Diavolezza Hike
Michele and I are spending a month or so in Switzerland, to chill and to hike. This was a serious climb up to spectacular glacier views.
During our visit to Switzerland, we spent a week hiking around Pontresina.
For the third hike of the week, I took off on my own to burn excess energy. I hiked to the top of Diavolezza, where Michele took a gondola to meet me for lunch. Fantastic day.
See the full photo album on Flickr
Hike Stats
- Strava: map, route, and stats
- Trailhead: Our hotel!
- Trails: Messy and complicated; see GPX from Strava.
- Distance: 11.7 mi
- Elevation: 6000 ft -> 9800 ft
- Hiking time: 5:30
- Weather: Perfect. Sunny and cool.
- Conditions: Trails in great shape, where they existed. So basically no one until I got to the top of Diavolezza, as expected.
Journal
Michele and I have learned that on these trips, things (yes, THINGS) just go better if we regularly take a day where I hike something ridiculous and she does the exact opposite. One of the coolest ways to do this is for me to hike up something that has other ways to get to the top, like a train, or a gondola, or a Star Trek transporter.
Diavolezza is one such hike. A gondola ascends from the Bernina Pass valley up to the glacier views on the top of the Diavolezza peak.
We tried this last year, but I had to turn back due to the snowfall on the trail. That hike was mildly dangerous for a while, then became ridiculously dangerous. I hiked down, and Michele and I both rode the gondola to the top for lunch and views, both of which were great.
This year, I was eager to try again. I knew the snow would be fine, but I still wasn't sure of the route. There was a very attractive-looking trail that appeared on the map to traverse a number of peaks but to still be passable. Those are the kind of things you're never sure about until you're right there in person.
Getting an early start, I decided to skip the train entirely and to walk the whole way from the hotel. It was a gorgeous morning, no one was out, and the trail was wonderful. Right call.
Hours and thousands of feet later, I got to the interesting decision point on the trail. Looking up at the peaks ahead, I had my doubts that the trail was passable without ropes. And then I found the blue sign post, which is Swiss for "mountaineers only". Yep, sheer cliffs ahead. Sounds fun, but not alone, and not without gear.
I downtracked and grabbed an easier red route to the top, meeting Michele at roughly our planned time. We had another great lunch while watching people peer at the amazing glacier and peaks.
Another spectacular day in the mountains.
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