Pizzo Cengalo
3,369 m
Switzerland, Italy
Also known as Piz CengaloAlso known as
Piz Cengalo
- Elevation
- 3,369 m
- Prominence
- 620 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 1 Jun 2026
A direct path along the floor of the Val Bondasca to the Sasc Furä hut, with new suspension bridges, reopened in summer 2026 (mid-June per news reports); the higher 2019 alpine path remains as an alternative.
de.wikipedia.orgAdvisoryReported 1 Jul 2025
Capanna di Sciora (Swiss side, Val Bondasca) reopened in July 2025 after eight years' closure, reached from Bondo by a new path with four suspension bridges high on the north flank of the valley, avoiding the 2017 rockslide zone.
de.wikipedia.org
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? 1 check note
- unresolved waypoints: Casera Zoccone, Corte Vecchia (OSM match off-route)
Sources differ: F (Camptocamp) · PD- (VieNormali.it (EE/A/II/PD-)) · PD (Wikipedia)
The Italian normal route, used by the first ascensionists in 1866: up the Val Porcellizzo to Rifugio Gianetti (2,534 m), then a gully with a fixed rope to the Colle del Cengalo (about 3,050 m) and a broken granite ridge with a short chained step and grade II slabs to the snowy summit dome. About 2,200 m of ascent from the road.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 9.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,246 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,369 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 42m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 5h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Bagni di Masino (1,172 m) take the mule track up the valley, keeping right of the stream, through fir forest to the Baite di Corte Vecchia (1,405 m) and along the Porcellizzo stream to the Casera Zoccone (1,899 m), then on to Rifugio Gianetti (2,534 m), about 3½ hours. Most parties stay the night; doing it in a day from Bagni di Masino needs very good fitness. From the hut follow the Sentiero Roma east for a few hundred metres and turn left at a signposted junction for the Cengalo. Grass, boulders and moraine lead north-east into the hollow below the east side of Punta Sertori to the foot of the gully at about 2,950 m. The gully (often snow-filled early in the season) has an informal fixed rope over a short chimney and blocks (II); it ends at the Colle del Cengalo, about 1½ hours from the hut. From the col go right along the easy crest, then onto the Val Bondasca (north) side for an exposed step protected by a chain and a grade II slab. Continue on generally good rock to about 3,150 m, follow cairns round point 3196 on its south side, cross loose ground eastwards and climb the easy snow or scree dome to the summit cross, 3–3½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way; the fixed ropes and chains are not maintained by any official body, so check their state.
Start
Bagni di Masino1,166 m
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bagni di Masino → Rifugio Luigi Gianetti | 6.3 | 1,384 | 20 | 5h 27m |
| 2 | Rifugio Luigi Gianetti → Pizzo Cengalo | 2.7 | 859 | 23 | 3h 14m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Bagni di Masino1,166 m
- Hut: Rifugio Luigi Gianetti2,535 m
- Col: Colle del Cengalo3,062 m
- Summit: Pizzo Cengalo3,369 m
Key Passages
- Gully to the Colle del Cengalo with an informal fixed rope (II)
- Exposed chained step on the north (Val Bondasca) side of the ridge
- Grade II slab above the col
- Loose traverse round point 3196
- Summit snow dome
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 3,369 m granite pyramid on the Swiss–Italian border next to Piz Badile, known for its huge north face and for the 2017 rockslide that devastated Bondo. The Italian normal route from Rifugio Gianetti is an easy but loose rock scramble to a snowy summit dome.
Pizzo Cengalo (Piz Cengalo in German and Romansh) is the highest summit of the Sciora–Badile–Cengalo group in the Bregaglia, rising between the Val Bondasca in Switzerland and the Val Porcellizzo in Italy's Val Masino. It is a truncated pyramid of granite with three ridges and a snowy dome on top: a south-west face visible from Rifugio Gianetti, a south-east face of large smooth slabs, and a complex north face of pillars and gullies above the Val Bondasca.
That north side has collapsed repeatedly. About 1.5–2 million m³ fell in December 2011, and on 23 August 2017 about 3 million m³ broke away, killing eight walkers on the path below and sending debris flows down to the village of Bondo, 4 km away. The Swiss approaches through the Val Bondasca were closed for years; the Sciora and Sasc Furä huts are now reached by new paths that avoid the danger zone, but the north side remains unstable and its climbing routes are not a sensible objective.
The Italian normal route stays on the south and west side. From Bagni di Masino a long hut walk leads to Rifugio Gianetti; from there a gully and a broken ridge, with a fixed rope and a chain on the steepest steps, lead to the top in about three hours. It is technically easy but loose in places, and gives a close view of the Badile's north-east face.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for fit, sure-footed walkers with some scrambling experience and a head for heights; the hardest moves are short grade II steps, but the gully and parts of the ridge are loose. A helmet is essential; a short rope helps with less experienced partners. Crampons and an ice axe are needed when the gully and summit dome hold snow (usually early summer or after fresh snow) and often unnecessary in a dry August or September.
Typical itinerary: walk up from Bagni di Masino to Rifugio Gianetti (about 3½ hours) on day one, climb the peak the next morning (3–3½ hours up, about 2½ hours down) and descend to the valley. A one-day ascent from Bagni di Masino means about 2,200 m of ascent and 10–12 hours. The fixed rope and chain are informal; ask at the hut about their state and about snow in the gully.
Weather in the Bregaglia can turn quickly in summer, and the summit dome is a lightning target. Do not attempt routes on the Swiss north side, which remains prone to rockfall.
History
The first ascent was on 25 July 1866 by Douglas William Freshfield and Charles Comyns Tucker with the Chamonix guide François Devouassoud, from the south by today's normal route. The NNW face was climbed on 29 June 1897 by Scipione Borghese with the guides Christian Schnitzler and Martin Schocher, and the SW face on 16 August 1898 by Bruno Galli-Valerio, Giuseppe Ongania and Alfredo Redaelli with the guide Giuseppe Bonomi. On 27 December 2011 a rockfall of 1.5–2 million m³ destroyed climbing routes on the north side. On 23 August 2017 about 3 million m³ fell from the north-east face; eight people who had stayed at the Sciora hut were killed, and debris flows over the following days damaged 99 buildings in and around Bondo. A further 200,000–500,000 m³ fell on 15 September 2017. New protection works for Bondo were inaugurated on 12 September 2025.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; avalanche-prone approach; hut closed (winter room only)
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk
- May
- Heavy snow in the Val Porcellizzo
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June (weekends earlier in some years); gully usually snow-filled, crampons needed
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; gully may be dry and loose
- Sep
- Settled weather common; hut closes mid- to late September
- Oct
- Hut closed; possible in a dry autumn for experienced parties using the winter room
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Gianetti: book with the guardian by phone (+39 0342 645161). The Bivacco Attilio Piacco next to it is always open as a winter room.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The Swiss north side (Val Bondasca) is subject to ongoing rockfall risk from the 2011 and 2017 collapses; use only the newly built paths to the Sciora and Sasc Furä huts and avoid the former valley routes and north-side climbs
- Fixed ropes and the chain on the normal route are informal and not officially maintained
- Getting There
San Martino Valmasino (Val Masino, Italy); Bondo and Vicosoprano on the Swiss side
Milan Bergamo (BGY) or Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- By car up the Val Masino via San Martino to the road end at Bagni di Masino (1,172 m)
- Val Masino infopoint: +39 334 3999708, info@valmasino.info
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,534 m
Rifugio Luigi GianettiRefugeStaffed
78 beds · Staffed daily from mid-June to mid-September (some sources: to late September); call before going at either end of the season