Piz Roseg

Walk or take the horse-drawn carriage from Pontresina up the Val Roseg to the Hotel Roseggletscher, then continue on foot to the Tschiervahütte (2,583 m), about 3 hours from Pontresina in all. From the hut follow the path south-east towards the Fuorcla Prievlusa (the Biancograt approach). At about 2,700 m descend to the Tschierva glacier, cross it to its left-bank moraine (very loose) and climb to about 2,814 m on the rock spur running down from the Piz Umur, following cairns. Follow the spur by ledges to a col below the steeper part of the Piz Umur, then descend south-west onto the upper Tschierva glacier, badly crevassed at first, and follow it along the flank of the Piz Umur to a large flat basin. Cross towards the north face of the Roseg and bear west up snow slopes to the first gendarme of the ridge, about 2½ hours from the hut. Glacier retreat has made this approach harder than in the past; route-finding in poor visibility is difficult. The Eselsgrat has three gendarmes over about 1 km and 400 m of height: some eight pitches of III with a few IV moves, bolted roughly every 10–15 m but without belay stations, usually climbed without crampons in 2–2½ hours. Above, steep snow and firn slopes lead past point 3733 to the Schneekuppe or Muotta da Naiv (3,918 m), about an hour. Many parties stop here. The main summit (3,937 m) is about 30 minutes further, along an exposed, narrow snow crest above the north-east face to a col and a short rock step. Descend the same way, with a short abseil from the third gendarme and three to four 25 m abseils from the second, then downclimb or abseil to the glacier; the bergschrund may need an abseil from old pegs. Camptocamp gives 5–7 hours up and 3–4 hours down from the hut.