: lift to Punta Indren, night at the Gnifetti or Mantova hut, East summit and back (about 880 m of ascent), or a traverse from the Quintino Sella hut to the Gnifetti over two days. From Switzerland, plan a night at the Monte Rosa Hut and a 7–8 hour ascent. Many parties take an IFMGA guide, usually one or two clients per guide. Go only in settled, calm weather with well-consolidated snow; after fresh snow and wind the cornices are at their most dangerous.

History

The East summit was first climbed on 19 August 1861 by a large party of eight British climbers (among them William Edward Hall, John Frederick Hardy, Charles Henry Pilkington and Andrew Crombie Ramsay) with the guides Jean-Pierre Cachat, Franz Lochmatter, Karl Herr, Josef-Marie and Peter Perren and Stefan Zumtaugwald, by the route from the Lisjoch. Leslie Stephen and Edward North Buxton, with Jakob Anderegg and Franz Biner, made the first traverse on 16 August 1864. On 6 September 1877 a cornice broke under a party on the ridge and five men, W. A. Lewis and N. Paterson with the guides J. and P.-J. Knubel and the Niklaus brothers, fell about 500 m to the Grenzgletscher; another cornice accident in 1896 killed M. Günther and his guides R. Imoden and P. Ruppen. These and later accidents gave the mountain its nickname, 'Menschenfresser' (man-eater).

Season

Best Jul
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Possible
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Good
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Good
  9. September: Good
  10. October: Not advisable
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; huts closed except winter rooms
Feb
Winter conditions
Mar
Huts reopen late March for ski touring; ridge often wind-loaded
Apr
Possible in spring on ski to the Lisjoch, ridge on foot; Quintino Sella hut was closed in spring 2026
May
Huts closed for part of May
Jun
Huts and lifts reopen; good snow cover but cornices may still be large
Jul
Main season
Aug
Slopes turn icy and crevasses open; rockfall on the north side in heat
Sep
Huts close in early/mid September; often icy
Oct
Huts closed
Nov
Winter conditions
Dec
Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Monte Rosa Hut: online via hut-reservation.org (linked from monterosahuette.ch) or +41 27 967 21 15; reservations for 2027 open at the end of October 2026. Italian huts (Gnifetti, Mantova, Margherita): booking.rifugimonterosa.it or +39 348 1415490. Rifugio Quintino Sella: online via rifugioquintinosella.com or +39 0125 366113 / +39 348 8107793; 2027 bookings closed until 1 December 2026.
Fees
  • Monte Rosa Hut (2026 rates, half board): CHF 92 for alpine-club members, CHF 116 for non-members; cancellation free until 18:00 two days before, later CHF 55, no-show CHF 92
  • Monte Rosa Hut winter room: CHF 38 per night, online booking
  • Capanna Gnifetti (2026, CAI members): €105 half board; non-members pay a surcharge
  • Gornergrat railway (Zermatt–Rotenboden) or Monterosa Ski lift tickets to Punta Indren
Rules
  • Camping is prohibited around the Monte Rosa Hut
  • Sleeping-bag liner compulsory at the Monte Rosa Hut and the Monterosa (Italian) huts
  • Monte Rosa Hut: no self-catering facilities; self-caterers pay a CHF 20 infrastructure fee; tap water is not drinkable
  • Zermatt is car-free: park in Täsch and take the shuttle train
Getting There

Gressoney-La-Trinité or Alagna Valsesia (Italy); Zermatt (Switzerland)

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

  • Zermatt: train via Visp; by car park in Täsch and take the shuttle train
  • Gornergrat railway from Zermatt to Rotenboden (2,815 m), then 4–4.5 hours on foot to the Monte Rosa Hut
  • Italy: bus from Pont-Saint-Martin to Gressoney/Staffal, or from Varallo to Alagna; Monterosa Ski lifts to Passo dei Salati and the Punta Indren cable car (summer season from 30 May in 2026)
  • Gressoney: Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and chairlift to the Colle Bettaforca for the Quintino Sella hut

Hazards

  • Cornices
  • Glacier
  • Crevasses
  • Exposure
  • Altitude
  • Weather
  • Rockfall

Huts & Shelters

4