Piz Kesch
3,418 m
Switzerland
Also known as Пиц Кеш, Piz d'Es-chaAlso known as
Пиц Кеш · Piz d'Es-cha
- Elevation
- 3,418 m
- Prominence
- 1,501 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 16 Aug 2026
The Kesch-Hütte warns that Swiss Army firing exercises impose access bans in certain time windows between the Kesch and Grialetsch huts; check dates on vtg.admin.ch.
kesch.ch
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? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Vadret da Porchabella → Piz Kesch: straight line 844 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Vadret da Porchabella → Piz Kesch: straight line 844 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Vadret da Porchabella → Piz Kesch: straight line: 64° over 25 m (> 55°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Vadret da Porchabella → Piz Kesch: sustained 58° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 844 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Kesch-Hütte SAC → Vadret da Porchabella: glacier (snap_failed, 2.1 km)
- Vadret da Porchabella → Piz Kesch: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 0.8 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Alp digl Chants, North-east spur of Piz Kesch
Sources differ: WS, 2c (SAC Tourenportal)
The standard summer route: a short hut walk from Chants in Val Tuors to the Kesch-Hütte (2,625 m), a crevassed but gentle crossing of the Vadret da Porchabella, then about 150 m of easy, loose scrambling (II) with red marks and a few bolts up the north-east spur and east face to the summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 7.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,671 m
- −75 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,418 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 40m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 32m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Bus alpin stop at Tuors Chants (1,824 m) above Bergün, a marked path climbs past Alp digl Chants to the Kesch-Hütte SAC (2,625 m) in about 2½ hours (820 m of ascent). Most parties spend the night there. From the hut a path leads south to the Vadret da Porchabella in roughly an hour. On the glacier, make a wide arc to the right (west) while keeping towards its eastern edge, where there are fewest crevasses, to the foot of the north-east spur. The glacier looks harmless but has crevasses; the SAC states that roping up is compulsory, and the step from the glacier onto the rock can be awkward on bare ice. The rock section is short (about 150 m) and graded 2a–2c on the SAC scale: climb a couloir to a scree ledge, traverse left along a rock band into the east face, then trend back right and follow the ridge to the top. The rock is easy but broken and loose, there are several faint lines, and red paint marks and a few bolts help with route-finding. The SAC gives 3 hours from the hut to the summit (810 m). Descend the same way, or cross the Porta d'Es-cha to the Chamanna d'Es-cha and the Engadine.
Start
Bergün/Bravuogn, Tuors Chants1,821 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Bergün/Bravuogn, then the seasonal Bus alpin to Tuors Chants.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bergün/Bravuogn, Tuors Chants → Kesch-Hütte SAC | 4.6 | 808 | 5 | 3h 17m |
| 2 | Kesch-Hütte SAC → Piz Kesch | 3.0 | 863 | 70 | 3h 23m |
Waypoints
- Station: Bergün/Bravuogn, Tuors Chants1,821 m
- Hut: Kesch-Hütte SAC2,623 m
- Feature: Vadret da Porchabella2,832 m
- Summit: Piz Kesch3,418 m
Key Passages
- Step from the glacier onto the north-east spur (awkward on bare ice)
- Couloir and rock-band traverse into the east face
- Loose, multi-line scrambling on the upper ridge (red marks, bolts)
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 72%Overview
The highest summit of the Albula Alps (3,418 m) and an Ultra with 1,500 m of prominence, rising between Bergün, Davos and the Upper Engadine. The normal route is a short glacier crossing and an easy but loose scramble from either of two SAC huts.
Piz Kesch (Romansh Piz d'Es-cha) is a dark gneiss massif standing clear of its neighbours in central Graubünden, on the divide between the Rhine and the Danube (Inn) basins. It is the highest point of the Albula Alps and of the municipality of Bergün Filisur, and with about 1,500 m of prominence (key col at the Lukmanier Pass) one of the more independent summits of the Eastern Alps. To the north lies the Vadret da Porchabella; to the south the mountain falls steeply into the Val d'Es-cha above Madulain. The sharp Keschnadel (Aguoglia d'Es-cha, 3,387 m) stands just south-west of the main summit.
