Wasenhorn – Punta Terrarosa, a Great Peak at Simplon Pass

Wasenhorn (3246 m) is also known by its Italian name Punta Terrarossa. The two names come from the fact that it is on the border between Switzerland and Italy. In this site, I have placed it in the group of Swiss mountains only because of the route I used from the Swiss side.

Within this page, you will find information about the route to Wasenhorn from Simplon pass. So the starting point is the same as for the nearby Breithorn which you may find within this site.

[Bach: BWV903 Chromatic Fantasy]

When you look at Wasenhorn from Simplon pass, it appears as an enormously sharp peak. You cannot miss to see it if you just look from the road in the north-east direction.  You will start the route at the Simplon Hospiz and follow the signs toward Monte Leone hut. The name of this hut looks inappropriate as it is directly on the route to Wasenhorn, and quite off the route to Monte Leone.

The mountain rock is reddish and thus full of iron oxide, and this is probably the reason for its Italian name Terrarossa.

The hut is at 2848 meters above the sea level, and you will reach it from the pass in about 2-3 hours. This part of the route is a simple walk-up, with great views of the Brig valley on your left side and many mountains on the other side of the Rhone valley, most notably Bietschhorn (3934 m).

Below the hut, at 2756 m you will suddenly have an incredibly beautiful lake in front of you. It collects the water from Chaltwasser glacier which is on the right side, covering the northern slope of Monte Leone mountain.  From the hut, you should plan another 1.5 hours to the summit of Wasenhorn.

 

When you pass the hut, just continue toward the Italian-Swiss border in the north-east direction. This will lead you to a ridge that represents the border. You follow it to the summit. This part is very steep, probably up to 50 degrees, with unstable rock, and with snow at some places. See the first photo above to get an impression of the inclination. There are no signs but they are not necessary; some cairns are there though, a few of my own.

The summit is like a roof of a house, elongated and steep on the south and north sides. The cross is in fact on the lower end of the summit ridge, overlooking Simplon pass.

You will have great views of Monte Leone which is very close in the south direction. The Weismiess group is in the distance in the southwest direction; Bishorn and Weisshorn are in the west, and the great peaks Bietschhorn, Aletschhorn, and Finsteraarhorn are in the north direction.

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Equipment

If you are sure that there are no snow on the route, for example in late summer, you will need no particular equipment whatsoever, in spite of the peak being so sharp.  However, in the presence of snow, I would strongly suggest having at least an G4free%2012-Teeth Ice/Snow Boot Shoe Covers Spike Cleats Crampons Gripper Climbing Walking Outdoor“>crampons. The final 200 meters are very steep, and with snow, it would be difficult without such equipment. So in the case without snow, my summary is as follows:

Accommodation

An obvious choice is the Simplon Hospice, or the Monte Leone hut which is directly below the summit. Note that there is an alpinist refuge Bivacco Farello above the Monte Leone hut, so this is the closest place to the summit to spend a night. It is below a rock at Aurona pass (2770 m).

I saw it from a close distance, and I missed to descend to check the conditions inside. But I have seen some photos on the Internet which suggest that it is equipped with some gas burner. The link given above suggests it has 9 places to sleep, but on the other link you will see the number of beds 12.

The difficulty of the route in general

I believe Wasenhorn (Punta Terrarossa) can be climbed by anybody with normal physical conditions, regardless of the age. In the case of snow on the route you will need equipment, and in this case, you would better have some experience and know how to use it, otherwise do not go.

When I climbed Hubschhorn one day before, there was an Italian man from the nearby town of Domodossola in Italy. We were on the top, and he was showing me Punta Terrarosa and telling that a few years before he climbed it and broke his leg. So he was transported by helicopter. It is good to keep such examples in mind and be careful and prepared, and if possible going with somebody.

So if you are at Simplon pass and undecided which of the mountains to climb, I would say that Hubschhorn is the easiest one, but I am not saying it is easy. Wasenhorn is a bit more of a challenge, while Breithorn and Monte Leone are for more experienced mountaineers, and you definitely need glacier stuff.

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My climb to Wasenhorn