Muttler
3,294 m
Switzerland
Also known as მუტლერიAlso known as
მუტლერი
- Elevation
- 3,294 m
- Prominence
- 701 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T4 (Camptocamp (loop via the north and south-west ridges))
A long but technically easy walk to the highest summit of the Samnaun group: up the Val Maisas from Samnaun Dorf, past the Rotes Seeli to the Rossbodenjoch (2,744 m), then a well-trodden path up the scree and shale of the north ridge. About 1,470 m of ascent and 7½–8 hours for the round trip.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 6.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,454 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,294 m
- Time Up
- 5h 42m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the large car park at Votlas in Samnaun Dorf (about 1,850 m), just east of the Maisasbach. A marked path climbs the east side of the stream past the sheep pen at Tea Nascha and the herders' hut (Point 2030) into the head of the Val Maisas; the turn-offs for the Stammerjoch (2,181 m) and Maisasjoch (2,430 m) stay on the right (T2, about 1½ hours). At about 2,530 m the path, now fainter but still marked, runs 300 m north to the small Rotes Seeli, then climbs east to the Rossbodenjoch (2,744 m; 45 minutes), with a view south into the Val Sampuoir and the Mundin group. From the col a well-worn trace climbs the broad north-west flank, always just west of the north ridge, bypassing the rock steps at Point 2844 on the west side. Above about 3,000 m it becomes markedly steeper and more tiring on loose shale, but there is no real difficulty when the slope is free of snow (T3, about 1¼ hours to the summit). Return the same way. Gipfelbuch.ch section times add up to about 3½ hours for the ascent; the regional tourism office gives 14.8 km, 1,472 m and 7 hours 35 minutes for the round trip. Camptocamp describes a loop descending the south-west ridge, with a few short cabled passages just below the summit, then a red-and-white marked path across the north-west scree from about 3,040 m back to the Val Maisas.
Start
Samnaun Dorf (Votlas car park)1,844 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, PostBus via Martina to Samnaun-Dorf, Riva (hourly).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samnaun Dorf (Votlas car park) → Muttler | 6.7 | 1,454 | 5 | 5h 42m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Samnaun Dorf (Votlas car park)1,844 m
Bus stop Samnaun-Dorf, Riva is about 250 m north
- Feature: Tea Nascha1,921 m
Sheep pen in the Val Maisas
- Col: Rossbodenjoch2,743 m
- Summit: Muttler3,294 m
Key Passages
- Faint path from 2,530 m to the Rossbodenjoch
- Steep, loose shale on the north-west flank above 3,000 m (slippery when wet or icy)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
At 3,294 m the highest summit of the Samnaun group, a broad shale pyramid between Samnaun and the Lower Engadine. A marked path leads to the top from Samnaun with no technical difficulty, but it is a long day: about 1,470 m of ascent and 7½–8 hours there and back.
The Muttler rises at the head of the Val Maisas above Samnaun and the Val Sampuoir and Val Ruinais on the Lower Engadine side. It is the highest point of the chain that runs east from the Silvretta between Samnaun and the Lower Engadine, which also includes the Stammerspitz (Piz Tschütta) and Piz Mundin. Seen from the north it is a broad, dark heap of shale; the striking Stammerspitz across the valley looks far more impressive.
From the summit the view takes in the Silvretta, Bernina, Verwall, Ötztal Alps and Ortler, and on clear days Lake Constance and the Zugspitze. It is one of the higher summits in Graubünden that a fit hill walker can reach on paths.
The normal route from Samnaun is marked and, when snow-free (usually July to mid-September), technically easy. The upper north flank is steep, loose shale that is often wet or frozen because it faces north. Routes from the south start at Tschlin or Vnà in the Lower Engadine, and the mountain is also a ski tour.
Climbing Notes
The challenge is length rather than technique: plan 7½–8 hours for the round trip from Samnaun Dorf with about 1,470 m of ascent, and start early to be off the summit before afternoon storms. In good summer conditions sturdy boots are enough. With hard snow, firn or frozen ground the summit flank becomes dangerous, because a slip on the steep shale can be hard to stop; carry crampons or at least microspikes early and late in the season. The herders' hut at Point 2030 has been used for bivouacs, but there is no public hut on the route, so most parties stay in Samnaun.
History
First ascent on 29 June 1858 by the Swiss alpinist Johann Jakob Weilenmann.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- 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
- Ski tour only, for experienced ski-mountaineers
- Feb
- Ski tour only, for experienced ski-mountaineers
- Mar
- Ski-touring season
- Apr
- Ski-touring season
- May
- Snowmelt; deep wet snow above 2,700 m
- Jun
- Snow often lingers on the upper route into late June
- Jul
- Usually snow-free from July
- Aug
- Best month; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Good until mid-September; clear views
- Oct
- Early snow or ice on the north flank likely
- Nov
- Early winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Getting There
Samnaun
Innsbruck (INN) or Zurich (ZRH)
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, then the hourly PostBus via Martina to Samnaun-Dorf, Riva; the Samnaun local bus also serves the stop
- By car from Switzerland: Vereina car-train to Sagliains, then via Scuol and Martina to the Vinadi junction
- By car from Austria: B180 via Landeck or the Reschen Pass to Pfunds, then via the Kajetansbrücke and Spiss
- Parking at Chasa Riva at the village entrance, or at Musella or Votlas
Hazards
- Weather
- Avalanche