Pizol
2,844 m
Switzerland
Also known as ПизолAlso known as
Пизол
- Elevation
- 2,844 m
- Prominence
- 457 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: F (gipfelbuch.ch (L, normal route from the Pizolhütte)) · T3+ (description of the 2021 rebuilt route)
A lift-assisted alpine walk: from the Pizolhütte (about 2,222 m, top of the lifts from Wangs) up the busy Five Lakes path to the Wildseeluggen, then a blue-and-white marked, partly cabled path over the Wildsandköpfe (point 2813) to the Pizolsattel and up the cabled west flank to the 2,844 m summit. About 630 m; 4½–5 hours round trip.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +659 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,844 m
- Time Up
- 2h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Ride the gondola and chairlifts from Wangs via Furt and Gaffia to the top station by the Pizolhütte (about 2,222 m), about 45 minutes. Follow the Five Lakes Walk (5-Seen-Wanderung) south-west in zigzags to the Wildseeluggen (2,493 m) above the turquoise Wildsee, about 1 hour on a good path, where the summit comes into view. Leave the Five Lakes path here and follow the blue-and-white markings south. The old route up the Pizolgletscher is no longer used: the glacier has all but disappeared and, after a rockfall from the Wildsandköpfe in October 2020, the zone from the glacier remnants up to the Pizolsattel has been closed since August 2021. The marked route, rebuilt with steel cables in 2021, climbs the rocks of the north flank onto the Wildsandköpfe (point 2813) and traverses to the Pizolsattel; it briefly crosses the scar of the rockfall, where the ground is unstable, and has short exposed sections. From the saddle, the route goes round the back of the summit on a somewhat exposed path up the rocky west flank, with plenty of steel cables, to the summit cross and register (the higher southern top). Return the same way, keeping an eye on the time of the last lift down. The SAC stresses that the rock is poor throughout and that only the marked route should be used, as other parties can easily knock stones down.
Start
Pizolhütte2,224 m
- Pizolbahnen: Wangs–Furt gondola and chairlifts Furt–Gaffia–Pizolhütte (summer); alternatively Bad Ragaz–Pardiel gondola and chairlift to Laufböden
- Train to Sargans or Bad Ragaz, bus to Wangs (Pizolbahnen valley station); lifts via Furt and Gaffia to the Pizolhütte
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pizolhütte → Pizol | 4.5 | 659 | 38 | 2h 50m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Pizolhütte2,224 m
Top station of the Gaffia–Pizolhütte chairlift, next to the Pizolhütte mountain restaurant
- Col: Wildseeluggen2,496 m
- Summit: Pizol2,844 m
Key Passages
- Wildseeluggen
- Cabled traverse over the Wildsandköpfe and the 2020 rockfall scar
- Cabled west flank above the Pizolsattel
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest of the Graue Hörner (2,844 m) above Bad Ragaz and the Sarganserland, reached from the Pizol lifts by a marked, partly cabled alpine path. Its shrunken glacier and the Five Lakes Walk below make it one of the busiest summits in eastern Switzerland.
Pizol is the culminating point of the Graue Hörner, the group of dark, crumbling peaks between the Weisstannental, the Taminatal and the Rhine valley near Bad Ragaz. The name comes from Romansh 'Piz ol(t)', the high peak. Lifts from Wangs and Bad Ragaz reach the Pizolhütte at about 2,222 m, the start of the popular Five Lakes Walk past the Wildsee and other mountain lakes; the summit lies just above this circuit.
The Pizolgletscher on the north side, once crossed by the normal route, has nearly gone. After a rockfall from the neighbouring Wildsandköpfe in October 2020, the zone from the glacier remnants to the Pizolsattel was closed, and ascent and descent are only permitted on the blue-and-white marked route, rebuilt with steel cables in 2021. The route is an exposed alpine walk (T4), not a climb, but the rock is poor throughout.
Longer and much quieter routes come up from Gigerwald in the Taminatal through the Tersol (T4+, 1,630 m) or from the Weisstannental. In winter Pizol is a ski tour from the top of the lifts.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for sure-footed mountain walkers with a head for heights; the cables help on the exposed sections, but there is no via ferrata kit needed. Allow 4½–5 hours from the Pizolhütte and back, and plan around the last lift down from the Pizolhütte. A helmet is sensible because the route crosses unstable ground below the 2020 rockfall and stones are easily dislodged by other parties.
Stay strictly on the marked route: the old glacier line to the Pizolsattel is in a closed zone. Snowfields can linger near the summit into late July, and the Five Lakes area is crowded on fine summer weekends. Check the Pizolbahnen website for lift times and route status before going.
History
The SAC section Piz Sol erected the summit cross. The SAC rejects the popular interpretation of the name as 'Piz sol' (sun mountain) in favour of 'Piz ol(t)'. The glacier route was abandoned around 2012 when a marked path through the rocks east of the glacier was built; that path was in turn damaged by the October 2020 rockfall and rebuilt in 2021. No first-ascent record was found.
Season
Best Aug–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Ski tour from the top of the lifts; the 2020 rockfall affects the upper ski route
- Feb
- Ski touring for experienced parties
- Mar
- Ski touring; avalanche and rockfall risk near the saddle
- Apr
- Lifts mostly closed between seasons
- May
- Snow; summer lifts not yet running
- Jun
- Summer lifts start; snow on the upper route
- Jul
- Snowfields may remain near the summit until late July
- Aug
- Best conditions; busy on the Five Lakes path
- Sep
- Often stable weather
- Oct
- Until the summer lifts close; early snow possible
- Dec
- Winter; ski area
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No overnight is needed. Accommodation is available near the lifts, for example at the Berghotel Furt.
- Fees
- Pizolbahnen lift tickets from Wangs or Bad Ragaz
- Rules
- Since August 2021 the zone from the Pizolgletscher up to the Pizolsattel is closed (no entry) because of rockfall danger after the October 2020 collapse of the Wildsandköpfe; ascent and descent only on the blue-and-white marked route
- The SAC asks climbers to use only the marked normal route because of loose rock
- Getting There
Bad Ragaz; Wangs and Sargans
Zurich Airport (ZRH)
- Train to Sargans, bus to Wangs, Pizolbahnen gondola and chairlifts via Furt and Gaffia to the Pizolhütte (about 45 minutes)
- Alternatively from Bad Ragaz station: gondola to Pardiel and chairlift to Laufböden
- By car: A13 exit Sargans or Bad Ragaz; parking at the Wangs valley station
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche