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Zumsteinspitze

4,563 m

Italy, Switzerland

Also known as Зумстеинспитзе, Pointe Zumstein, +3

Зумстеинспитзе · Pointe Zumstein · Punta Zumstein · ცუმშტაინშპიცე · Цумштайншпитце

Elevation
4,563 m
Prominence
112 m
Difficulty
5/10
Easy alpine
Best Season
Jul–Aug
Routes
2

  • Hut closedReported 14 Sep 2026 · until 18 Mar 2027

    Monte Rosa Hut closed for the season and its official approach closed. The upper approach (Panoramaweg) is no longer passable: markings and the stair have been removed. The lower 'Alter Weg' is still marked; winter-room users must use it. 2027 seasons announced: ski touring 18 March–17 May, summer 18 June–18 September.

    monterosahuette.ch

  • AdvisoryReported 16 Jul 2026

    In the hot summer of 2026 some guides reported many open crevasses on the Monte Rosa glacier routes and higher than usual rockfall; check current conditions with the hut before going.

Routes

2
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AlpinePDSources differ: F+ to the Colle Gnifetti, PD for the final ridge (Camptocamp)GlacierNormal route

Sources differ: F+ to the Colle Gnifetti, PD for the final ridge (Camptocamp)

The usual Italian approach: lift to Punta Indren, a night at the Gnifetti or Mantova hut, then up the crevassed Lys glacier to the Colle del Lys, across the basin under the Parrotspitze and Signalkuppe to the Colle Gnifetti (4,452 m), and up the short, exposed SE ridge of snow and polished rock to the gilded Madonna on the summit.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
3,0003,5004,0004,5005,0000 km246Punta IndrenColle del LysColle Gnifetti
Distance
7.5 km
one way
Ascent
+1,427 m
−132 m lost on the way up
High Point
4,563 m
Time Up
5h 58m
DIN 33466
Time Down
4h 14m
DIN 33466 · same way back

The Zumsteinspitze is a subsidiary summit on the Monte Rosa crest between the Signalkuppe (Capanna Margherita) and the Dufourspitze, and is usually climbed as a short extension of the Signalkuppe normal route, often on the same day or from the Margherita hut. Day one: from Staffal (Gressoney) or Alagna take the lifts to Passo dei Salati and the cable car to Punta Indren (3,275 m). Cross the Indren glacier and a short rock barrier with fixed ropes to the Rifugio Città di Mantova (3,498 m) and the Capanna Gnifetti (3,647 m), about 1–1.5 hours. Day two: from the Gnifetti hut, climb north up the Lys glacier, roped (it is heavily crevassed; keeping to the edge towards the Pyramide Vincent avoids the worst), to the Colle del Lys (about 4,150–4,250 m). Bear east and traverse slightly downhill across the upper Grenz glacier basin below the Parrotspitze and the Signalkuppe, then climb north to the Colle Gnifetti (4,452 m). From the col follow the SE ridge: snow at first, with a few crevasses and a bergschrund, then rock polished white by crampons to the summit (about 1 hour from the col, 4–5 hours from the Gnifetti). The ridge is easy but very exposed. Descend the same way, about 30 minutes back to the col; many parties then add the 100 m climb to the Signalkuppe and the Margherita hut.

Start

Punta Indren3,269 m

  • Monterosa Ski: Staffal or Alagna to Passo dei Salati, then the Passo dei Salati–Punta Indren cable car (summer)
  • Train to Pont-Saint-Martin, bus up the Gressoney valley to Staffal; or train to Varallo and bus to Alagna Valsesia. Then the Monterosa Ski lifts to Passo dei Salati and Punta Indren.

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Punta Indren → Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti2.2364181h 31m
2Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti → Zumsteinspitze5.41,0631144h 26m

Waypoints

  1. Lift:
    Punta Indren3,269 m

    Top station of the Passo dei Salati–Indren cable car

  2. Hut:
    Rifugio Città di Mantova3,448 m
  3. Hut:
    Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti3,616 m
  4. Col:
    Colle del Lys4,244 m
  5. Col:
    Colle Gnifetti4,456 m
  6. Summit:
    Zumsteinspitze4,563 m

Key Passages

  • Fixed-rope rock barrier between the Indren glacier and the huts
  • Crevassed Lys glacier
  • Bergschrund and snow ridge above the Colle Gnifetti
  • Exposed rock on the upper SE ridge

Equipment

0/11 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

Route confidence 80%
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Overview

A 4,563 m summit on the Swiss–Italian border between the Dufourspitze and the Signalkuppe, reached from the Colle Gnifetti by a short, exposed snow and rock ridge. Usually climbed from the Italian huts together with the Signalkuppe and the Capanna Margherita.

The Zumsteinspitze (Punta Zumstein) is the third-highest summit of the Monte Rosa massif and a subsidiary summit of the Dufourspitze, with only about 110 m of prominence above the Colle Gnifetti. It stands on the main crest a few hundred metres north of the Signalkuppe, whose summit carries the Capanna Regina Margherita, and drops steeply on its east side to the Monte Rosa east face above Macugnaga.

