Pizzo Scalino
3,323 m
Italy
Also known as Piz ScalinoAlso known as
Piz Scalino
- Elevation
- 3,323 m
- Prominence
- 859 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: EE (CAI scale (VieNormali.it)) · T2 (Camptocamp (from Capanna Cristina))
The glacier-free way up Valmalenco's landmark pyramid: from Campo Moro (about 2,000 m) to Rifugio Cristina, then up boulder fields to Passo degli Ometti (2,767 m), across the scree basin below the south face and up a gully to the SE ridge at about 3,200 m, finishing on easy grade I rock. About 1,300–1,450 m of ascent, 4 h 30 min up; waymarked from the hut to the summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,394 m
- −67 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,323 m
- Time Up
- 5h 49m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 02m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car parks at the Campo Moro dam (about 2,000 m) walk past Rifugio Zoia and along the track over Alpe Campagneda to Rifugio Cristina at Alpe Prabello (2,287 m), about 1 hour. A slightly shorter start is from a pull-out at about 2,020 m on the road to Alpe Campascio, 1.5 km before Campo Moro, via a signed path to the hut. About 50 m east of the hut turn right for Passo degli Ometti. The path skirts a boulder mound, climbs scree and a steep grass-and-stone slope and crosses a long stretch of large stacked blocks just below the SW ridge to the pass (2,767 m, about 2 h 30 min from the start). Round the SW ridge without losing height, cross meadows and long moderate scree slopes below the south face, then climb diagonally right into the gully between the summit pyramid and the SE shoulder. The gully is wide, then narrower; about 30 m below the saddle (about 3,200 m) a scree ledge on the right avoids the steepest part. On the broad SE ridge, where the glacier and Val Fontana routes join, red-and-white marks lead left across the summit pyramid, then up small gullies, ledges and easy rock steps (grade I) to the large summit cross. VieNormali gives 4 h 30 min up and 9 h for the round trip; descend the same way. The route is best in August and September when snow-free; the gully below the saddle is exposed to stonefall from parties above.
Start
Campo Moro1,991 m
- Nearest railway station Sondrio; buses up Valmalenco to Chiesa in Valmalenco and Lanzada, then by car or taxi to Campo Moro
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campo Moro → Pizzo Scalino | 8.2 | 1,394 | 67 | 5h 49m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Campo Moro1,991 m
- Hut: Rifugio Zoia2,021 m
- Hut: Rifugio Cristina2,227 m
- Col: Passo degli Ometti2,759 m
- Summit: Pizzo Scalino3,323 m
Key Passages
- Boulder field below Passo degli Ometti
- Scree gully to the SE saddle
- Easy rock steps on the summit pyramid (I)
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A clean 3,323 m rock pyramid above the Valmalenco reservoirs, the landmark of the valley and a classic first 3,000er. A small glacier on the north side gives the traditional route; a waymarked glacier-free route from Rifugio Cristina reaches the same easy SE ridge.
Pizzo Scalino rises south-east of the Bernina group, between the upper Valmalenco (Campo Moro and Alpe Gera reservoirs), the Val Fontana and the Val Painale. Its regular pyramid is regarded as the symbol of Valmalenco. The summit, with a large cross, looks across to the Bernina, Disgrazia and the Orobie Alps. The name refers to the step on its east ridge.
There is no truly easy way up, but none of the normal routes is technical. From Campo Moro (about 2,000 m) the classic route crosses Alpe Campagneda and the Cornetto onto the small, shrinking Vedretta di Scalino and finishes along the SE ridge. Glacier retreat has made the last metres to the ridge steeper and looser, now with a fixed rope and chain. The non-glacial route from Rifugio Cristina over Passo degli Ometti and the south side is longer but needs no glacier kit in a snow-free late summer, and has been waymarked to the summit since 2018. Both share the final grade I ridge.
Expect 1,300–1,450 m of ascent and a long day of boulders and scree. Rifugio Cristina, Rifugio Zoia and other huts around Campo Moro make an overnight stop easy.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for 1,300–1,450 m of ascent and 7–9 hours round trip on rough ground is the main requirement; altitude is moderate. The glacier route needs crampons, an ice axe and basic glacier skills; a 30 m rope is useful early in the season and for the rock step at the col. The Ometti route needs only sure-footedness and comfort on grade I rock when the mountain is snow-free, usually from August to September. A helmet is worth carrying on both routes because of stonefall in the scree below the SE col.
Many parties sleep at Rifugio Cristina or a hut at Campo Moro and start early to avoid afternoon storms and soft snow. In winter and spring the Scalino is a popular ski-mountaineering objective from Campo Moro and the Val Fontana, with avalanche terrain.
History
VieNormali credits the first ascent to surveyors in 1830. The first recorded mountaineering ascent was on 18 June 1866 by Francis Fox Tuckett and F. A. Yeats Brown with the guides Christian Almer and Franz Andenmatten, who climbed via Passo di Campagneda and descended over the Cornetto.
Season
Best Aug–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski-mountaineering only, avalanche terrain
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering only
- Mar
- Ski-touring season from Campo Moro or Val Fontana for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring; road to Campo Moro may still be closed
- May
- Transition; heavy snow on all routes
- Jun
- Snow on the upper routes; crampons and ice axe needed; huts opening
- Jul
- Glacier route in good condition; snow may linger on the Ometti route
- Aug
- Best for the glacier-free Ometti route
- Sep
- Usually snow-free; glacier icy and crevasses more visible
- Oct
- Early snow; huts closing or weekends only
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter; Rifugio Cristina opens for the winter season over Christmas
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Cristina (25 places in 5 rooms) is open June–October and December–April; phone ahead (+39 0342 452398 or +39 339 3574221) to confirm it is open.
- Fees
- Overnight fees at the huts
- Rules
- The track from Alpe Campascio towards Alpe Prabello is closed to through traffic; park at the pull-out below the no-transit sign or at Campo Moro
- Getting There
Lanzada and Chiesa in Valmalenco
Milan Bergamo (BGY)
- Train to Sondrio (from Milan via Lecco), bus up Valmalenco to Chiesa and Lanzada
- By car from Sondrio up Valmalenco via Chiesa, Lanzada and Franscia to the Campo Moro dam (about 2,000 m) on the final Enel service road; the Alpe Campascio pull-out (about 2,020 m) is 1.5 km before Campo Moro
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,021 m
Rifugio ZoiaHut
- 2,287 m
Rifugio CristinaHutStaffed
25 beds · June–October and December–April; phone to confirm