Zwölferkofel
3,094 m
Italy
Also known as Croda dei Toni, Croda dei Toni - ZwölferkofelAlso known as
Croda dei Toni · Croda dei Toni - Zwölferkofel
- Elevation
- 3,094 m
- Prominence
- 713 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Forcella Croda dei Toni → Zwölferkofel: straight line 493 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Forcella Croda dei Toni → Zwölferkofel: straight line 493 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Forcella Croda dei Toni → Zwölferkofel: sustained 67° > 45° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 493 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Talschlusshütte → Zsigmondy-Comici Hütte: corridor (detour; 34 m of gaps, 4.5 km)
- Forcella Croda dei Toni → Zwölferkofel: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path 3315 m > 1.8× straight 493 m + slack, 0.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Start of the west-face climb, Passo del gatto
Sources differ: AD- (Camptocamp) · AD+ (EEA – AR – III+) (VieNormali.it) · III with one move of IV (claudiobetetto.it (2022))
A long, devious Dolomite rock route: from the Zsigmondy-Comici hut to the Forcella Croda dei Toni (2,524 m), then about 550 m of ledges, gullies and chimneys (II–III+) on the west face to a great ledge that circles the mountain, past the cramped 'passo del gatto' and up the north ridge to the summit. Descent by about ten abseils down the Drasch route.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 7.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,670 m
- −108 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,094 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 42m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Fischleintal (Val Fiscalina) walk past the Talschlusshütte (1,526 m) up to the Zsigmondy-Comici hut (2,224 m), about 2 h from the car park, and continue on the marked path to the Forcella Croda dei Toni (Zwölferscharte, 2,524 m). The forcella can also be reached from Rifugio Carducci or the Büllelejoch hut. Leave the marked path and follow a faint track left for about 15 minutes to the face: an orange rising ledge, a gully that higher up becomes the icy couloir between the main and south summits, rocky steps and scree (I, short II) back into and across the couloir, and a whitish slab crack to a yellowish chimney beside a black overhanging wall, where the climbing starts. VieNormali describes about 11 pitches: an inclined corner to a cemented ring (III), easy ground across a gully to a big scree terrace where the Drasch variant branches right, then the crux, a short vertical corner (III+) and a wet chockstone chimney, followed by stepped ground, slabs, a scree gully with rockfall risk and chimneys and short walls (II–III) to the great ledge about 100 m below the top. The ledge wraps round three sides of the mountain; follow it right through the 'passo del gatto', where you have to crouch, to the Forcella Alta, then along the east-face ledge and up broken rock and the north ridge to the summit. Above the cairned lower section, route-finding depends on reading the face; old red marks do not always follow the easiest line. Descend by returning along the ledge to just before the passo del gatto, then about ten double-rope abseils on rings down the Drasch route beside the Canalone Ghiacciato (a single 60 m rope is enough), with short downclimbs, and back to the forcella. VieNormali gives 5 h for the ascent and 10 h for the whole day; Betetto (2022) 4h30 up and 9 h overall. Storms build quickly here: the mountain's name refers to thunder.
Start
Talschlusshütte1,531 m
- Bus 446 (Toblach/Dobbiaco – Fischleintal) and shuttle 440 (from Sexten/Sesto) in summer; no reservation needed
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talschlusshütte → Zsigmondy-Comici Hütte | 4.4 | 772 | 83 | 3h 17m |
| 2 | Zsigmondy-Comici Hütte → Zwölferkofel | 3.0 | 893 | 25 | 3h 24m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Talschlusshütte1,531 m
20–30 min on foot from the paid car park at Fischleinboden; buses 440 and 446
- Hut: Zsigmondy-Comici Hütte2,223 m
- Col: Forcella Croda dei Toni2,510 m
- Summit: Zwölferkofel3,094 m
Key Passages
- Crossing of the icy couloir below the start
- Vertical corner and wet chockstone chimney (III+)
- Scree gully with rockfall risk
- Passo del gatto on the great ledge
- Abseil descent of the Drasch route
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest of the Sexten 'sundial' peaks (3,094 m), a huge, many-topped limestone massif on the South Tyrol–Belluno border. Its normal route is a long, devious III+ rock climb with about ten abseils on the descent, more of an old-style mountaineering day than a modern Dolomite classic.
