MY FAVORITE CLIMB: PIZ BADILE

Tucked deep into the eastern Alps far from the hoards of climbers in Chamonix and Zermatt, Piz Badile looks like a blade piercing the sky. The North Arête climbs the blade’s sharp edge, and it’s one of my favorite climbs on the planet. Perfect rock, dreamy valleys with comfortable huts, and lack of crowds make this a climb to remember.

Piz Badile, on the border of Switzerland and Italy, splits the clouds

The Bregaglia valley, near St. Moritz, is surrounded by jagged peaks that form the border between Italy and Switzerland. It’s climber’s paradise, with famous huts like the Capanna Albigna that provide an excellent warm-up venue before attempting to climb Piz Badile. The food and hospitality at Albigna is legendary, and I like to spend a couple days here climbing.

Capanna Albigna, one of the best climbing huts in the Alps

After a day of rest in St. Moritz or Pontresina, our climb starts on the Swiss side of the divide, where we spend the first day hiking steeply to the Sasc Fura Hut. We rest all afternoon, eating snacks and enjoying a beer on the hut’s patio before an early bedtime.

Lounging on the patio at the Sasc Fura Hut, with Piz Badile towering high above to the left

The next morning, we arise well before sunrise, scarfing down a breakfast of homemade bread, jam, and cheese, before hiking in the dawn light to the base of the ridge. Once on the rock, the ridge rises above us cutting the sky in half.

Low on the North Arete of Piz Badile

For hours, we climb pitch after pitch of excellent rock around 5.6 in difficulty. There’s one crux around 5.7, but the rest of the route is easy to climb. The main difficulty of the day is the sheer length of the route. Most groups take about 6-7 hours to climb the ridge. Eventually, we reach the exposed summit cross, taking in the views of eastern Switzerland and Italy.

Near the summit, we often climb above the building clouds

Scrambling and rappelling, we descend the backside of the mountain and into Italy. A few hours later, we find ourselves at the Rifugio Gianetti, eating pasta and tiramisu to our heart’s content.

The next morning, we sleep late before hiking down from the alpine to the lush valley below. Near Lake Como, we might celebrate the climb with a couple days on the water, or it’s an easy taxi to Milan for departure. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll take the taxi back around the mountain to Switzerland for more climbing!

Hiking down from Rifugio Gianetti to the Val Masino, Italy

Piz Badile isn’t the most widely known peak in the Alps, but it is one of the most fun to climb. With perfect rock, fun climbing moves, and few crowds, Piz Badile has emerged as one of my favorite mountains to climb and guide. Add on a few days of climbing and enjoying the local scenery and Italian-inspired cuisine, and you get the climbing trip of a lifetime!

The Sasc Fura hut at the base of Piz Badile’s North Arete