Piz Pisoc
3,173 m
Switzerland
- Elevation
- 3,173 m
- Prominence
- 922 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug–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? 6 check notes
- danger scan: Val Zuort → Piz Pisoc: straight line 1229 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Val Zuort → Piz Pisoc: sustained 56° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 1228 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Tarasp, Fontana → Val Zuort: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 5.5 km)
- Val Zuort → Piz Pisoc: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 1.2 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Point 2536, Point 2717, Fuorcletta da Pisoc
Sources differ: II- (gipfelbuch.ch (if the gully to the Fuorcletta da Pisoc is climbed to its top)) · T5 / II (German Wikipedia)
The only permitted way up the highest point of the Swiss National Park: from Tarasp-Fontana up the scree of the Val Zuort, through a stonefall-prone gully below the Piz dals Vadès to the south ridge, then a waymarked scramble (T5, a few moves of I) to the summit. About 1,770 m of ascent and roughly 5 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 6.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,888 m
- −121 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,173 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 7h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 5h 01m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the hamlet of Fontana in Tarasp (1,402 m) a forest path on the east side of the Val Zuort stream leads to Point 1717 (T2). A faint trail continues through the forest to the scree above 1,800 m, bypasses the rock band at 2,200 m on the east and reaches Point 2536 (T3, about 3 hours from Fontana). Two lines lead to the gully that rises to the Fuorcletta da Pisoc (Point 3017, unnamed on the national map). The better one climbs the west side of the Piz Pisoc over the rock step at Point 2717, where traces and cairns lead to the start of the gully. The alternative follows the valley floor to about 2,600 m and then toils up fine scree along the walls of the Piz dals Vadès to the foot of the gully at about 2,780 m (T4, 30–45 minutes). Leave the gully as early as possible to the left onto the rocks that bound it on the north; scree, broken rock and ledges with cairns lead to the south ridge just above the notch (T4–T5, 30 minutes). Climbing the gully to its top is harder (up to T5+, II- at the exit) and more exposed to stonefall. From the ridge red-and-white marks lead along or just west of the crest over scree, broken rock and rock steps, turning one step on the west, to the summit (T5, a few metres of I, not exposed, 45 minutes). Return the same way. The gully lies below walls of the Piz dals Vadès loaded with debris, so stonefall is a serious risk even in good conditions, especially with other parties above. The east side of the summit lies inside the Swiss National Park, where leaving marked paths is forbidden; do not drop to the east of the ridge.
Start
Tarasp, Fontana1,406 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, then the PostBus to Tarasp, Fontana.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarasp, Fontana → Piz Pisoc | 6.7 | 1,888 | 121 | 7h 22m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Tarasp, Fontana1,406 m
- Feature: Val Zuort2,149 m
Forest path to Point 1717, then trail traces over scree
- Summit: Piz Pisoc3,173 m
Key Passages
- Steep scree from Point 2536 to the foot of the gully
- Stonefall-prone gully below the Piz dals Vadès; exit left onto the northern bounding rocks
- Waymarked south ridge with a few moves of I
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 64%Overview
The highest point of the Swiss National Park, a 3,173 m dolomite mass above Scuol and Tarasp. The only permitted ascent climbs out of the Val Zuort through a stonefall-prone gully to a waymarked south ridge: T5 scrambling on brittle rock, about 1,770 m of ascent.
Piz Pisoc towers above Scuol and Tarasp on the right-hand side of the Lower Engadine, second only to Piz Sesvenna on that side of the valley. Its east and south flanks drop steeply into the Val S-charl and Val Mingèr, both inside the Swiss National Park, of which it is the highest point; the park's lowest point, 1,382 m on the Clemgia, also lies at its foot. Neighbours include the Piz dals Vadès, Piz Zuort and Piz Mingèr. In the 1774 Atlas Tyrolensis it appears as 'Biz Bisogg', on the border between Graubünden and Tarasp, then a Tyrolean exclave.
The mountain belongs to the Lower Engadine Dolomites: Triassic dolomite of the S-charl nappe, with brittle rock and huge scree slopes. That shapes the climb. A marked trail exists only for the first part of the Val Zuort; above it lie trackless scree, a gully threatened by stonefall from the debris-laden walls of the Piz dals Vadès, and a waymarked but loose ridge.
Because the eastern side is in the National Park, where walkers must stay on marked paths, the only permitted route is from the west via the Val Zuort. It is a serious day for experienced mountain walkers, but no rope is needed in normal summer conditions.
Climbing Notes
You need to be comfortable on T5 terrain: steep, trackless scree, broken rock and a few easy climbing moves (I), with good judgement about stonefall. Wear a helmet and avoid being below other parties in the gully; leave it early on the left (north) side where cairns lead to the ridge. Plan about 5 hours up and a similar day's total of 8–9 hours with about 1,770 m of ascent from Tarasp-Fontana, and start early, as the Val Zuort is dry and hot in midsummer. Snow often lingers in the gully into July; carry crampons if hard snow or ice is likely. Stay on or west of the ridge: the east side is National Park, where leaving the marked route is forbidden.
Season
Best Aug–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; avalanche-prone gully
- Feb
- Winter; avalanche-prone gully
- Mar
- Spring ski tours for experts only
- Apr
- Spring ski tours for experts only
- May
- Late ski tours; snow in the gully
- Jun
- Snow in the gully and on the ridge
- Jul
- Snow may remain in the gully early in the month
- Aug
- Usually snow-free; hot in the Val Zuort
- Sep
- Stable weather; cooler for the long ascent
- Oct
- Early snow or frozen ground; crampons may be needed
- Nov
- Early winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The east side of the summit lies inside the Swiss National Park, where leaving marked paths is forbidden; ascent from the Val S-charl is not permitted. Stay on or west of the south ridge.
- Swiss National Park protection regulations apply on its side of the ridge: no leaving marked paths, no dogs (not even on a lead), daytime visits only (civil twilight to civil twilight), nothing may be picked or removed, no drones; the park is closed in winter.
- Getting There
Scuol
Zurich (ZRH) or Innsbruck (INN)
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, then the PostBus to Tarasp, Fontana
- By car: via Scuol to Tarasp; limited parking in Fontana
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche