Via ferrata del Lago
Switzerland
Getting there
Parking
Route start
- Length
- 400 m
- Via ferrata
- 1 h
- Approach
- 5 h
- Descent
- 5 h
- Vertical climb
- 400 m
About this route
The Via ferrata del Lago is technically an easy B-grade line, yet what turns it into a serious all-day or even two-day undertaking is the enormous high-alpine approach above 3,000 metres, with elevation gain running into the thousands of metres. The cabled section itself takes only about an hour, but the way to the summit of the Sonnigpass (3,147 m) means roughly five hours of ascent, often via the Almagellerhütte, with a comparably long descent. Curiously, although it sits on the Italian side, it was equipped by Swiss mountain guides, and the route links Gondo through Italy back to Saas-Almagell. The reward at the pass is a panorama of the Saas four-thousanders on one side and, on clear days, distant Lago Maggiore on the other, which lends the tour its name. It is best left to fit, experienced mountaineers in stable weather, ideally split over two days with a hut night.
Highlights
- Distant view of Lago Maggiore
- Panorama of the Saas four-thousanders
- Serious high-alpine two-day undertaking
Route map
- Start
- Parking
Ferrata topo
Use plus and minus to zoom, the arrow keys to move around and 0 to show the whole topo.
- Section 1 of 14 · grade A
- Section 2 of 14 · grade A/B
- Section 3 of 14 · grade B
- Section 4 of 14 · grade A/B
- Section 5 of 14 · grade B
- Section 6 of 14 · grade A, Platten
- Section 7 of 14 · grade A/B
- Section 8 of 14 · grade A
- Section 9 of 14 · grade A/B, Blockgrat
- Section 10 of 14 · grade B
- Section 11 of 14 · grade A/B, Platten mit losen Schuppen
- Section 12 of 14 · grade B
- Section 13 of 14 · grade A/B, lange Leiter
- Section 14 of 14 · grade B
- Start
- Exit: Sonnigpass 3147 m
- Ladder
- Ladder
Select a section on the topo, or step through the route section by section.
Grades
Key
- Start
- Exit
- Ladder
- Approach
Redrawn by Klettr from a topo by bergsteigen.com
Weather
Forecast for the start of the route
Friday, October 30
Mainly clear
- Feels like
- -6° / -9°
- Precipitation
- 0 mm
- Wind
- 12 km/h Gusts 27 km/h
- UV index
- 3
- Sunrise
- 07:05
- Sunset
- 17:16
| 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Mainly clear | Mainly clear | Mainly clear | Mainly clear | Mainly clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear |
| Temperature | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -2° | -2° | -1° | -1° | -1° | -2° | -2° | -2° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -3° | -4° | -4° | -4° |
| Feels like | -7° | -7° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -7° | -7° | -6° | -6° | -6° | -6° | -6° | -6° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -8° | -9° |
| Precipitation | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Wind km/h | 4 NE | 5 NE | 6 N | 6 N | 6 N | 9 N | 10 N | 10 N | 12 NE | 9 NE | 9 NE | 7 N | 8 NE | 10 NE | 9 NE | 8 NE | 8 NE | 11 NE | 12 NE | 11 NE | 8 NE | 8 NE | 8 NE | 8 NE |
| Gusts km/h | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| UV index | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |