Western Lyskamm
4,479 m
Switzerland, Italy
Also known as Liskamm Westgipfel, Liskamm Occidental, +3Also known as
Liskamm Westgipfel · Liskamm Occidental · Liksamm Occidental · Lyskamm Occidentale · დასავლეთი ლისკამი
- Elevation
- 4,479 m
- Prominence
- 62 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: PD (Gulliver.it route page)
The normal route to the lower, western summit of the Lyskamm: lifts from Gressoney to the Colle Bettaforca, a 3-hour path with fixed ropes to the Quintino Sella hut, then the Felik glacier to the Felikjoch, a sharp, corniced snow ridge and a 40° slope to the summit. Easy on good snow, considerably harder when the final slope is bare ice.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,849 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,479 m
- Time Up
- 7h 23m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 58m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Stafal (Gressoney-La-Trinité) the Monterosa Ski cable car to Sant'Anna and the chairlift to the Colle Bettaforca (about 2,700 m) save 900 m. Path 9 climbs the ridge between the Gressoney and Ayas valleys past the Passo di Bettolina (about 3,100 m), through boulder fields often still snowy in early summer, to a large cairn; an airy, fixed-rope-equipped rock ridge with a small wooden bridge leads to the Rifugio Quintino Sella (3,585 m). Allow about 3 hours. Day two: the hut stands at the edge of the Felik glacier. A usually well-trodden track goes north on gentle slopes, leaving the Naso del Lyskamm track on the right, towards the Punta Perazzi, then bears right to a steep slope below the Felikjoch; cross the bergschrund (usually on the right) and climb to the col (about 4,061 m) in 1½–2 hours. Leave the Castor track on the left and cross the plateau of the Zwillingsgletscher to the south-west ridge. The ridge is easy at first, then beyond Point 4214 becomes sharp and exposed, with cornices; treat it with great care in wind or deep snow. At its end a snow slope of 40° or more leads to the fore-summit (about 4,449 m): climb it direct in good snow, or, if it is icy, take the rocks of the ridge on the right (UIAA II). A short, easier ridge leads to the summit. Allow 4–4½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way and down to the lifts at the Colle Bettaforca, watching the lift closing times; experienced parties continue east along the ridge to the Eastern Lyskamm (see the traverse).
Start
Colle della Bettaforca2,672 m
- Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and Sant'Anna–Colle Bettaforca chairlift (2026: weekends from 6 June, daily 19 June – 13 September)
- Train to Pont-Saint-Martin, bus up the Val de Gressoney (Lys valley) to Gressoney-La-Trinité/Stafal, then the Monterosa Ski lifts to the Colle Bettaforca.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colle della Bettaforca → Rifugio Quintino Sella al Felik | 4.3 | 921 | 0 | 3h 37m |
| 2 | Rifugio Quintino Sella al Felik → Western Lyskamm | 4.7 | 927 | 46 | 3h 46m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Colle della Bettaforca2,672 m
Top of the Sant'Anna–Bettaforca chairlift (summer)
- Hut: Rifugio Quintino Sella al Felik3,595 m
- Col: Colle del Felik4,067 m
- Summit: Western Lyskamm4,479 m
Key Passages
- Fixed-rope ridge and wooden bridge below the Quintino Sella hut
- Bergschrund and steep slope below the Felikjoch
- Sharp, corniced SW ridge beyond Point 4214
- 40° final slope to the fore-summit (or UIAA II rocks on the right)
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The lower of the Lyskamm's two summits (4,479 m), on the Swiss–Italian border in the Monte Rosa massif. Its normal route from the Quintino Sella hut is a short glacier climb with a sharp, corniced ridge and a 40° final slope; most people know it as one end of the famous Lyskamm traverse.
The Lyskamm (Liskamm in German, Lyskamm or Liskamm in Italian) is a 5 km wall of snow and ice between the Monte Rosa summits and Castor, dropping 1,100 m to the Grenzgletscher on the Swiss side. It has two summits about 1 km apart: the Eastern Lyskamm (4,527 m) and the Western Lyskamm (4,479 m), joined by a narrow snow crest that stays above 4,400 m. Both are counted among the UIAA 4,000 m peaks, although the western summit's prominence is only about 60 m.
