MOUNTAINEERING - ICONIC 4000
Castore (4228 m)
Two-day ascent across Monte Rosa’s glaciers, with a night in a mountain hut and a spectacular summit ridge.
The experience
Rising between the valleys of Gressoney and Ayas, Castore offers a beautiful journey into the heart of Monte Rosa, from rocky mountain trails to open glaciers and the slender snow ridge leading to its summit.
Over two days, we will enjoy the atmosphere of a night in a beautiful mountain hut, set out in the early morning light and climb roped together above the surrounding glaciers, sharing a mountaineering experience adapted to your pace.
Level & requirements
Requirements
Good fitness and experience with long mountain hikes. No severe fear of heights.
Level Guide
Each experience has a technical level, indicating the skills required, and a physical level, indicating the fitness and effort involved. Actual difficulty may vary depending on mountain conditions, weather, and the group.
Technical Level
Level 1 — Beginner
No previous mountaineering experience is required, but some experience of mountain hiking is necessary. Suitable for your first alpine ascent, on relatively easy snow, glacier or rocky terrain.
Level 2 — Basic
No previous mountaineering experience is required, but a good level of mountain hiking experience is essential. You should be comfortable on steep, uneven terrain. Routes may involve steeper snow slopes, easy scrambling, exposed sections and more demanding glacier travel.
Level 3 — Intermediate
Previous mountaineering experience is required. Routes may involve sustained snow or ice slopes, exposed ridges, mixed terrain and moderate rock climbing. You should be confident with crampons and using an ice axe.
Level 4 — Advanced
Solid mountaineering experience is essential. Routes involve sustained technical climbing on rock, snow, ice or mixed terrain, often with significant exposure. Good movement skills and confidence in challenging alpine conditions are required.
Level 5 — Expert
Extensive experience on technical alpine routes is required. Climbs may involve steep ice, difficult mixed terrain, sustained rock climbing and highly exposed sections. Strong technical skills, efficiency and experience in demanding mountain environments are essential.
Physical Level
Physical levels for aerobic mountain activities are based on expected activity time, elevation gain and overall sustained effort. Altitude, terrain, weather, pace and backpack weight can increase the physical demands.
Level 1 — Easy
Gentle outings and short ascents up to around 5 hours of activity, usually with less than 600 m of elevation gain.
Level 2 — Easy to Moderate
Around 5–7 hours of activity or 600–1,000 m of elevation gain.
Level 3 — Moderate
Around 7–9 hours of activity or 1,000–1,500 m of elevation gain.
Level 4 — Demanding
Around 9–12 hours of activity or 1,500–2,000 m of elevation gain.
Level 5 — Very Demanding
More than 12 hours of activity or more than 2,000 m of elevation gain.
Practical information
Program
Two days on Monte Rosa with an ascent to Europe’s highest mountain hut.
Day 1: Approach to the Mountain Hut
We will meet at 1:30 PM at the Wunderbar in Staffal, Gressoney, have a coffee and check your equipment before taking the cable cars to Punta Indren (3,275 m). From there, we will walk to our mountain hut: either Rifugio Città di Mantova (3,498 m) or Capanna Gnifetti (3,647 m), depending on conditions and availability.
Walking time: about 1–1.5 hours.
Elevation gain: approximately +230 m to Rifugio Mantova or +380 m to Capanna Gnifetti.
Before dinner, we will get familiar with the crampon, ice axe and rope techniques we will use the following day. Dinner and overnight stay at the mountain hut.
Day 2: Ascent to Capanna Margherita
We will leave the mountain hut between 3:30 and 5:00 AM, depending on conditions, and begin our ascent across the glaciers of Monte Rosa. Roped together, we will gradually gain altitude towards Colle del Lys, continue beneath Punta Parrot and climb towards Colle Gnifetti. A final snow slope will lead us to Capanna Margherita, on the summit of Punta Gnifetti (4,554 m). Here, we will take a break inside Europe’s highest mountain hut and enjoy views of the surrounding 4,000-metre peaks and across the Alps before descending along the same route to Punta Indren and taking the cable cars back to Staffal.
Walking time: about 7.5–9.5 hours, including the ascent (about 4–5 hours) and the descent to Punta Indren.
Elevation gain: +1,100 m from Rifugio Mantova or +950 m from Capanna Gnifetti.
All times are approximate and depend on conditions and group pace.
Equipment
Full mountaineering equipment is required.
- Clothes for the upper body: thermal base layer, spare base layer top, warm fleece or insulating mid-layer, warm down or synthetic insulated jacket, waterproof and windproof shell jacket
- Clothes for the lower body: thermal base-layer bottoms, mountaineering pants, waterproof shell pants, and 2 pairs of warm socks
- Warm hat and neck warmer
- 2 pairs of gloves (one lightweight pair and one warm pair)
- Mountaineering boots (compatible with your crampons)
- Crampons (made of steel and compatible with your boots)
- Helmet
- Ice axe
- Harness
- Sunglasses (category 3 or 4, with good side protection)
- Sunscreen and lip protection
- Headlamp (with a fully charged battery)
- Sleeping bag liner (for the mountain hut)
- 1 L water bottle or thermos, and snacks
- Adjustable trekking poles (with standard round baskets)
- Backpack (30–40 L)
Mountaineering boots, crampons, helmets, ice axes, and harnesses can be rented from Ermanno Sport, located in Staffal next to the lift. Please contact the rental shop in advance to reserve the items you need, as availability may be limited. I may also have a limited number of helmets, ice axes, and harnesses available to lend.
I provide the additional group equipment needed for the experience. All the equipment listed above is mandatory.
Booking & Conditions
A 50% deposit confirms your booking.
Get in touch with your preferred dates and group size to check availability. A 50% deposit confirms your booking. Participants are strongly advised to have insurance appropriate to the planned activity and geographical area. For full details, including information about the special partner insurance rate, please refer to the Booking & Conditions.
The program is indicative and may be adjusted according to weather, glacier conditions and the group’s level. Reaching the summit cannot be guaranteed.
Prices
| Group size | Price per person | Total price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | €850/pax | €850 |
| 2 people | €450/pax | €900 |
| 3 people | €320/pax | €960 |
| 4 people | €250/pax | €1000 |
Included
- Guiding service
- Professional liability insurance of the guide
- Technical equipment loaned by the guide on request
Not included
- Mountain hut (Rifugio Quintino Sella) accommodation with half board: about €116/night per participant (discounts for CAI members) and €60/night for the guide
- Round-trip cable car ticket from Staffal to Colle Bettaforca, valid across multiple days: about €27 per adult
- Equipment rental
Any other expenses needed for the experience that are not expressly listed under “Included”, for you and the guide.
The Capanna Margherita can also be climbed through different itineraries or combined with other summits on Monte Rosa:
3-day Monte Rosa experience: Combine the Piramide Vincent with an ascent to Capanna Margherita (4,554 m). Starting from €1400.
3-day with a night at the Capanna Margherita: sleep at Europe’s highest mountain hut, with breathtaking views across the Alps. This option is reserved for very fit participants with previous overnight stays in mountain huts at 3,000–3,500 m and prior experience above 4,000 m. Suitability will be assessed together before booking. Starting from €1400.
For all programs the total guiding fee increases by €50 for each additional participant, up to five people.
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