Parrotspitze
4,434 m
Italy, Switzerland
Also known as Пароцпитзе, Pointe Parrot, +4Also known as
Пароцпитзе · Pointe Parrot · Punta Parrot · პაროტშპიცე · Parrotspitze / Punta Parrot · Парротшпитце
- Elevation
- 4,434 m
- Prominence
- 134 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Approximate 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? 3 check notes
- the line does not follow 'Seserjoch', the route's namesake (407 m away): mislabelled
- unresolved waypoints: Lys glacier
- waypoints not on the route line: Seserjoch (151 m off the trail)
Sources differ: WS (SAC scale) (Bergwelten)
The easiest way up: follow the busy Margherita hut track from the Gnifetti hut up the Lys glacier towards the Lisjoch, cross to the Seserjoch (about 4,296 m) and climb the short, sometimes narrow north-east ridge to the summit. About 3 hours and 825 m from the hut; a detour that many parties add on the way to or from the Signalkuppe.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 5.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,196 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,435 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 4h 45m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 3h 12m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The Parrotspitze sits on the ridge between the Ludwigshöhe and the Signalkuppe, directly above the standard route from the Gnifetti hut to the Capanna Margherita, so most ascents are a short detour from that route rather than a separate climb. Day one: take the Monterosa Ski lifts from Stafal (Gressoney) or Alagna via the Passo dei Salati to Punta Indren (about 3,275 m). Cross the glacier to the rocks, keep above the rocky ridge, and finish on an equipped path to the Capanna Gnifetti (3,647 m), about 1¾ hours and 370 m; crampons are needed. Many parties sleep a night here to acclimatise. Day two: follow the trodden track north up the Lys glacier, crevassed in places, towards the Lisjoch, then bear east across the upper glacier basin to the Seserjoch (Colle Sesia), the col between the Parrotspitze and the Signalkuppe. From the col climb the north-east ridge, short but narrow and corniced at times, to the summit. Bergwelten gives about 3 hours and 825 m from the hut. Descend the same way, or continue to the Signalkuppe and the Margherita hut.
Start
Punta Indren3,269 m
- Stafal or Alagna – Passo dei Salati – Punta Indren (summer 2026 from 30 May)
- Train to Pont-Saint-Martin and bus to Gressoney-La-Trinité/Stafal, or train to Varallo and bus to Alagna Valsesia; then the Monterosa Ski lifts to Punta Indren.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punta Indren → Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti | 2.1 | 362 | 18 | 1h 31m |
| 2 | Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti → Parrotspitze | 3.5 | 833 | 16 | 3h 14m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Punta Indren3,269 m
- Hut: Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti3,616 m
- Col: Seserjoch4,301 m
not on route line
- Summit: Parrotspitze4,434 m
Key Passages
- Glacier crossing and equipped path from Punta Indren to the Gnifetti hut
- Crevassed Lys glacier
- Narrow, sometimes corniced north-east ridge above the Seserjoch
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 4,434 m snow summit on the Swiss–Italian border in the Monte Rosa massif, between the Ludwigshöhe and the Signalkuppe. Its short north-east ridge rises straight above the Gnifetti–Margherita track, so it is one of the easiest 4,000 m summits to add to a Monte Rosa trip.
The Parrotspitze (Punta Parrot in Italian) is one of the string of 4,000 m summits on the southern rim of Monte Rosa, between the Lisjoch and the Signalkuppe with the Capanna Margherita. Its prominence is only about 130–140 m, but its sharp crest gives it a real summit, with the Grenzgletscher dropping steeply on the Swiss side and the Sesia valley on the Italian side.
The usual approach is from the Italian side: lifts to Punta Indren, a night at the Capanna Gnifetti, then the broad, much-travelled Lys glacier track. From the Seserjoch the north-east ridge to the summit is short and graded WS (about PD-), sometimes narrow and corniced. The west ridge from the Piodejoch, the line of the first ascent, is a little harder, with a rocky step and a fine snow arête, and is often combined with the Schwarzhorn and Ludwigshöhe in a traverse of several 4,000 m tops in one day.
The technical difficulty is low; the main issues are altitude (most parties are on their first days above 4,000 m), crevasses on the Lys glacier and sudden bad weather on a broad, featureless glacier plateau.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for climbers with basic glacier skills (roped glacier travel, crevasse rescue, cramponing on 40–45° snow) who are acclimatised to 4,000 m. A night at the Gnifetti hut (3,647 m) is the usual first acclimatisation step; many parties also sleep at the Capanna Margherita (4,554 m) and collect several summits over two or three days.
Typical itinerary: lifts to Punta Indren and about 1¾ hours to the Gnifetti hut on day one; on day two about 3 hours to the summit via the Seserjoch, then back down to the lifts or on to the Margherita hut. Guides from Alagna and Gressoney run multi-day '4,000 m summits of Monte Rosa' trips that include it. Check lift closing times, and turn back early if cloud builds: navigation on the upper Lys glacier in a whiteout is difficult.
History
Named after Johann Jakob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot, a German physician and naturalist who attempted the Vincent Pyramid with Joseph Zumstein in 1816. On 11 July 1862 A. W. Moore and Hereford Brooke George, with Christian Almer and Matthäus Zumtaugwald, climbed the east spur (the 'English route') but stopped short of the summit. The first ascent was made on 16 August 1863 by Reginald Somerled Macdonald, Florence Crauford Grove, Montagu Woodmass and William Edward Hall with the guides Melchior Anderegg and Peter Perren, by the west ridge.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed except winter rooms
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season; Gnifetti hut often open from mid-March
- Apr
- Popular ski-mountaineering objective
- May
- Ski mountaineering; lifts open late May (30 May in 2026)
- Jun
- Good snow cover; Gnifetti hut staffed
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; crevasses opening on the Lys glacier
- Sep
- Gnifetti hut closes around mid/late September
- Oct
- Huts and lifts closed; long approach
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Capanna Gnifetti: info@rifugimonterosa.it or +39 0163 78015 (www.rifugimonterosa.it); reservation required.
- Fees
- Monterosa Ski lift ticket to Punta Indren
- Capanna Gnifetti: beds about EUR 15–40, half board about EUR 105–125 per person
- Rules
- Capanna Gnifetti: reservation required; own sleeping-bag liner mandatory
- Getting There
Gressoney-La-Trinité or Alagna Valsesia (Italy)
Milan Malpensa (MXP) or Turin (TRN)
- Gressoney: train to Pont-Saint-Martin, then bus up the Lys valley to Stafal; Monterosa Ski lifts via the Passo dei Salati to Punta Indren
- Alagna Valsesia: train to Varallo and bus to Alagna; lifts via the Passo dei Salati to Punta Indren
- Summer 2026: the Stafal/Alagna – Passo dei Salati – Punta Indren lifts opened on 30 May
- Swiss side: Gornergrat railway from Zermatt and the path to the Monte Rosa Hut (long, crevassed glacier approach)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Cornices
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,647 m
Capanna Giovanni GnifettiRefugeStaffedBooking required
177 beds · About 30 May – 21 September in summer; also open in spring for ski mountaineering