The summit is guarded on every side by rock or ice, so there is no walking route to the top. The normal route crosses the Porchabella glacier to the north-east spur and finishes with about 150 m of easy (II) but loose scrambling, marked with red paint and a few bolts. Two well-run SAC huts make it a comfortable two-day trip: the Kesch-Hütte on the Bergün side and the Chamanna d'Es-cha above the Engadine.
It is a good first glaciated 3,000 m peak for walkers with some scrambling experience and basic rope skills, and a classic spring ski tour. The view takes in the Bernina, the Ortler and much of Graubünden.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a 5–6 hour day with about 800 m of ascent from the hut, sure-footedness on loose rock and basic glacier skills (roping up, crevasse rescue) are needed. The scramble is short and not very exposed, but the rock is broken, there are several faint lines, and the move from glacier to rock can be awkward on bare ice. Parties without glacier experience should hire a guide (Bergün, Davos and the Engadine all have guide offices).
Typical itinerary: train to Bergün and Bus alpin to Tuors Chants, 2½ hours to the Kesch-Hütte; next day summit (about 3 hours) and return to Chants, or cross the Porta d'Es-cha and descend via the Chamanna d'Es-cha to the Albula road or Madulain. From the Engadine, approach the Chamanna d'Es-cha from the Albula pass road in about 1½ hours.
In late summer the glacier is bare and crampons are essential. In spring the mountain is a popular ski tour (PD) from either hut, with skis left at about 3,220–3,270 m and the finish on foot. Check Swiss Army firing dates for the Kesch–Grialetsch area before travelling in spring or autumn.
History
The first ascent was made on 7 September 1846 by the surveyor Johann Coaz with J. Rascher, Chr. Casper and J. R. Tscharner during the Swiss federal survey. In 1864 Francis Fox Tuckett and Fowler, with the guides C. Michel and M. Payot, climbed it from the Bergün side via the Porta d'Es-cha; Tuckett found a baton on a slightly lower south-east top and argued that Coaz had probably climbed the wrong peak. The Kesch-Hütte belongs to SAC Davos; the Chamanna d'Es-cha (SAC Bernina) was rebuilt and enlarged in 2019–2020.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- 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 touring; Kesch-Hütte winter room, staffing varies
- Feb
- Ski touring; Chamanna d'Es-cha staffed from mid-February
- Mar
- Classic ski-tour season from both huts
- Apr
- Ski touring; winter staffing ends mid- to late April
- May
- Huts unstaffed; transitional snow
- Jun
- Huts open early to mid-June; snow on the approaches and the spur
- Jul
- Main summer season; Albula pass road and Bus alpin running
- Aug
- Glacier often bare ice by late August
- Sep
- Stable weather, fewer people; bare glacier ice
- Oct
- Huts close mid- to late October; early snow
- Nov
- Huts closed
- Dec
- Huts closed until the winter season
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Kesch-Hütte SAC: online via alpsonline.org or by phone (+41 81 407 11 34). Chamanna d'Es-cha: online via hut-reservation.org or by phone (+41 81 854 17 55) while staffed.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- Swiss Army firing exercises close the area between the Kesch-Hütte and the Grialetsch hut on some days in spring and autumn; check firing notices on vtg.admin.ch
- The area lies within Parc Ela, a regional nature park
- Getting There
Bergün/Bravuogn (north-west side); Madulain and La Punt Chamues-ch (Engadine side)
Zurich (ZRH)
- Rhaetian Railway (Albula line) to Bergün, then Bus alpin to Tuors Chants for the Kesch-Hütte (2½ h)
- Bus alpin La Punt – Albulapass – Bergün to the 'Parkplatz Es-cha' stop for the Chamanna d'Es-cha (1½ h); summer only, while the pass road is open
- From Davos: Postauto to Sertig Sand (5 h to the Kesch-Hütte over the Sertigpass) or Dürrboden (4½ h over the Scalettapass)
- By car: parking at Chants in Val Tuors, or on the Albula pass road at Parkplatz Es-cha
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,594 m
Chamanna d'Es-cha CASHutStaffed
43 beds · Mid-June to mid-October and mid-February to mid-April; winter room with 20 places
- 2,625 m
Kesch-Hütte SACHutStaffed
Summer 5 June – 26 October 2026; also a winter season for ski tourers