Ringelspitz
3,247 m
Switzerland
Also known as Рингелспитз, რინგელშპიცი, +1Also known as
Рингелспитз · რინგელშპიცი · Piz Barghis
- Elevation
- 3,247 m
- Prominence
- 841 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: PD+ (Bergschaft mountain guides (WS+, 3b)) · IV- (SAC: summit tower by the north face, 4a)
The summer normal route to the highest point of canton St. Gallen: from the Ringelspitzhütte (1,998 m) above the Kunkels Pass over pastures and debris-covered glacier to the slaty Mittelgrat, then a partly bolted ridge (II+ to 3b) across the Glarus thrust to the fore-summit and an exposed bolted summit tower. ZS-, 1,250 m, 5–6 hours from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 16.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,349 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,247 m
- Time Up
- 9h 58m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 53m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: walk to the Ringelspitzhütte from Vättis via Kunkels, the Kunkels Pass (1,357 m) and the Grossalp, about 3½ hours and 1,050 m (T2); with a car you can save almost an hour by parking at Langwis (1,063 m, toll). Driving on to the Kunkels Pass needs a permit, which hut guests can request in advance from the municipality of Tamins. From the hut head north-west to the water intake, cross the Lawoibach westwards and climb the pasture terraces of Vorder and Mittler Augstberg (2,311 m). Recross the stream on a natural bridge of two huge boulders and follow it up to the Sandböden. Unmapped paths right of a large polished slab lead over thin grass and scree onto the Taminser Gletscher, now mostly buried under rubble; leave it on the right at about 2,900 m and gain the Mittelgrat at point 2935, usually without crampons when the route is free of snow. Follow the slaty ridge to the yellow contact band of the Glarus thrust below the first Verrucano step, where there are two belays; bypass the step on its west side and return to a notch by two cracks through a smooth slab, then climb the next section direct (II+), use a gully on the east side and follow the ridge, bolted at key points, to the notch at the Ringelfirn and the fore-summit. The summit tower is climbed by its bolted, exposed north-east edge (3b) or the north face (4a); the old wire cable was removed after 2019. Descend by a 15 m abseil down the north face of the tower (anchor in place), then either reverse the Mittelgrat (several abseil stations) or follow the west ridge down about 50 m and take the Tschepband, a band of slippery slate scree that is hard to protect, to the Tschep Sandböden and back to the hut (3–4 hours from the summit). In spring and early summer, with continuous cold snow, a couloir west of the Mittelgrat leading straight to the Ringelfirn is the normal line and the ski route; it is exposed to rockfall once it thaws.
Start
Vättis, Dorf948 m
- Train to Bad Ragaz, bus to Vättis; walk via Kunkels and the Kunkels Pass to the hut
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vättis, Dorf → Ringelspitzhütte SAC | 11.1 | 1,085 | 42 | 5h 05m |
| 2 | Ringelspitzhütte SAC → Ringelspitz | 5.1 | 1,259 | 6 | 4h 51m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Vättis, Dorf948 m
- Feature: Kunkels1,131 m
- Col: Kunkelspass1,358 m
- Feature: Grossalp1,867 m
- Hut: Ringelspitzhütte SAC1,995 m
- Feature: Taminsergletscher2,829 m
Mostly debris-covered; left on the right at about 2,900 m
- Summit: Ringelspitz3,247 m
Key Passages
- Glarus thrust contact band and first Verrucano step
- Bolted ridge to the fore-summit
- Exposed north-east edge of the summit tower (3b)
- 15 m abseil down the north face of the tower
- Tschepband (descent)
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest point of canton St. Gallen (3,247 m), on the border with Graubünden above the Kunkels Pass and the Gigerwaldsee. The normal route is a ZS- ridge climb on slate and Verrucano across the Glarus thrust, from a small SAC hut.
