Piz Palü

Piz Palü, 3,882 metres, is one of the most admired peaks of the Bernina range, straddling the Swiss-Italian border in the Engadine. Its three summits and the sweeping ice flutings of its north face form a scene familiar from countless photographs taken from the Diavolezza across the glacier.

The mountain starred in a celebrated 1929 silent mountain film, The White Hell of Piz Palü, and its shapely glaciated architecture has drawn alpinists and skiers for well over a century. It remains one of the great classic objectives of the Eastern Alps.

As a climb it is a beautiful glaciated undertaking. The normal traverse from the Diavolezza over the Fortezza ridge is graded around PD, a long snow-and-ice route with real crevasse and cornice hazard; the north-face pillars are far harder ice and mixed climbs for experienced parties. Crampons, ice axe and rope for glacier travel are essential, and an early start beats the softening afternoon snow. The full traverse of the three summits is a coveted day out.

The Diavolezza cable car from the Bernina Pass road gives rapid access to the high glacier basin, and the Diavolezza hut is the usual base, itself a superb viewpoint. The season runs from June to September, with spring favoured by ski-mountaineers who make classic descents here. Pontresina is the nearest resort, with guides on hand. The combination of quick lift access, magnificent glacier scenery and a manageable grade makes Piz Palü a benchmark high-glacier climb.