Piz Tavrü
3,168 m
Switzerland
- Elevation
- 3,168 m
- Prominence
- 851 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- 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? 5 check notes
- Alp Tavrü → Mots da Nossa Donna: closed above ~2240 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 65644472)
- Alp Tavrü → Mots da Nossa Donna: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 1.9 km)
- Mots da Nossa Donna → Gravas Alba: dem (snap_failed, 0.6 km)
- Gravas Alba → Piz Tavrü: dem (snap_failed, 1.0 km)
- unresolved waypoints: North couloir, Second couloir
Sources differ: PD (SAC guidebook, as quoted in a 2015 hikr comment ('WS' for the NE-flank couloirs)) · AD (hikr 2011 report: AD would be fair when the second couloir's snowfield is hard and steep)
The usual way up a rarely climbed dolomite peak above S-charl: up the Val Tavrü and a long scree field to the north flank, then two stonefall-prone couloirs with steep firn early in summer and a polished, sandy III step, to a saddle and a short scramble (II) to the top. About 1,360 m of ascent; for experienced alpinists only.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 7.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,560 m
- −203 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,168 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 31m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 42m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From S-charl (1,810 m) follow the path into the Val Tavrü towards Alp Tavrü. Leave it at about Point 2096 and go trackless south-west along a small stream, through a gap in the Mots da Nossa Donna (Point 2495), then up a long scree field from Gravas Alba to the foot of the first (north) couloir. Climb the first couloir, on firn in early summer, for about 120 m until a second couloir branches off to the right (west). In it a few blocks bar the way; the crux is a polished rock step to the right of them, covered with fine sand (III). Above, steep snow (well over 45° in a hard-snow year) and grade II ground lead to a saddle about 30 m below the summit; continue over scree and reach the top directly (about III) or by a short exposed detour to the west (II). Do not try to climb straight up the north face to the ridge from the first couloir, as a 2024 party did following an old guidebook: they found loose III ground and a shower of stones and had to retreat. Descend the same way. The north flank is very exposed to stonefall, increasingly so as the day warms, and the rock is shattered; early summer, while snow still fills the couloirs, and an early start (off the face by mid-morning on warm days) are best. A 2015 comment recommends the east ridge from the Fuorcla Val Nüglia as safer and more pleasant (SAC guidebook ZS, upper II, about 1¼ hours from the col). The south side lies in the Swiss National Park, where climbing off marked paths is forbidden.
Start
S-charl1,811 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, then the PostBus up the Val S-charl to S-charl (summer service).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S-charl → Piz Tavrü | 7.2 | 1,560 | 203 | 6h 31m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: S-charl1,811 m
- Feature: Alp Tavrü2,108 m
Path into the Val Tavrü; leave it at about Point 2096
- Feature: Mots da Nossa Donna2,395 m
Crossed through a gap in the middle
- Feature: Gravas Alba2,651 m
Long scree field to the foot of the first couloir
- Summit: Piz Tavrü3,168 m
Key Passages
- Long trackless scree from Gravas Alba to the north flank
- Branch from the first into the second couloir about 120 m up
- Polished, sandy III step and steep firn in the second couloir
- Summit block, direct (about III) or by a short exposed detour to the west (II)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 55%Overview
A broad, shattered dolomite massif at the head of the Val Tavrü above S-charl, 3,168 m. Rarely climbed: the usual route takes two stonefall-prone couloirs on the north flank with steep firn and a III step, and the south side lies in the Swiss National Park.
Piz Tavrü closes the head of the Val Tavrü, a side valley of the Val S-charl south of Scuol, with the Piz d'Astras and Piz Foraz on either side. It is a wide rock massif with its highest point towards the north-west end of a jagged crest, and it is visible from many surrounding summits and from the way up from Scuol into the Val S-charl. Its southern slopes belong to the Swiss National Park.
The north face, which the normal route climbs by two couloirs, is steep and shattered. Snow lingers in the gullies into summer; once it melts, stones come down freely, especially on warm afternoons. The ridge routes are harder still and rarely done, and trip reports are few: one of the 2011 soloists described it as the peak that nearly killed him.
For experienced alpinists who like solitude and accept loose rock, it is a serious and adventurous objective. For a walk in the same valley, Mot Tavrü (2,420 m) is an easy viewpoint on the edge of the National Park.
Climbing Notes
Only for parties at home on loose ground and steep firn: crampons, an ice axe and a helmet are essential, and a short rope helps on the III step in the second couloir. Go early in summer while snow fills the couloirs, and start before dawn so you are off the north flank by mid-morning on warm days; bivouacking in the upper Val Tavrü is one option. Navigation matters: above Point 2096 there is no path, and turning off into the wrong gully has led parties into harder, looser ground. The east ridge from the Fuorcla Val Nüglia (SAC guidebook ZS) is described by one climber as safer than the couloirs. Stay out of the National Park on the south side, where leaving marked paths is forbidden.
History
A party with Imhof of Schiers and Ludwig of St. Gallen climbed it from Scarl (S-charl) on 1 August 1897 via the Val Tavrü, the scree to the col by Point 2988 and the south flank, and wrote it up in the SAC yearbook; they found a cairn already on the summit, so it was not the first ascent. A 2008 trip report notes that the SAC guidebook describes the route as 'stantus' (laborious).
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good (best window)
- August: Good (best window)
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; avalanche-prone couloirs
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche-prone couloirs
- May
- Snowmelt; avalanche and stonefall
- Jun
- Couloirs still full of snow; possible for experienced parties once the snow has settled
- Jul
- Best while some snow remains in the couloirs; very early start
- Aug
- Less snow, more stonefall; finish early
- Sep
- Couloirs mostly bare and loose
- Oct
- Early snow and ice
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The south side of Piz Tavrü lies inside the Swiss National Park, where leaving marked paths is strictly forbidden and visits are allowed only in daylight (civil twilight to civil twilight); there is no legal route up from that side.
- Getting There
Scuol
Zurich (ZRH) or Innsbruck (INN)
- Rhaetian Railway to Scuol-Tarasp, then the PostBus up the Val S-charl to S-charl (summer service; check the timetable)
- By car: from Scuol up the Val S-charl road to S-charl
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Avalanche
- Remoteness
- Weather