The Ringelspitz, Piz Barghis in Romansh, crowns a 12 km west–east ridge that branches off between Piz Sardona and Piz Segnas and separates the Calfeisental from the Alpine Rhine valley near Flims. Its north face drops almost 2,000 m to the Gigerwaldsee; to the east the Kunkels Pass separates it from the Calanda. The mountain lies in the Tectonic Arena Sardona UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the normal route crosses the Glarus thrust itself, where older Verrucano rock lies on top of younger slate.
The climb is a proper alpine route rather than a walk: debris-covered remains of the Taminser Gletscher, then a slaty ridge with climbing to II+ and 3b, bolted at the key points, and an exposed summit tower descended by abseil. In spring and early summer, with cold snow, parties use a couloir west of the ridge, which is also the ski-touring line.
The base is the Ringelspitzhütte SAC (1,998 m), a simple hut on a knoll above the Kunkels Pass, reached in about 3½ hours from Vättis.
Climbing Notes
For parties at ease leading or moving together on grade II–III rock with exposure, and able to abseil; less experienced climbers should go with a guide (local guides run it as a two-day tour). Plan two days: walk up to the hut on day one, then 4–6 hours to the summit and 3–4 hours back to the hut on day two, plus the walk out. Bring a 30–40 m rope, harness, a few quickdraws and a helmet; crampons and an axe are only needed with snow on the approach or for the spring couloir.
The slate is loose and slippery off the line, and the Tschepband descent is slippery scree that is hard to protect, so it needs sure feet. The best period is July to September, once the south face is free of snow. Reservations at the hut are obligatory, and a hut sleeping bag is required (rental available).
History
The SAC route portal credits the first ascent to Walter Gröbli with David Kohler and J. B. Zimmermann on 7 August 1887, completed in descent. Camptocamp instead lists 9 June 1865, by the guides Heinrich and Rudolf Elmer with Georg Sand-Frank, by the Tschepgrat. In the 1990s a large part of the east face of the summit tower collapsed onto the Taminser Gletscher and took the former normal route with it. The wire cable on the summit tower was removed after 2019 and replaced with bolts. The glacier has shrunk to small, rubble-covered remnants.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut not staffed (winter room)
- Mar
- Ski ascent via the couloir for experienced ski-mountaineers
- Apr
- Ski ascent via the couloir in cold, stable conditions
- May
- Couloir variant with continuous snow; hut partly staffed
- Jun
- Hut staffed from June; couloir early in the month if cold, otherwise wait for the ridge to dry
- Jul
- Summer route on the Mittelgrat once the south face is snow-free
- Sep
- Often stable conditions
- Oct
- Hut staffed until October; early snow on the slate makes the ridge treacherous
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Kunkels Pass road permitOptional
Only needed to drive beyond Langwis to the Kunkels Pass. It can no longer be bought by phone; hut guests can apply in advance to the municipality of Tamins during office hours. Parking at Langwis (toll) needs no permit.
- Hut Booking
- Book the Ringelspitzhütte online via hut-reservation.org (linked from ringelspitzhuette.ch) or by phone +41 79 632 24 34. Free cancellation until 18:00 two days before arrival.
- Fees
- Toll for the road and parking at Langwis above Vättis
- Hut overnight with half board (about CHF 69 for SAC members in summer per the hut website; check current prices)
- Rules
- Reservation is obligatory at the Ringelspitzhütte; a hut sleeping bag is compulsory
- Tectonic Arena Sardona UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Getting There
Vättis (St. Gallen) or Tamins (Graubünden); Bad Ragaz and Chur for services
Zurich Airport (ZRH)
- Train to Bad Ragaz, then the bus up the Taminatal to Vättis; walk via Kunkels, the Kunkels Pass and the Grossalp to the hut (about 3½ hours)
- From Tamins (train or bus from Chur): path via Foppaloch to the Kunkels Pass and the Grossalp to the hut, about 4 hours and 1,330 m
- By car to the Langwis car park above Vättis (toll), which saves almost an hour
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Glacier
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,998 m
Ringelspitzhütte SACHutStaffedBooking required
Staffed June to October (fully mid-June to mid-October, partly in spring and autumn); winter room with self-catering November to May