Punta Perrucchetti “Pizzo Bernina” 4020m – with a mountain guide
Climb the most eastern 4000m peak in all of the Alps and the highest one of this region. Along the way, visit the legendary rifugio Marco e Rosa perched on the edge of a steep wall at 3600m.
Ascent of Bernina delivers a unique experience — one day you are surrounded by vineyards at 300m and the next you are walking on glaciers and climbing ridge tops at 4000m.
If you don’t think you are quite ready, we can do a less demanding climb to prepare you for this big adventure. Alternatively, you can add an intro day to improve your mountaineering skills.
Usual 2-day Ascent
Bernina is an iconic peak that lays on the boarder between Italy and Switzerland.
Punta Perrucchetti (4020m), lays 200 meters south from the actual mountain top and is considered Bernina’s Italian summit. While Punta Perrucchetti and Pizzo Bernina (4049m) just skirt over the 4000m mark, the climb’s elegance, scenery and beauty make it one of the prized ascents in the Alps.
On the mountain’s north side you find Saint Moritz, one of the most famed ski and spa resorts in the world. In the south is our Valmalenco Valley — rugged, authentic and rich in history.
Bernina also lends its name to the UNESCO World Heritage railway — Bernina Express — or in Italy simply known as “Il Trenino Rosso” (The Little Red Train). The spectacular train ride takes you from Tirano in Italy to Saint Moritz in Switzerland, passing through breathtaking landscapes of the Bernina mountain range.
Day 0
You arrive to Valmalenco valley and we will meet you in the afternoon or early evening to make sure you have all that you need. Optionally, we can arrange for your pick-up from an airport or a train station.
Night: You can stay in on of the hotels or B&Bs in the valley.
Day 1
We head out in the early morning drive to the upper valley up to Campo Moro (1950m) and start hiking. We will slowly gain 1100m before we reach the glacier with a coffee break at a rifugio along the way. A gentle traverse of the glacier and 300m via ferrata will take us directly to rifugio Marco e Rosa where we will be welcomed by Bianco, a friend and an experienced mountain guide plus an entertaining story teller.
Night: Rifugio Marco e Rosa (3600m)
Day 2
At sunrise, we will be already climbing and enjoying the changing light. From the hut to the summit is a 400m ascent through some technical terrain and exposed snowy ridge. Then we descent back to Marco e Rosa for a snack before we head back down to the car.
Ideas to extend this adventure
Add One More Day or One More Peak
1-For a more relaxed pace, we can climb this peak with an extra day.
2-Since your are already up high, add a day, we can climb one more peak to make good use of your time and prolong the adventure.
3-Spend a day going through the nuts and bolts basis of mountaneering to get ready for the ascent.
4-If you don’t think you are ready, we can do a less demanding climb to prepare you for this big adventure.
What’s Included
As per itinerary above.
Not Included
As per itinerary above.
FAQs and Practical Tips
We categorize all our activities — from easy hiking to challenging climbing or ski touring — and assign them a level of difficulty, so you can easily compare them.
Access the difficulty scale by clicking this icon beside the word “Level” at top of the page for each adventure/trip:
You can tailor most of our adventures; for example, making them longer or shorter, or more or less challenging.
We recommend that you get in touch with us and we choose the best options together.
Ideas for customization can be found either at the bottom of each trip description, or can be viewed by clicking this icon beside the words “Tailor this adventure” at top of the page for each adventure/trip.
To ensure you can fully immerse yourself in the beauty of the Alps, we strongly recommend that all guests carry comprehensive travel insurance. For our adventures, please ensure your policy covers outdoor sports and mountain rescue for altitudes up to 5,000m.
We are updating our specialized gear lists and we will publish them for each adventure soon.
In any case, we will email you a gear packing list after you book your trip.
We strongly advise you to let us know about any allergies, food or others, that may pose a health risk for you during your trip. This affects your own safety as well as of the whole group.
As for dietary preferences, please let us know as well ahead of time as we have to arrange for alternatives with the hut custodians.
Details on our payment, cancellation and refund policies for 2026 are being updated and will be published soon.