High Altitude Cappuccino

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Klein Matterhorn, 3880m Highest point: Breithorn, 4168m Total elevation gain: 380m Total distance: ~8km Total time: 3h40 Technical difficulty: Easy 4000er, but glacier travel with crampons and crevasses Download GPS file The Breithorn (4168m) is known to be one of the easiest 4000ers in the Alps. The reason is that you can go all the way up to 3880m at Klein Matterhorn and start from there. You can go up from Italy or Switzerland. I chose to do it from Italy because it is my country of origin and because it is cheaper. So, at Cervinia, I met my guide and we got the ticket to Klein Matterhorn. If you want, it is even cheaper to stop at Plateau Rosà, at 3480m. However, the first part is not the most interesting, as you go across the summer ski slopes. Overall, I recommend starting at Klein Matterhorn, even though it is €50 more expensive (for a total of €117 to go up to 3800m and come back from 3400m). The last part is also the super-new and fancy cabin...

🗺️   Overview Highest point: Gran Paradiso, 4,061m — the only 4000er fully in Italy Elevation gain: 2250m over 2 days, 1350m the second Duration: 2h30 first day, 10-12h the second Day 1: Hike to Rifugio Federico Chabod (2h35, 950m elevation gain) Day 2: Ascent to summit and return to the valley (~11 hours total) Difficulty: Long but non-technical (glacier + short via ferrata) Gear: Crampons, harness, helmet, ice axe — rentable at the hut Best advice: Start early to avoid slushy snow and traffic on the summit! Download GPS file Gran Paradiso (4,061m) holds a special place in the Alps: it's the only 4000-meter peak located entirely within Italy. After climbing to Capanna Margherita last year (4,556m, the highest building in Europe), Gran Paradiso was the natural next step. It's known as one of the easier 4000ers technically—but don’t be fooled, it’s long and demanding due to the lack of lifts. Day 1 – The Climb to Rifugio Federico Chabod We arrived on a Sun...

🗺️ Overview Starting point:  Staffal (1800m) Arrival point:  Capanna Margherita (4554m) Lift dropoff:  Punta Indren (3200m) Altitude gain:  1300m Time:  2 days (at least for normal people like me) Difficulty:  Difficult (especially due to the altitude) Technical difficiulty :  Easy Download GSP file If you love mountaineering, you can't miss  Capanna Margherita . At  4,554m , it’s the highest mountain hut in Europe and, surprisingly, accessible to anyone with  average fitness . I went with a friend, joining a  guided tour  organized by  MonteRosaBooking . It cost us  €420 , and I can say— worth every cent! You can start your ascent from  Staffal (Gressoney)  or  Alagna . Either way, you take the lifts (included in our tour in our case)  up to Passo dei Salati (3,000m).  There we met our guide, Fabio. He immediately made us feel at ease, provided the necessary gear ( crampons and harnesses ), ...