Day 1 – Western Breithorn and Rifugio Guide d’Ayas
We’ll meet in Cervinia at the lift ticket office, where we’ll check our equipment and review the itinerary with the guide.
We’ll take the cable car to Plateau Rosa and begin our ascent of the Western Breithorn (4,165 m). We’ll cross the glacier, gaining altitude gradually before reaching the summit.
From here, we’ll descend across glaciated terrain towards Rifugio Guide d’Ayas, at approximately 3,400 metres, where we’ll spend our first night.
Dinner and overnight stay at Rifugio Guide d’Ayas.
Elevation gain: approximately 700 m
Walking time: approximately 5–6 hours
Day 2 – Castore and Rifugio Quintino Sella
After breakfast, we’ll climb towards the Verra Pass and continue towards the western side of Castore.
The ascent takes us across glaciated terrain and increasingly steep snow slopes. We’ll negotiate the bergschrund and continue towards the summit ridge, where we’ll reach Castore (4,226 m).
We’ll then follow the snow ridge towards the Felik Pass. From there, we’ll cross the Felik Glacier and descend to Rifugio Quintino Sella, at 3,585 metres.
Dinner and overnight stay at Rifugio Quintino Sella.
Elevation gain: approximately 800 m
Walking time: approximately 6–7 hours
Day 3 – Naso del Lyskamm and Piramide Vincent
We’ll leave Rifugio Quintino Sella and cross the western Lys Glacier towards the Naso del Lyskamm (4,272 m).
This section involves steeper terrain and requires careful movement with crampons and rope. After reaching the summit, we’ll descend towards the eastern Lys Glacier.
We’ll then continue towards Piramide Vincent (4,215 m), another of Monte Rosa’s classic 4,000-metre summits.
From here, we’ll descend to Capanna Gnifetti, at 3,647 metres, where we’ll spend the night before moving higher into the massif.
Dinner and overnight stay at Capanna Gnifetti.
Elevation gain: approximately 800 m
Walking time: approximately 6–8 hours
Day 4 – Monte Rosa’s 4,000-Metre Peaks and Capanna Margherita
Today, we’ll climb towards the highest part of Monte Rosa, with Capanna Margherita (4,554 m) as our main destination.
Depending on the conditions and our progress, we may include additional summits along the route, such as Balmenhorn (4,167 m) and Ludwigshöhe (4,342 m).
We’ll continue across the glaciers towards Punta Gnifetti, where Capanna Margherita stands.
We’ll spend the evening and night at the hut, surrounded by the highest peaks of Monte Rosa. Staying at this altitude is a distinctive part of the Spaghetti Tour and requires good acclimatisation.
Dinner and overnight stay at Capanna Margherita, 4,554 m.
Elevation gain: approximately 1,500 m, depending on the route
Walking time: approximately 6–7 hours
Day 5 – Zumsteinspitze and Descent to Gressoney
We’ll leave Capanna Margherita and make our way towards Zumsteinspitze (4,563 m), the highest summit of our five-day traverse.
After reaching the summit, we’ll begin our long descent across the Monte Rosa glaciers towards Punta Indren.
We’ll take the lifts down to Gressoney, where our taxi transfer will bring us back to Cervinia.
This final stage completes our journey across the massif, linking the mountains above Cervinia with the glaciers and valleys on the southern side of Monte Rosa.
Elevation gain: approximately 100 m
Elevation loss: approximately 1,680 m
Walking time: approximately 6–8 hours
The itinerary, summits and daily stages may change according to weather, snow and glacier conditions, as well as the participants’ physical condition. Our guide will assess these factors throughout the traverse and adapt the programme when necessary.
