Tödi
3,612 m
Switzerland
Also known as Тьоди, ტედი, +1Also known as
Тьоди · ტედი · Piz Russein
- Elevation
- 3,612 m
- Prominence
- 1,570 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Showing From Trun via the Camona da Punteglias and the Porta da Gliems: the ’s line is approximate.
The easiest ascent from the Grisons side: from the Camona da Punteglias (2,311 m) over the Fuorcla da Punteglias and across the Glatscher da Gliems to the Porta da Gliems (about 3,260 m), then onto the top of the Bifertenfirn and up gentle glacier to Piz Russein. About 1,100–1,300 m from the hut and much shorter on the glacier than the Glarus route.
About 53% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 5 check notes
- 52% approximate geometry
- Trun → Camona da Punteglias: corridor (detour; 54 m of gaps, 6.4 km)
- Camona da Punteglias → Fuorcla da Punteglias: dem (snap_failed, 2.6 km)
- Fuorcla da Punteglias → Porta da Gliems: dem (snap_failed, 2.3 km)
- Porta da Gliems → Tödi: glacier (snap_failed, 1.9 km)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 13.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,139 m
- −379 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,612 m
- Time Up
- 12h 51m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 9h 10m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Trun in the Surselva (852 m) a marked path (T3) climbs via Schlans and Alp da Schlans through the Val Punteglias to the Camona da Punteglias (2,311 m) in about 4 hours; the first section to Alp da Schlans can be done by Alpentaxi or private car on a toll road, saving about 1½ hours. From the hut follow the Val Punteglias, then turn west up a combe to the Fuorcla da Punteglias (about 2,814 m). Descend a little on the west side and cross a rock band (slightly exposed) to the Glatscher da Gliems. Climb the glacier to the Porta da Gliems (about 3,260 m), crossed on foot on a slope of about 45° with a chain on its south side; there is rockfall below the col, so wear a helmet. From the col descend onto the uppermost Bifertenfirn and climb the gentle glacier to the col between the summits and up to Piz Russein. Descend the same way, or traverse down the Bifertenfirn to the Fridolinshütte and Linthal (needs the Glarus-side icefall skills and transport back). German Wikipedia describes this as today's usual and easiest Tödi ascent from the south.
Start
Trun852 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Trun (via Chur or Göschenen/Oberalp); Alpentaxi or postbus by reservation to Alp da Schlans
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trun → Camona da Punteglias | 6.2 | 1,457 | 0 | 5h 38m |
| 2 | Camona da Punteglias → Tödi | 6.8 | 1,682 | 379 | 7h 13m |
Waypoints
- Station: Trun852 m
- Hut: Camona da Punteglias2,310 m
- Col: Fuorcla da Punteglias2,811 m
- Col: Porta da Gliems3,254 m
- Summit: Tödi3,612 m
Key Passages
- Exposed rock band west of the Fuorcla da Punteglias
- Glatscher da Gliems
- Porta da Gliems (about 45°, chain on the south side, rockfall)
- Upper Bifertenfirn
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The highest peak of the Glarus Alps (3,612 m) and of canton Glarus, a broad glaciated massif rising almost 3,000 m above Linthal. Its normal route up the crevassed Bifertenfirn is long and serious for its grade, and is one of the historic climbs of Swiss mountaineering.
The Tödi is a massif rather than a single peak, with three main summits: Piz Russein (the highest, on the Glarus–Grisons border), the Glarner Tödi (about 3,571 m) and the Sandgipfel. From the north it towers over the head of the Linth valley, almost 3 km above the valley floor; from the south it rises above the Val Russein and the Surselva. The Bifertenfirn, a 4 km glacier with icefalls and many crevasses, wraps around its eastern side and carries the Glarus normal route.
Neither normal route is technically hard, but the Glarus route is long: 3½–5 hours to the Fridolinshütte, then 6–7 hours from the hut to the summit through two crevasse zones, and 2,800 m of descent back to the valley on summit day. The southern route from the Camona da Punteglias is shorter on the glacier but crosses the steep, rockfall-prone Porta da Gliems.
The mountain is a fixture of Swiss alpine history. The Grünhornhütte below the Bifertenfirn, built in 1863, was the first hut of the Swiss Alpine Club and is now a small museum. Published heights vary between 3,612 and 3,614 m.
