Rheinwaldhorn
3,402 m
Switzerland
Also known as Райнвалдхорн, Adula, +4Also known as
Райнвалдхорн · Adula · რაინვალდჰორნი · Adula - Rheinwaldhorn · Piz Valragn · Рейнвальдгорн
- Elevation
- 3,402 m
- Prominence
- 1,337 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: PD- (Outdooractive / SAC section tour (WS)) · PD+ (hikr.org report (search summary))
The normal route to the highest summit of Ticino: up Val Carassina from the Carassina dam to Capanna Adula UTOE (2,393 m), then over moraine and cairned slabs to the shrinking Bresciana glacier, which is followed in a long clockwise arc past the Grauhorn and the Adulajoch to the summit. About 1,700 m of ascent; 2½ hours to the hut, 3½–4 hours to the top.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 12.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,778 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,402 m
- Time Up
- 7h 36m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 17m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Olivone drive via Campo Blenio and the Luzzone dam to the Passo Muazz and through the tunnel into Val Carassina; park at the Carassina (Compietto) dam at about 1,700 m. A dirt road climbs gently up the valley past alpine pastures to Capanna Adula CAS (2,012 m) and the Cappella di Termine; here the path forks, and the left branch zigzags up a ramp to Capanna Adula UTOE (2,393 m), about 2½ hours from the dam (T2). From the hut, follow cairns up the moraine above it and over slabs, keeping as high as possible; after recent poor snow years the glacier is reached only at about 2,900 m, below the outliers of the Grauhorn (3,260 m). On the glacier make a long clockwise arc, first along the Grauhorn, then below the Adulajoch, and cross the bergschrund onto the uppermost Länta glacier and the short summit ridge with its cross. Allow 3½–4 hours from the hut. Late in the season the glacier is bare ice with open crevasses. Descend the same way (about 4 hours to the dam). The rock-and-ice loop by the Via Malvaglia/WSW ridge from the Passo del Laghetto (F+ to PD-, cable and chain on the crux, UIAA III) is a popular alternative, now largely ice-free. From the north, the route from the Läntahütte via the Läntagletscher is longer and, with the glacier's retreat, best done as a ski tour or in early summer.
Start
Diga di Carassina1,672 m
- S10 train to Biasca, Autolinee Bleniesi bus 113 to Olivone and Ghirone, then the summer Bus alpin (Greina) to the Luzzone dam; from there 3¼ hours to the UTOE hut.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diga di Carassina → Capanna Adula UTOE | 8.6 | 762 | 48 | 3h 43m |
| 2 | Capanna Adula UTOE → Rheinwaldhorn | 4.0 | 1,011 | 0 | 3h 52m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Diga di Carassina1,672 m
- Hut: Capanna Adula CAS2,012 m
- Feature: Cappella di Termine2,031 m
Path fork; left branch to the UTOE hut
- Hut: Capanna Adula UTOE2,392 m
- Col: Adulajoch3,291 m
Position moved about 1 km SE on the 2008 Swiss national map
- Summit: Rheinwaldhorn3,402 m
Key Passages
- Cairned moraine and slabs above Capanna Adula UTOE
- Long clockwise arc on the Bresciana glacier below the Grauhorn
- Bergschrund below the summit ridge
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The Rheinwaldhorn or Adula (3,402 m) is the highest summit of Ticino and of the Adula group, rising between Val Blenio, Vals and the Rheinwald. Its normal route is an easy but long glacier climb from Capanna Adula UTOE, suited to novice mountaineers with a guide or a competent rope leader.
The Rheinwaldhorn stands on the border between Ticino and Graubünden, where the municipalities of Blenio, Vals and Hinterrhein meet, and is the culminating point of the eastern Lepontine Alps. Its summit is a short north–south ridge above four glaciers: the Bresciana and Lenta (Länta) glaciers to the west and north, and the Paradies and Rheinwald glaciers to the east, at the head of the Hinterrhein valley. With 1,337 m of prominence (key col San Bernardino Pass) it dominates a wide area of remote valleys.
The usual ascent is from the Ticino side, from Val Carassina above Olivone, with a night at Capanna Adula UTOE (2,393 m). The route is technically easy — a long glacier walk with a bergschrund near the top — but the Bresciana glacier has retreated markedly, the approach now crosses extensive moraine, and late in the season the ice is bare and crevassed. A rock-and-ice loop over the WSW ridge (Via Malvaglia) has become a popular alternative as that ridge has lost its ice.
From Graubünden the mountain is climbed from the Läntahütte above the Zervreila lake or from the Zapporthütte in the upper Hinterrhein valley; these northern and eastern approaches are longer and are now mainly done as ski tours or in early summer.
Climbing Notes
Plan two days: 2½ hours from the Carassina dam to Capanna Adula UTOE, then 3½–4 hours to the summit and about 4 hours back to the car. You need glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue), crampons and an ice axe; the hut describes the route as suitable for novice mountaineers, and the Ticino mountain guides run group ascents. Go early in the summer, when snow still covers the glacier and the moraine; by August the glacier is bare ice and the moraine section long and loose. Start early to cross the glacier before the snow softens. The UTOE hut is staffed from about mid-June to early October; a sleeping-bag liner is mandatory. In spring the Adula is a classic ski tour from the Läntahütte, Zapporthütte or Val Soi.
History
The first recorded ascent was made in 1789 by the Benedictine monk and mountain explorer Placidus a Spescha. J. J. Weilenmann climbed it alone in 1859; Johann Coaz's party in 1861 found the remains of Spescha's cairn, and Douglas Freshfield reached the summit from the Lenta glacier in 1864. Daniele Gianora made the first winter solo ascent in 1942. The name Adula derives from the Romansh form of the medieval Mons Aquila.
Season
Best Jul- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Ski tour for experienced parties; huts unstaffed
- Feb
- Ski tour; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Ski-touring season
- Apr
- Best ski-touring month
- May
- Late ski tours; huts mostly closed
- Jun
- UTOE hut opens mid-June; snow on glacier and moraine
- Jul
- Main season; best glacier conditions early in the month
- Aug
- Bare ice and open crevasses; long moraine
- Sep
- Bare glacier; stable weather
- Oct
- Hut closes early October; first snow
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Capanna Adula UTOE: online via hut-reservation.org (hut 583), phone +41 91 872 16 75 or adula@utoe.ch; cancel at least 48 hours ahead; cash only. Capanna Adula CAS is run by the CAS Ticino section.
- Rules
- The road through the tunnel into Val Carassina (Luzzone–Passo Muazz–Compietto) is a narrow mountain road; the tunnel is dark if walked
- Getting There
Olivone
Milan Malpensa (MXP); Zurich (ZRH)
- By car: A2 exit Biasca, Val Blenio to Olivone, Campo Blenio and the Luzzone dam, then on to the Passo Muazz and through the tunnel to parking at the Carassina (Compietto) dam, about 1,700 m
- Public transport: S10 train to Biasca, bus 113 (Autolinee Bleniesi) to Olivone and Ghirone, summer Bus alpin to the Luzzone dam
- Graubünden side: Läntahütte from the Zervreila lake above Vals (about 2¼–3 hours); Zapporthütte from Hinterrhein
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,012 m
- 2,393 m
Capanna Adula UTOEHutStaffedBooking required
52 beds · Staffed daily 10 June – 3 October (2026); always open, no winter room but wood stove available