The Zwölferkofel (Italian Croda dei Toni) is a massive limestone block in the Sexten Dolomites, rising between the Fischleintal (Val Fiscalina) to the north and the valleys above Auronzo di Cadore to the south. Its main summit, the Hoher Zwölfer (3,094 m), is surrounded by lower tops: the Kleiner Zwölfer (2,917 m), the Mittlerer Zwölfer (Croda A. Berti, 3,011 m) and several towers. The massif lies on the border between South Tyrol and the province of Belluno, and before 1919 the Austro-Hungarian–Italian frontier ran across it. Its German name ('the Twelve') places it in the Sexten sundial (Sextner Sonnenuhr), the ring of peaks over which Sexten's inhabitants read the time of day from the sun's position. The South Tyrolean side is in the Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime) Nature Park.
The most impressive view is of the north face from the Bacherntal and the path to the Zsigmondy-Comici hut. The normal route, by contrast, climbs the west face: 550 m of ledges, gullies and chimneys rarely harder than III+, linked by a great ledge that wraps round the summit block. It is long, the line is not obvious once the cairns run out, and the descent needs about ten abseils. Few parties climb it today, which makes it a quiet, committing day in a very busy region.
Climbing Notes
This is a route for experienced, fast rock climbers who can find their own way on a big face: about 550 m of climbing at II–III+ (one move of IV in some descriptions), sparse fixed protection, and about ten abseils on the descent. Allow 9–10 hours for the day from the Zsigmondy-Comici hut, so most parties sleep there after the 2 h walk up from the Fischleintal. Carry a 60 m rope, slings, a small rack and kit for replacing abseil slings. Hiring a local guide from Sexten is sensible if you do not know the route.
The season is July to September. Earlier in the summer snow fills the couloir and the gullies stay wet. Thunderstorms build very quickly over the massif; start at first light and be ready to retreat by abseil. The gullies are prone to rockfall, so wear a helmet and avoid climbing below other parties.
History
The local guides Johann and Michel Innerkofler made the first ascent on 28 September 1874 by the 'Eisrinne', the icy couloir between the Mittlerer and Hoher Zwölfer. Ludwig Purtscheller and Emil and Otto Zsigmondy made the first guideless ascent on 24 July 1882. The present normal route on the rock beside the now ice-free couloir was first climbed on 6 September 1887 by Josef and Michel Innerkofler with J. Reichl and M. Simon. The east face was climbed in 1890 and the north face on 11 August 1897 by Arcangelo and Giovanni Siorpaes with Adolf and Emil Witzenmann.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Snow on the face
- May
- Snow on ledges and in gullies
- Jun
- Zsigmondy hut opens mid-June; snow in the couloir and wet gullies
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon storms
- Aug
- Main season; busy approach paths and parking
- Sep
- Stable weather; shorter days
- Oct
- Hut closes early October; early snow and ice on the ledges
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Zsigmondy-Comici hut: book online via alpsonline.org (linked from zsigmondyhuette.com); information +39 0474 646273, hut +39 0474 710358, info@zsigmondyhuette.com.
- Fees
- Parking in the Fischleintal is limited and always paid
- Rules
- The South Tyrolean side lies within the Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime) Nature Park; park rules apply
- No parking for campervans or coaches in the Fischleintal; spaces are usually full from June to October
- Getting There
Sexten (Sesto); Innichen (San Candido)
Innsbruck (INN), Venice Marco Polo (VCE) or Treviso (TSF)
- Bus 446 from Toblach (Dobbiaco) and shuttle 440 from Sexten run to the Fischleintal in summer (timetables from 14 June 2026); no reservation needed, day tickets on board
- By car: Pustertal to Innichen and Sexten, then to the paid car park at Fischleinboden; 20–30 minutes' walk to the Talschlusshütte
- On foot: path 102 from Sexten to Fischleinboden and the Talschlusshütte
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,224 m
Zsigmondy-Comici HütteHutStaffedBooking required
Summer; closed on 4 October in 2026