Climbing Notes
Good stamina is the main requirement: summit day from the Fridolinshütte is 9–11 hours with 1,500 m of ascent and 2,800 m of descent if you go back to the valley. You need sure glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue, crampons and ice axe) and some comfort on equipped ledges and ladders. The line through the Bifertenfirn icefalls changes several times a season; ask the hut wardens. Guided ascents are common and recommended for parties without glacier experience.
Typical itinerary: train to Linthal, Alpentaxi to Tierfed or Hintersand, walk to the Fridolinshütte (reservation required, cash only, sleeping-bag liner compulsory); summit day starts with breakfast at 03:00. From the south, take the train to Trun, walk (or taxi to Alp da Schlans) to the Camona da Punteglias and climb via the Porta da Gliems the next day. In spring the Tödi is a classic, demanding ski-mountaineering tour from the Fridolinshütte.
Start early: the Schneerus gully and the slopes below the Porta da Gliems are exposed to rockfall once the sun is on them, and the glacier softens by late morning.
History
Placidus a Spescha, the Benedictine monk of Disentis and a pioneer of alpine exploration, made several attempts from the south around 1800. On his sixth and last attempt, on 1 September 1824, he and a servant stopped at the Porta da Spescha while the chamois hunters Placi Curschellas and Augustin Bisquolm went on to make the first ascent, from the Val Russein. On the Glarus side, Johannes Hegetschweiler and the Linthal hunter Hans Thut made repeated attempts via the Obersandalp, Grünhorn and Bifertenfirn, reaching the Gelbe Wand at about 2,850 m and opening the line later climbers used. When the Swiss Alpine Club was founded on 19 April 1863, it chose the Tödi and Clariden area as its first area of exploration and built the Grünhornhütte at the foot of the mountain, its first hut.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter; huts closed
- Mar
- Fridolinshütte opens for ski tourers in mid-March (13 March in 2027)
- Apr
- Ski-mountaineering season; very good ski technique needed in the icefalls
- May
- Late ski tours; hut open only at weekends from mid-May depending on conditions
- Jun
- Huts reopen from mid/late June (Fridolinshütte from 19 June in 2027); much snow
- Jul
- Main season; crevasses better bridged early in the month
- Aug
- Icefalls more broken and more rockfall in hot spells
- Sep
- Huts close late September (Fridolinshütte 26 September in 2027); open crevasses
- Oct
- Huts closed (emergency room only)
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Fridolinshütte (SAC Tödi): reserve by e-mail (fridolinshuette-sac@bluewin.ch); the emergency room outside the season must also be booked by e-mail. Camona da Punteglias (SAC Winterthur): book with the hut.
- Fees
- Fridolinshütte half board 2027: CHF 82 for SAC members, CHF 97 for non-members (cash only, Swiss francs)
- Alpentaxi from Linthal to Tierfed or Hintersand is paid; the road to Alp da Schlans (Punteglias approach) is a toll road
- Rules
- No overnight stay at the Fridolinshütte without a confirmed reservation; late cancellations (less than 48 hours) are charged CHF 40
- Sleeping-bag liner compulsory at the Fridolinshütte (hire possible); no dogs overnight
- No public transport between Linthal and Tierfed
- Getting There
Linthal (Glarus side); Trun (Grisons side)
Zurich (ZRH)
- Train to Linthal, then Alpentaxi (Taxi Vollenweider) to Tierfed or Hintersand, or about 1½ h on foot to Tierfed
- By car to the Tierfed car park above Linthal (via Glarus, or via Altdorf and the Klausen Pass in summer)
- Rhaetian Railway to Trun for the Punteglias approach; Alpentaxi or reserved postbus to Alp da Schlans
- An overnight stay in canton Glarus gives a GlarnerlandPass with free public transport in the canton
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,111 m
FridolinshütteHutStaffedBooking required
55 beds · Mid-March to mid-May for ski tourers; weekends mid-May to mid-June depending on conditions; summer mid/late June to late September (19 June – 26 September in 2027). Emergency room (no water) outside the season, booking by e-mail.
- 2,311 m
Camona da PuntegliasHutStaffed
35 beds · Mid-June to end of September; unstaffed winter room with 18 places