Touring Around the Bernina Massif

by Martin Joffe

Italy/Switzerland, September 2022

For a 2022 trip into Switzerland and the Italian side of the Bernina, my wife and I sought ideas from Gillian Price’s excellent Cicerone guide The Tour of the Bernina.

However, for the first part of our trip, rather than following Price’s hut-to-hut route, we elected to base ourselves in centrally-located Pontresina, from where we planned day excursions, many of which are described in her guide. The second part of our trip was a point-to-point walk into Valmalenco, Italy.

Our tour began with a delightful train ride from Tirano on the regular Rhaetian Railway which follows the same route as the Bernina Express at a lower cost and with equally wonderful views of the Palü Glacier, the tiny Palü Lake and Puschlav, and the southern- most valley of Graubünden. Our base for six nights was a small budget self-catering room near the Pontresina train station and bus stops. A bonus for a stay of two or more nights was a tourist card covering free use of all the “mountain tracks” (gondolas, chairlifts, trains and buses).

The first outing was a visit to the Morteratsch Gletscher. From the train stop of the same name we walked up the edge of the ice where there is an option to climb the ridge up to the Boval Hütte. The next day was equally sunny with perfect weather for a visit to Diavolezza. From the top gondola station, a short walk brought us to the start of the via ferrata on Piz Trovat. The climb was rewarded with the most spectacular views of the glaciers spanning from Piz Cambrena to Morteratsch and all the other peaks flanking the Bernina. The following day we bussed to Silvaplana for the two-part Corvatsch gondola. From the top station the view is of the Corvatsch glacier to the east and the upper Engadine valley sprawling to the west below. An enjoyable one-hour walk to Fuorcla Surlej Hütte (2753m) then a three-hour descent brought us to the Roseg Gletscher Hotel in Val Roseg. Here we were rewarded with hearty bowls of soup while admiring the Roseg Gletscher in the background. A few hours later we were back in Pontresina.

On a cloudy day we walked to the nearby La Resgia via ferrata. The ascent, which follows a waterfall, was straightforward until reaching a curious 7-8 metre high wire mesh, called the “cobweb”. Puzzled, we were at first unsure whether to ascend the inside or outside of the structure. Another climber indicated that the outer face was the way to go. This was an interesting experience as the footholds were unstable wires and clipping points were somewhat confusing. In the summer of 2016, this older La Resgia via ferrata received an extension, known as the Languard via ferrata. According to the tourist office literature “it is short, but packs a punch, and another good difficult tick at K5”. We started on an easy lateral transfer until reaching a single wire bridge with two quite high side cables making holding and controlling these quite a challenge. This was immediately followed by the energetic overhang climb.

The itinerary for the next two days involved more leisurely walks. The first was around the hamlet of Sils Maria and the nearby lake, followed the next day with a visit to Muottas Muragl and Alp Languard where there are many kilometres of walking trails and spectacular views of the entire area.

Leaving Pontresina we bussed to Majola for a rest day before three days of long point- to-point hikes. Majola is a small hamlet with an interesting history. Being cross country ski enthusiasts, we knew of the village as it is the start of the famous Engadin Ski Marathon each winter. Early the next morning, with light snow falling, we headed off to the Muretto pass (2561m). After reaching the pretty Cavloc lake we came to the junction with the trail leading south up to the Fornohütte (2574m), which is a popular destination. We, however, continued east reaching Chiareggio in Italy by mid-afternoon. Leaving Chiareggio early the next day our next stop was Val Ventina with a stay at the rifugio by the same name. After checking in we climbed the short Ferrata al Torrione Porro (2435m) for views of Monte Disgrazia and Glacier Ventina on one side of the summit and Lago Pirola on the other. On the walk down we followed the “Path of the Millenary Larch” where we passed the weathered 1000-year-old larch tree which is part of a grove of ancient trees, some of the oldest in Europe.

Rifugio Ventina (1975m) proved to be a delightful stay overseen by an engaging hut warden. He appeared somewhat concerned about our planned extremely steep ascent to the Ventini pass (2678m) and transfer on foot to Chiesa Valmalenco at least eight to nine hours away. Our host sent us off at sunrise with two very large sandwiches and a warning that sunset was at 20.00. The climb up the pass was technical on very loose scree. Undaunted, we picked our way up steadily for 720 metres, reaching the pass in little more than two hours. The descent was even more challenging with a three- hour progression from one large boulder to another, interrupted with a well-deserved snack break at the Laghetti di Sassersa. The boulder field eventually gave way to an easier trail leading to the roadway a few kilometres from Chiesa Valmalenco. Here a friendly local offered us a car ride to our hotel.

Our tour of the Bernina concluded with a bus ride the next morning down to the valley bringing us to the train station of Sondrio from where we continued onto the next leg of our adventure.

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