Piz Ela
3,339 m
Switzerland
Also known as Пиц Ела, პიც-ელაAlso known as
Пиц Ела · პიც-ელა
- Elevation
- 3,339 m
- Prominence
- 515 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 26 Sep 2026
Some abseil anchors on the west-ridge descent have only very small maillons, and slings may be burnt from ropes threaded directly through them; bring spare karabiners, maillons and slings and inspect anchors.
gipfelbuch.ch
Routes
1Approximate 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? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Furschella → Piz Ela: straight line 430 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Furschella → Piz Ela: straight line 430 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Furschella → Piz Ela: straight line: 68° over 25 m (> 60°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Furschella → Piz Ela: sustained 59° > 45° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 430 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Ela-Hütte SAC → Furschella: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 4.3 km)
- Furschella → Piz Ela: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 0.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Pradatsch, Frühstücksplatte, Piz Ela west summit, Sela (OSM match off-route)
Sources differ: AD (de.wikipedia (ZS))
A long, serious rock route on dolomite: from the unstaffed Ela-Hütte (2,252 m) up boulder gullies and scree to the Furschella notch, then a cairned line of scree ledges and steps on the west face to the 'Frühstücksplatte', climbing just under III to the west summit and a bolted ledge into the main notch. Descent by downclimbing and four to six 25 m abseils.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 14.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,521 m
- −263 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,339 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 10h 45m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 7h 44m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Filisur station (1,080 m) a long but easy T2 walk (4 hours, 1,270 m) leads down to the Albula bridge, up through the Rözenwald to the forest road, through Sela and the Val Spadlatscha to Pradatsch and the Ela-Hütte (2,252 m). Bergün via Chavagl is a shorter alternative (3–3½ hours). From the hut, cairned traces head south over meadows past P. 2350 to the first boulder fields, then east into a large boulder gully. At about 2,450 m traverse right along the foot of a rock bastion (water often available), climb about 50 m of very steep scree on its right, step left onto it and follow blocks to the final scree gully below the Furschella (2,870 m). The climb starts at a cairn about 40 m below the notch. Despite its name, the 'west ridge' is mostly face climbing: confusing gullies and ribs with long traverses on scree ledges, well cairned, lead to the 'Frühstücksplatte' (about 3,140 m), the first point on the ridge itself. Bear left on better rock, just under grade III, to the west summit. The easier way to the main summit takes a ledge on the south side, with three bolts and some loose material, into the main notch, from where easy variants lead to the top. The SAC gives about 5 hours and 1,087 m from the hut. Descend the same way: reverse to the west summit and abseil about 2 × 25 m south into a notch from a bolted anchor (about 5 m below a more visible sling anchor), then through a slightly overhanging corner and around a rock nose to the first scree terrace; either follow the cairns down or make two more 25 m abseils. Guides plan a 10-hour day from the hut and back. The descent needs as much care and time as the ascent.
Start
Filisur1,081 m
- Rhaetian Railway (Albula line) to Filisur or Bergün/Bravuogn.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filisur → Ela-Hütte SAC | 9.9 | 1,250 | 79 | 5h 33m |
| 2 | Ela-Hütte SAC → Piz Ela | 4.8 | 1,270 | 183 | 5h 11m |
Waypoints
- Station: Filisur1,081 m
- Hut: Ela-Hütte SAC2,252 m
- Col: Furschella2,871 m
Start of the climb about 40 m below the notch (cairn)
- Summit: Piz Ela3,339 m
Key Passages
- Steep scree beside the rock bastion at about 2,450 m
- Gully below the Furschella (old snow early in the season)
- Confusing ledge-and-gully terrain to the Frühstücksplatte
- Climbing just under III to the west summit
- Bolted ledge on the south side into the main notch
- Abseils on the descent
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A massive dolomite peak (3,339 m) above Bergün and the namesake of Parc Ela. There is no easy way up: the normal west-ridge route is a long, loose AD- rock climb with abseils on the descent, best done from the small, self-catering Ela-Hütte.
Piz Ela rises between the Albula valley at Bergün and Filisur and the Surses to the west, at the centre of Parc Ela, Switzerland's largest regional nature park. Built of Hauptdolomit, it is the highest dolomite summit in the Swiss Alps and the second-highest in the Alps after the Marmolada. Its walls rise about 2,000 m above Bergün; a small glacier, the Vadret digl Ela, lies on the east side, and the Ela-Loch, a hole about 2.5 m high through the rock at about 3,270 m, pierces the south-east ridge. Late-Triassic dinosaur footprints have been found in its dolomite.
Every route to the summit is demanding. The normal route, the west ridge from the Ela-Hütte, is mostly face climbing on scree-covered ledges and steps, with climbing just under III, a bolted ledge into the main notch and several abseils on the way down. The rock is typical dolomite: solid in places, loose and scree-strewn in many others. The south-east ridge via the Ela-Loch and the north-west ridge are harder alternatives.
Piz Ela suits experienced scramblers and climbers who are comfortable route-finding on loose ground and running abseils; it is not a hiker's peak. The two-day hike around it over the Pass d'Ela is a popular way to see it without climbing.
Climbing Notes
Requirements: sure-footedness and a head for heights on loose ground, rock climbing to III, confident abseiling and route-finding, and the stamina for a 10-hour day from the hut. Many parties hire a guide; Davos-based guides offer it as a two-day trip combined with the Tinzenhorn, July to September, for a maximum of two clients.
Typical itinerary: train to Filisur and walk 4 hours up the Val Spadlatscha (or 3–3½ hours from Bergün via Chavagl) to the Ela-Hütte. Next day leave early: about 5 hours to the summit and a similar time down, with four to six 25 m abseils. The Ela-Hütte is self-catering, so carry food; a section member is present on summer weekends.
In early summer old snow fills the gully below the Furschella; an ice axe and crampons may help then. In September 2026 a guidebook update warned that some abseil anchors have only very small maillons and that slings may be burnt: carry spare karabiners, maillons and slings.
History
The first ascent was made on 17 July 1865 by Alex Flury, Peter Jenny and Georg Jenny. The name, also written Piz Aela, comes from Romansh ela/ala, 'wing'. Parc Ela, named after the mountain, opened in 2006 and covers about 600 km². The Ela-Hütte belongs to SAC Davos and was last extensively renovated in 2008.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- 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
- Winter; not a winter climb for most parties
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Snow on ledges and gullies
- Jun
- Old snow in the gully below the Furschella
- Jul
- Season begins; hut warden present at weekends
- Aug
- Main season; thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often dry and stable
- Oct
- Short days; early snow on ledges
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Ela-Hütte SAC: compulsory reservation via alpsonline.org; no phone bookings. Contact ela@sac-davos.ch.
- Fees
- Ela-Hütte overnight fee (from 1 November 2024): CHF 23 for SAC/alpine club members, CHF 33 for non-member adults, including local tourist taxes
- Rules
- The Ela-Hütte is self-catering and reservation is compulsory, online via alpsonline.org only (no phone bookings)
- The mountain lies within Parc Ela regional nature park
- Getting There
Bergün/Bravuogn and Filisur
Zurich (ZRH)
- Rhaetian Railway (Albula line) to Filisur, then 4 h on foot (T2) through the Val Spadlatscha to the Ela-Hütte
- Rhaetian Railway to Bergün/Bravuogn, then 3–3½ h via Chavagl to the hut
- From Alvaneu Bad via Zinols, Sela and the Val Spadlatscha (about 3½ h, mostly on an alp road)
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,252 m
Ela-Hütte SACHutUnstaffedBooking required
26 beds · Open all year, unstaffed; a section member is present at weekends from July to October