Piz Buin
3,312 m
Switzerland, Austria
Also known as Großer Piz Buin, Piz Buin GrondAlso known as
Großer Piz Buin · Piz Buin Grond
- Elevation
- 3,312 m
- Prominence
- 544 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
NoticeReported 26 Mar 2026 · until 30 Jun 2030
The Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße between Partenen (Vorarlberg) and the Bielerhöhe remains closed to public traffic in 2026; construction is planned for 2027–2029 and reopening for summer 2030. Use the Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus, or approach from Galtür (Tyrol side, toll-free while the Vorarlberg side is closed).
dav-wiesbaden.de
Routes
1Sources differ: F+ (Camptocamp) · PD+ (Bergsteigen.com)
The usual summer route from Austria: walk through the Ochsental to the Wiesbadener Hütte (2,443 m), cross the crevassed Ochsentaler Gletscher past the Grüne Kuppe to the Buinlücke (about 3,055 m), then scramble up scree and two short chimneys (II-/II) to the summit. About 1,300 m of ascent from the Bielerhöhe; rockfall-prone around the Buinlücke.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 12.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,394 m
- −118 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,312 m
- Time Up
- 6h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 47m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Bielerhöhe (about 2,030 m) at the Silvretta reservoir, follow the track (path 313) along the reservoir and up the Ochsental to the Wiesbadener Hütte (2,443 m), about 2–2½ hours. Since 2024 the Vorarlberg side of the Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße has been closed (reopening planned for summer 2030); reach the Bielerhöhe by the Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus from Partenen in summer, or by road from Galtür on the Tyrol side. From the hut, follow the marked moraine path south, cross the tongue of the Vermuntgletscher westwards and climb over the middle of the Grüne Kuppe (cairns) onto the Ochsentaler Gletscher. Rope up at about 2,590 m. In a wide left-hand curve, avoiding the crevasse zones, climb first west then south beneath the east face of the Silvrettahorn to the flat upper basin; only the first 150 m or so of glacier is steep, and it is often bare ice. Continue north of the Kleiner Piz Buin to the Buinlücke (Fuorcla Buin, about 3,055 m), 2½–3 hours from the hut. Leave crampons here. From the gap, a scree track leads left to the north-west ridge; two short chimneys (II- and II, with some fixed pegs) and then easy, debris-covered ground on the west flank lead to the summit cross, about 1 hour from the Buinlücke. Descend the same way (3–3½ hours to the hut), down-climbing or abseiling the chimneys. The Buinlücke area is exposed to frequent rockfall from the Kleiner Piz Buin, where a potential rock-slope failure has been monitored: cross it one at a time, quickly. The old route over the Wiesbadener Grätle is strongly discouraged by the hut because of extreme rockfall.
Start
Bielerhöhe2,037 m
- Vermuntbahn cable car and tunnel bus Partenen – Bielerhöhe (summer)
- Train to Schruns, bus 85 to Partenen, then the Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus to the Bielerhöhe (summer; 20 June – 4 October 2026); or bus 4240 from Landeck via Galtür.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bielerhöhe → Wiesbadener Hütte | 6.9 | 415 | 6 | 2h 25m |
| 2 | Wiesbadener Hütte → Piz Buin | 5.9 | 982 | 113 | 4h 14m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Bielerhöhe2,037 m
Tunnel bus/Vermuntbahn terminus in summer; road from Galtür
- Hut: Wiesbadener Hütte2,444 m
- Feature: Grüne Kuppe2,585 m
- Col: Buinlücke3,053 m
- Summit: Piz Buin3,312 m
Key Passages
- Steep lower Ochsentaler Gletscher (often bare ice)
- Crevasse zones in the upper basin
- Rockfall zone at the Buinlücke
- Two chimneys (II-/II) on the summit block
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest point of Vorarlberg (3,312 m) on the Swiss–Austrian border in the Silvretta. A classic first glacier tour from the Wiesbadener Hütte, finishing with a short rock scramble, but now shaped by glacier retreat and rockfall around the Buinlücke.