From Italy it is one of the most accessible 4,500 m summits in the Alps: the Punta Indren cable car reaches 3,275 m, and from the Gnifetti or Mantova hut the route is a long but straightforward glacier walk to the Colle Gnifetti, followed by a short PD ridge. From Switzerland it is reached by the long Grenzgletscher from the Monte Rosa Hut. Most parties combine it with the Signalkuppe, and many continue to the Dufourspitze over the Grenzsattel.

The technical difficulty is modest; altitude is the main problem, especially for parties who sleep at the Margherita hut (4,554 m) without acclimatising first. The Lys and Grenz glaciers are heavily crevassed, and cloud on the broad glacier basins makes navigation difficult.

Climbing Notes

Suitable for fit mountaineers with basic glacier skills: roped travel, crevasse rescue, and confident cramponing on a short, exposed ridge. Altitude is the crux. A sensible plan is: lift to Punta Indren, first night at the Gnifetti or Mantova hut (3,500–3,650 m), then the Zumsteinspitze and Signalkuppe with a second night at the Capanna Margherita (4,554 m), or back down. Allow 4–5 hours from the Gnifetti to the Colle Gnifetti and about 1 hour for the ridge. Acclimatise beforehand (for example Pyramide Vincent or Punta Giordani from the same huts). A guide is advisable for those without glacier experience. Check the last cable car down from Punta Indren and book the huts well ahead in July and August.

History

The summit is named after Joseph Zumstein, a forest inspector from Gressoney and member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Turin, who made the first ascent on 1 August 1820 with Joseph and Johann Niklaus Vincent, Molinatti, Castel and their guides and porters (Camptocamp names Joseph Beck and Moritz Zumstein). The party had called it the 'Cima de la Belle Alliance' and only on top realised that the Dufourspitze to the north was higher. Zumstein later had the name changed to his own. The climb was a milestone in the exploration of Monte Rosa from the Gressoney side, 35 years before the main summit was reached.

Season

Best Jul–Aug
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Possible
  4. April: Good
  5. May: Possible
  6. June: Good
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Good
  10. October: Not advisable
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; huts closed except winter rooms; lifts closed to Indren
Feb
Winter conditions
Mar
Spring ski-mountaineering begins when Gnifetti and Monte Rosa huts reopen (mid/late March)
Apr
Good ski-mountaineering conditions
May
Huts close for part of May; Indren lift reopens at the end of May
Jun
Lifts and huts reopen; Margherita hut from about 20 June
Jul
Main season; huts busy
Aug
Main season; crevasses open up later in the month
Sep
Margherita hut closes early September, others mid-September
Oct
Huts closed; early winter conditions
Nov
Winter conditions
Dec
Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Monte Rosa Hut: online via hut-reservation.org (linked from monterosahuette.ch) or +41 27 967 21 15; reservations for 2027 open at the end of October 2026. Italian huts (Gnifetti, Mantova, Margherita): booking.rifugimonterosa.it or +39 348 1415490.
Fees
  • Monte Rosa Hut (2026 rates, half board): CHF 92 for alpine-club members, CHF 116 for non-members; cancellation free until 18:00 two days before, later CHF 55, no-show CHF 92
  • Monte Rosa Hut winter room: CHF 38 per night, online booking
  • Capanna Gnifetti (2026, CAI members): €105 half board; non-members pay a surcharge
  • Capanna Regina Margherita (2026, CAI members): €150 half board; non-members pay a surcharge
  • Gornergrat railway (Zermatt–Rotenboden) or Monterosa Ski lift tickets to Punta Indren
Rules
  • Camping is prohibited around the Monte Rosa Hut
  • Sleeping-bag liner compulsory at the Monte Rosa Hut and the Monterosa (Italian) huts
  • Monte Rosa Hut: no self-catering facilities; self-caterers pay a CHF 20 infrastructure fee; tap water is not drinkable
  • Capanna Margherita: reservation mandatory in summer; no dogs
  • Zermatt is car-free: park in Täsch and take the shuttle train
Getting There

Gressoney-La-Trinité or Alagna Valsesia (Italy); Zermatt (Switzerland)

Milan Malpensa (MXP) or Turin (TRN) for the Italian side; Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH) for Zermatt

  • Zermatt: train via Visp; by car park in Täsch and take the shuttle train
  • Gornergrat railway from Zermatt to Rotenboden (2,815 m), then 4–4.5 hours on foot to the Monte Rosa Hut
  • Italy: bus from Pont-Saint-Martin to Gressoney/Staffal, or from Varallo to Alagna; Monterosa Ski lifts to Passo dei Salati and the Punta Indren cable car (summer season from 30 May in 2026)

Hazards

  • Glacier
  • Crevasses
  • Altitude
  • Exposure
  • Weather

Huts & Shelters

4