Piz Paradisin
3,302 m
Italy, Switzerland
Also known as Pizzo ParadisinoAlso known as
Pizzo Paradisino
- Elevation
- 3,302 m
- Prominence
- 870 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
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? 4 check notes
- Pass da Val Mera → Vadreit da Camp: closed above ~2671 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 715385278)
- Pass da Val Mera → Vadreit da Camp: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 1.5 km)
- Vadreit da Camp → Piz Paradisin: glacier (snap_failed, 1.0 km)
- unresolved waypoints: P. 2907, Lago Paradisino
Sources differ: WS (PD) via Val Mera and the S ridge (SAC Bündner Alpen guidebooks (archived on the SAC Tourenportal); gipfelbuch.ch (ski, WS+)) · PD- (II-) (Camptocamp) · T6 (SAC Tourenportal (current))
The normal route from the Swiss Val da Camp, a side valley of the Valposchiavo: from Sfazù to the SAC's Rifugio Saoseo (1,985 m), up the Val Mera to the frontier ridge, across a short section of the shrinking Vadreit da Camp to a lake hollow at about 3,080 m, and up the exposed south ridge (II) to the summit. About 1,330 m and 4–5 hours from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 10.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,705 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,302 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 7h 05m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 50m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the PostBus stop at Sfazù (1,622 m) on the Bernina road, a gravel road leads up the Val da Camp to Rifugio Saoseo (1,985 m) in about 1¼ hours; most parties sleep there. From the hut follow the road north to Camp (2,064 m), cross the flat ground north-west into the Val Mera to the Plan da Val Mera, then climb steeply west of the rock band at P. 2558 into the upper Roan basin with its small lake and up a steep gully to the Pass da Val Mera (2,671 m). Turn east along the frontier ridge over P. 2893 to P. 2907, a hump with a large cairn. Camptocamp describes a more direct variant that leaves the path at about 2,400 m and follows cairns up the stream to join the line near P. 2863. From P. 2907 cross the hollow of the Vadreit da Camp to P. 3041 east of the La Pala rocks. The glacier section is short, about 100 m late in the season; Camptocamp suggests skirting its few crevasses on the left. Turn north up a steep step to the small lake hollow at about 3,080 m (Lago Paradisino), then climb the steep scree flank and a short rock step (II-) onto the south ridge. Follow the ridge, fairly exposed and keeping mostly to its crest or slightly right on the south side, over easy but exposed rock (up to II) to the summit. Watch for cornices early in the season. Descend the same way; the SAC gives 3–4 hours back to the hut.
Start
Sfazù1,618 m
- PostBus on the Bernina Pass road to the Sfazù stop, then walk up the Val da Camp (OSM also maps a PostBus stop at Alp Camp near the hut; its service was not verified)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sfazù → Rifugio Saoseo | 3.9 | 387 | 14 | 1h 49m |
| 2 | Rifugio Saoseo → Piz Paradisin | 7.0 | 1,320 | 7 | 5h 17m |
Waypoints
- Station: Sfazù1,618 m
- Hut: Rifugio Saoseo1,990 m
- Feature: Camp2,062 m
- Col: Pass da Val Mera2,671 m
- Feature: Vadreit da Camp2,953 m
short glacier crossing to P. 3041 east of La Pala
- Summit: Piz Paradisin3,302 m
Key Passages
- Steep gully to the Pass da Val Mera
- Short crossing of the Vadreit da Camp
- Rock step (II-) onto the south ridge
- Exposed south ridge to the summit (II), cornices early in the season
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A rocky 3,302 m peak on the Swiss–Italian border between the Val da Camp (Valposchiavo) and Livigno, the highest summit at the head of the Val da Camp. The normal route from the SAC's Rifugio Saoseo crosses a small, shrinking glacier and finishes on an exposed south ridge with grade II rock.
Piz Paradisin (Pizzo Paradisino in Italian) stands on the frontier between the Swiss Val da Camp, a side valley of the Valposchiavo south of the Bernina Pass, and the Italian Valle di Livigno and Val Viola. With about 870 m of prominence it is the highest point of the ridge between the Val Mera and the Val Viola, with the Ortler to the east, the Bernina to the west and the Po plain to the south on clear days.
The usual base is Rifugio Saoseo, the Bernina section's hut in the Val da Camp, close to the Lagh da Saoseo. From there the normal route climbs the Val Mera to the frontier ridge, crosses the small Vadreit da Camp below La Pala and gains the south ridge for an exposed finish on easy rock (II). It is a mountaineering outing, though not a hard one: older SAC guidebooks grade it WS (PD), the current SAC portal T6.
The Vadreit da Camp is the last glacier in the area and has shrunk markedly; expect bare ice late in the season and more scree than older descriptions suggest. In spring, the south ridge is a well-known ski tour from the Saoseo hut.
Climbing Notes
Requires basic glacier and scrambling skills and good fitness: about 1,330 m of ascent from the hut, 4–5 hours up and 3–4 hours down. Most parties walk up to Rifugio Saoseo from Sfazù in the afternoon and climb the next day. The glacier crossing is short (about 100 m late in the season) but has a few crevasses; carry crampons and an ice axe, and a rope if you are not confident on ice. The south ridge is exposed with rock up to grade II and can be corniced early in the season.
The best months are July to September. In early summer the upper route is snow-covered, which makes the glacier easier but the ridge more delicate. Those without glacier experience should go with a guide.
In winter and spring the south ridge is a classic ski tour from Rifugio Saoseo (WS+, 1,320 m); the hut has a winter season from February to April.
History
First ascent on 11 September 1866 by J. D. Finney, F. A. Lewin and H. Preston Thomas with Alexander Flury and Peter Jenny, by the south-west side and the south ridge (the present normal route); Thomas reported it in the Alpine Journal under the name 'Corno di Camp'. The first Italian ascent was made on 24 August 1888 by Antonio Cederna with Giuseppe Krapacher.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- 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
- Winter; hut closed except around New Year
- Feb
- Ski-touring season from the Saoseo hut
- Mar
- Ski-touring season
- Apr
- Spring ski tours; hut open until the end of April
- May
- Hut closed; spring snow
- Jun
- Hut reopens early June; much snow on the route, cornices on the ridge
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Glacier may be bare ice; thunderstorms
- Sep
- Stable weather; bare ice on the glacier
- Oct
- Hut open until the end of October; early snow
- Nov
- Hut closed; winter conditions
- Dec
- Hut open over Christmas and New Year only
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Saoseo: online via hut-reservation.org, by phone +41 81 844 07 66 or email info@saoseo.ch.
- Getting There
Poschiavo; Pontresina
Engadin Airport, Samedan (SMV, general aviation); nearest major airports Zurich (ZRH) or Milan Bergamo (BGY)
- PostBus on the Bernina Pass road to the Sfazù stop, then about 1¼ hours on foot up the Val da Camp to Rifugio Saoseo
- Car: Bernina Pass road to Sfazù; check locally whether and how far private cars may drive up the Val da Camp
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Cornices
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,985 m
Rifugio SaoseoHutStaffed
70 beds · Early June to end of October; Christmas–New Year; early February to end of April