On its own the Western Lyskamm is the easier of the two: from the Italian side it is a short day from the Rifugio Quintino Sella, graded PD+, over the Felikjoch and up a sharp south-west ridge and a 40° slope. In good snow it is straightforward; with bare ice on the final slope or wind on the ridge it becomes a serious climb. Many parties combine it with the Eastern Lyskamm in the traverse (AD), one of the classic snow ridges of the Alps.
The mountain's old German nickname, Menschenfresser ('man-eater'), comes from its cornices and avalanches: the crest is often corniced on both sides, and falls through cornice collapse have killed many climbers. Choose calm, cold days with consolidated snow and keep well back from the cornice line.
Climbing Notes
Before the Lyskamm, be comfortable on 40–45° snow and ice with crampons and on exposed snow arêtes, and practise crevasse rescue. Acclimatise first: the Quintino Sella hut itself, Castor or the Breithorn, and a night at the Gnifetti hut are common preparations; the summit is at 4,479 m.
Typical itinerary: lifts from Stafal (Gressoney) to the Colle Bettaforca and about 3 hours to the Quintino Sella hut on day one; on day two 4–4½ hours to the summit and back down to the lifts, or a second night at the hut. For the traverse, start from the Gnifetti or Sella hut and allow a full day. Strong, experienced parties go unguided; others usually hire an IFMGA guide from Gressoney, Champoluc or Alagna. Watch the lift closing times (the chairlifts stop at midday and in the late afternoon).
History
The Eastern Lyskamm was first climbed in 1861 by a large party led by J. F. Hardy from the Lisjoch. The Western Lyskamm was first climbed on 16 August 1864 by Leslie Stephen and Edward North Buxton with the guides Jakob Anderegg and Franz Biener, approaching by the north side of the Felikjoch and making the first traverse of the ridge. Ludwig Norman-Neruda opened a route on the north face in 1890.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed (winter room only)
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski mountaineering; experienced parties only
- Apr
- Ski-touring season; Quintino Sella hut closed in spring 2026
- May
- Ski access; lifts start 30 May (2026)
- Jun
- Quintino Sella hut opens early June (6 June in 2026); Bettaforca lifts weekends only until mid-June
- Jul
- Main season; best snow on the final slope
- Aug
- Final slope may turn to bare ice in dry summers
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September (12 September in 2026); icy conditions likely
- Oct
- Huts and lifts closed
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Quintino Sella: online booking via rifugioquintinosella.com or +39 0125 366113 / +39 348 8107793 (2027 bookings temporarily closed in autumn 2026 for a system upgrade).
- Fees
- Monterosa Ski lift tickets (Stafal – Sant'Anna – Colle Bettaforca, or Stafal – Passo dei Salati – Punta Indren)
- Hut half board at the Rifugio Quintino Sella (prices on the hut website)
- Rules
- The Western Lyskamm is on the Swiss–Italian border; no permits are needed, but carry identity documents if descending into Switzerland
- Getting There
Gressoney-La-Trinité (Stafal), Aosta Valley
Turin (TRN) or Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Train to Pont-Saint-Martin (Turin–Aosta line), then bus up the Lys valley to Gressoney-La-Trinité and Stafal
- By car: A5 to Pont-Saint-Martin, then the road to Stafal (end of the road, large car parks)
- Lifts (summer 2026): Staffal–Sant'Anna cable car and Sant'Anna–Colle Bettaforca chairlift on 6–7 and 13–14 June, then daily 19 June – 13 September; Stafal – Passo dei Salati – Punta Indren from 30 May
- From the Ayas valley (Champoluc/Frachey) a lift also reaches the Colle Bettaforca
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Cornices
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 3,585 m
Rifugio Quintino Sella al FelikRefugeStaffedBooking required
142 beds · Staffed early June to mid-September (2026: 6 June – 12 September); old hut used as a winter room with about 25 places
- 3,647 m
Capanna Giovanni GnifettiRefugeStaffedBooking required
177 beds · About 30 May – 21 September in summer; also open in spring for ski mountaineering