UKH

I am planning a trip in the beginning of June to the Bernina Alps. The current plan is to base ourselves in the Tschierva Hut. Ideally we would like to climb the Eselgrat on Piz Roseg and the Biancograt on Piz Bernina. However, I am unsure how the descend from Piz Bernina goes. Is it possible to descend and get back to Tschierva Hut without having to descend the Biancograt? I understand that the standard descend route is via the Marco e Rosa hut but that would require a rather long walk back to the car in Pontresina. Any info is appreciated. Also, recommendations about other peaks in the area to consider would be great. Thanks.

In reply to JXM:

Are you aware the Tschierva hut doesn’t open until 14th June?

Cheers

Stephen

In reply to JXM:

The Marco e Rosa hut on the descent is all part of the fun. I don't remember anything about the walk back the next day.

In reply to JXM:

Go to the Marco e Rosa - it doesn’t take long from the summit, couple of hours perhaps at a gentle pace. You can stay there and do the Piz Palu traverse the next day. Nice little scramble up followed by a beautiful snow ridge and easy glacier descent as long as the holes are covered up. It’s a short day and you can link it into a single day if you’re fast but the  Marco e Rosa is a nice enough hut and at over 3,500m it could be great acclimatisation for a bigger 4,000er.

That gets you to the Diavolezza (?) cable car or you can walk down if your knees are holding out! Either way, you get down to the road where you can either hitch or get the train back to Pontresina (seem to recall the train was about CHF 10).

Finding somewhere to park for 3 days in Pontresina was a challenge. My mate left his minivan in a hotel car park - how he didn’t get clamped or towed, I’ve no idea!

Oh and if you don’t leave the hut walk in till late afternoon like we did, you can get a horse drawn carriage to take you and/or your luggage on the long, flat walk in to the half way(ish) hotel. I think luggage is only about CHF 5 - I’d pay it even though they take it to the hotel which is perhaps a 10 minute detour from the path to the hut. It’s a nice walk though, even with no equine assistance!

The Biancograt struck me as a route which is nicer to look at than climb - don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice enough route but when you’re on it, it doesn’t feel as stunning as it does from the hut! In some ways I actually enjoyed the Piz Palu traverse more. Both well worth doing. 

We took half a set of nuts and cams but didn’t use any of it as there are a few bolts in the rocky sections and the rock is often fairly blank anyway (and chossy in places). Worth taking a few pieces just in case but keep it light. There are some abseils on the descent so you do need a rope even if you choose to solo most of it. Can’t remember how long - we would have had a standard 60m rope. 

In reply to Misha:

agreed, the Palu traverse was amazing when we did it. We also climbed piz cambrena which IMO had some more technical climbing involved for a short day out form the diavolezza.  We camped on the glacier for two nights. Highly recommended area as it is so much quieter than Chamonix.

In reply to JSTaylor: Yes, I am aware that the Tschierva Hut opens on 14 June which is why I am posting the question. We intend to use the winter room or bivvy and therefore preferably get back to the same spot which allows us to not carry the bivvy gear on the actual climb.

In reply to Misha: Thank you very much for your detailed post. Lost of very useful informaion there. You have certainly sparked my interest in the Piz Palu traverse and we may therefore skip Piz Roseg and go up the Diavolezza instead. Anyone climbed Piz Roseg? Too many options and too little time.

In reply to JXM:

Haven't climbed Piz Roseg, but we climbed Piz Morterasch as an acclimatisation peak. Took the train up to the Morterasch glacier. Hiked up to the Boval Hut (but camped out of site below it). Climbed up a nice rocky stepped approach to the saddle between Piz Boval and Morterasch, summited and then descended down to the Tschierva Hut. We actually walked out to Pontresina from here making it a very long day, but stopping at the hut would have been a fairly straightforward day. 

In reply to JXM:

Excellent. Enjoy.  Just thought I would mention it!

Cheers

Stephen

In reply to JXM:

Hi, we climbed the biancograt last year, and the logistics that worked for us was,

Stay at Camping Morteratsch at the base of the Berina pass near to Pontresina.

The campsite then let us leave the car there (small fee), whilst we went into the mountains.

We caught the bus into Pontresina from the campsite, and the took the pony and trap up to the Hotel, and then walked the last bit up to the Tschierva Hut - all very nice (can do a lazy lunch at the Hotel).

Biancograt the next day, and descended to the Marco e Rosa hut.

We then walked / climbed out out down past the Boval hut (a route in itself), and down to the road, comes out a mile or so up the pass from the campsite.

Worked really well, hope this helps / is of use,

Jonah