Piz Buin (Piz Buin Grond in Romansh, Großer Piz Buin in German) is the highest summit of Vorarlberg and the third-highest of the Silvretta, standing on the frontier between the Lower Engadine in Switzerland and the Montafon in Austria. Its twin, the Kleiner Piz Buin (Piz Buin Pitschen, 3,255 m), stands just to the east across the Buinlücke. The name is familiar far beyond the Alps through a sun-cream brand named after the mountain.
The normal route from the Wiesbadener Hütte has long been a training-ground glacier ascent: a hut walk up the Ochsental, a few hours on the Ochsentaler Gletscher and a short summit block with two easy chimneys. Glacier retreat has made it more serious than its reputation: the lower glacier is often bare ice, the old route over the Wiesbadener Grätle is discouraged, and the Buinlücke is exposed to frequent rockfall from a monitored, potentially unstable slope on the Kleiner Piz Buin.
Access has also changed: the Vorarlberg side of the Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße has been closed since 2024 and is due to reopen in 2030, so the Bielerhöhe is reached by the Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus from Partenen or by road from Galtür in Tyrol. From Switzerland the mountain is usually approached from Guarda via the Chamanna Tuoi, mainly on ski in spring.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue), confident cramponing on bare ice, and the ability to climb and down-climb short grade II chimneys. Fitness for about 900 m from the hut (1,300 m from the Bielerhöhe) is enough; altitude is not a problem. A helmet is essential because of rockfall at the Buinlücke. Guided ascents are offered from Galtür, the Montafon and the Engadine.
Typical itinerary: reach the Bielerhöhe by the tunnel bus or from Galtür, walk to the Wiesbadener Hütte (2–2½ hours), and climb the peak next morning (4–4½ hours up, 3–3½ hours back to the hut). Start early so you cross the Buinlücke before the sun loosens rock, and pass it one at a time. Ask the hut staff about current glacier and rockfall conditions.
In spring (February to April) Piz Buin is a popular ski tour from the Wiesbadener Hütte or the Chamanna Tuoi, finishing on foot to the summit; full avalanche equipment is needed.
History
The first ascent was made on 14 July 1865 by Johann Jakob Weilenmann and Josef Anton Specht with the guides Jakob Pfitscher and Franz Pöll, by the north side of the Buinlücke and the north-west flank, essentially today's summit route. Weilenmann described it in the SAC yearbook of 1866.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Huts closed; winter access difficult
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering; Wiesbadener Hütte opens mid-February (12 February in 2026)
- Mar
- Ski-touring season
- Apr
- Spring ski tours; hut closes late April
- May
- Hut closed; transition season
- Jun
- Hut opens around mid-June (11 June in 2026); snow on the glacier helps
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Bare ice and open crevasses; more rockfall in heat
- Sep
- Quieter; hut closes late September
- Oct
- Hut and tunnel bus closed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Wiesbadener Hütte (DAV Sektion Wiesbaden): book online via alpsonline.org (hut ID 234); cash only at the hut. Summer 2026 season 11 June – 27 September, winter season 12 February – 26 April.
- Fees
- Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus Partenen – Bielerhöhe (paid)
- Hut overnight fees with Alpine Club member discounts; the Wiesbadener Hütte takes cash only
- Rules
- The Vorarlberg (Montafon) side of the Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße between Partenen and the Bielerhöhe has been closed to public traffic since 2024 after rockfalls and debris flows; reopening is planned for summer 2030
- The Tyrol side from Galtür is open in summer and toll-free while the Vorarlberg side is closed; it closes for winter
- Getting There
Galtür (Paznaun, Tyrol) and Partenen/Gaschurn (Montafon, Vorarlberg); Guarda in the Lower Engadine on the Swiss side
Innsbruck (INN); Zurich (ZRH)
- From Vorarlberg: train to Schruns, bus 85 to Partenen, then the Vermuntbahn cable car and tunnel bus to the Bielerhöhe (summer; 20 June – 4 October in 2026)
- From Tyrol: by car or bus (line 4240 from Landeck) via Galtür to the Bielerhöhe
- In winter: Vermuntbahn and tunnel bus from Partenen, or ski bus from Galtür to Wirl and about 2 hours on foot or ski to the Bielerhöhe
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,443 m
Wiesbadener HütteHutStaffedBooking required
Summer 11 June – 27 September 2026 (weather-dependent end); winter 12 February – 26 April 2026