Nordend
4,608 m
Switzerland, Italy
Also known as Punta Nordend, ნორდენდი, +2Also known as
Punta Nordend · ნორდენდი · Nordendspitze · Норденд
- Elevation
- 4,608 m
- Prominence
- 93 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 1
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.chAdvisoryReported 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.
Routes
1Sources differ: PD (Camptocamp) · AD (SAC route portal (Monte Rosa Hut tour list))
The normal route shares the long, crevassed Monte Rosa glacier with the Dufourspitze route as far as the 4,100 m plateau, then climbs steeper ramps to the Silbersattel (4,516 m) and follows a short, exposed, heavily corniced snow ridge with easy rock (II) to the summit. About 1,750 m of ascent from the hut; often combined with the Dufourspitze.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 12.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,255 m
- −464 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,608 m
- Time Up
- 9h 59m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The Nordend is a subsidiary summit of the Dufourspitze, 580 m north of it across the Silbersattel, and is usually climbed from the same hut on the same glacier. Day one: Gornergrat railway from Zermatt to Rotenboden and 4–4.5 hours on the marked alpine path across the Gorner glacier to the Monte Rosa Hut (2,883 m). Day two: from the hut follow the Dufourspitze route over the Obere Plattje (about 3,100 m) and a 100 m slope at 35–40°, then up the Monte Rosa glacier, roped, keeping right of the seracs through the zone of crossing crevasses, to the flat area at about 4,100 m. Where the Dufourspitze route turns south to the Sattel, bear left up one of two glacier ramps and continue on steeper ground to the Silbersattel (4,516 m). The final slope to the saddle can be awkward in some conditions (bergschrund, hard ice). From the Silbersattel follow the snow and ice ridge north, staying on the western side because of large cornices over the east face, then a little easy, very exposed rock (II) to the summit. Descend the same way. Strong, acclimatised parties combine it with the Dufourspitze: climb the Dufourspitze by the west ridge, abseil to the Silbersattel (six short abseils from bolts), go out and back to the Nordend, about two extra hours, and descend the glacier.
Start
Rotenboden2,815 m
- Gornergrat railway Zermatt–Rotenboden
- Train to Zermatt (via Visp, or shuttle train from Täsch), then the Gornergrat railway to Rotenboden.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotenboden → Monte Rosa Hütte | 6.5 | 506 | 443 | 3h 23m |
| 2 | Monte Rosa Hütte → Nordend | 5.9 | 1,749 | 20 | 6h 36m |
Waypoints
- Station: Rotenboden2,815 m
- Hut: Monte Rosa Hütte2,880 m
- Feature: Monte Rosa Gletscher3,251 m
Crevassed section; rope up
- Col: Silbersattel4,516 m
Saddle between the Dufourspitze and the Nordend
- Summit: Nordend4,608 m
Key Passages
- Gorner glacier crossing on the hut approach
- 35–40° slope above the Obere Plattje
- Crevasse zone on the Monte Rosa glacier
- Glacier ramps and final slope to the Silbersattel
- Corniced summit ridge and easy exposed rock (II)
Equipment
0/12 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The 4,609 m northern summit of Monte Rosa, a corniced snow crest just north of the Dufourspitze on the Swiss–Italian border. It is climbed from the Monte Rosa Hut on the same long glacier as its higher neighbour, and is often linked with it via the Silbersattel.
The Nordend is the second-highest summit of the Monte Rosa massif and the northern end of its summit crest, separated from the Dufourspitze by the Silbersattel (4,516 m). With under 100 m of prominence it is a subsidiary summit of the Dufourspitze, but it counts as a separate peak on the UIAA list of Alpine 4,000 m summits. Its huge east face drops to the Belvedere glacier above Macugnaga; its west side is the broad, crevassed Monte Rosa glacier that carries the normal route.
The normal route is graded PD to AD: technically a little easier than the Dufourspitze west ridge, with only a short section of grade II rock, but just as long, with about 1,750 m of ascent from the hut. The final ridge carries large cornices over the east face, and the slopes up to the Silbersattel can be icy or split by a bergschrund. The Nordend is quieter than the Dufourspitze and is a popular spring ski-mountaineering objective, with a long descent over the Monte Rosa glacier.
Climbing Notes
Requirements are much as for the Dufourspitze: roped glacier travel and crevasse rescue, cramponing on 35–45° snow and ice, sure-footedness on an exposed corniced crest, and the fitness for a 10–12 hour day from the hut. Acclimatise beforehand with nights above 3,000 m and an easier 4,000 m peak. Typical plan: Gornergrat railway to Rotenboden, 4–4.5 hours to the Monte Rosa Hut, an early start, the summit in 5–8 hours, and back to the hut. Well-acclimatised parties climb the Dufourspitze first, abseil to the Silbersattel and add the Nordend in about two extra hours. Keep well to the west of the cornices on the summit ridge, and turn back in poor visibility: the glacier is hard to navigate in cloud.
History
Edward North Buxton, Thomas Fowell Buxton and John Jeremy Cowell, guided by Michel-Clément Payot of Chamonix, made the first ascent on 26 August 1861 by the south ridge from the Silbersattel. W. A. B. Coolidge with Christian and Ulrich Almer made the second known ascent in 1872. The huge east face above Macugnaga was first climbed in 1876 by Luigi Brioschi with Ferdinand and Abraham Imseng (the Via Brioschi), and the north-east ridge (Cresta di Santa Caterina) (TD) is a harder classic from the Italian side.
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; Monte Rosa Hut unstaffed
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-touring season starts when the hut reopens in mid/late March
- Apr
- Prime ski-mountaineering month
- May
- Ski season ends mid-May; hut closed until mid-June
- Jun
- Hut reopens mid/late June; good snow cover
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Crevasses open up; icy slopes to the Silbersattel in dry years
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September
- Oct
- Hut closed; early winter conditions
- 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.
- 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
- Gornergrat railway ticket (Zermatt–Rotenboden)
- Rules
- Camping is prohibited around the Monte Rosa Hut
- Sleeping-bag liner compulsory at the Monte Rosa Hut
- 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
Zermatt (Switzerland)
Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH)
- 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
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Cornices
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,883 m
Monte Rosa HütteHutStaffed
120 beds · Ski season mid-March to mid-May, summer mid-June to mid-September (2027: 18 Mar–17 May, 18 Jun–18 Sep); 12-place winter room otherwise