Europe / Monte Rosa Massif
Dufourspitze
Switzerland · 4,634 m
Photo credits and licence
TobiasBender · CC BY-SA 3.0 · MonteRosaWestseite gesehenVomGornergrat. Preview cropped from the top.Source credit: Self-photographed
Any adaptation of a ShareAlike image remains under its linked licence.
Source-linked route information · coverage incomplete
Continue with a planning or regional guide: Alps mountain guide
About Dufourspitze
Dufourspitze has distinct hut-based ascents and a traverse from Capanna Margherita. Compare starting points and descent scope, not duration alone.
SAC · Dufourspitze alpinism overview
Geographic source notes
Wikidata description: highest mountain of Switzerland. Imported context (CC0); retrieved 2026-10-05, not independently reviewed.
This overview is assembled from the geographic records cited below; it has not been independently field-verified.
Mountain facts
- Elevation
- 4634 metres above sea level
- Country / territory
- Switzerland
- Mountain range
- Monte Rosa Massif
- Range assignment
- Source-linked Wikidata statement · 2026-10-05
- Summit coordinates
- 45.9369238, 7.866757 · View summit on OpenStreetMap
Routes and variants
5 source-linked entries · research checked 2026-10-05. The inventory remains incomplete.
Documented information and open research
Starting point: 3 of 5 · Difficulty with grading system: 5 of 5 · Elevation gain: 3 of 5 · Duration: 2 of 5 · Season: 0 of 5
2 historical entries. These counts describe published entries, not all possible routes. Current access is not established.
See route research coverage and priorities →Compare 5 routes
Grades retain their published rating system; different systems and historical grades are not equivalent. Elevation gain means climbing metres, not summit altitude. Missing figures are not estimated.
Scroll sideways to compare all columns. Select a route name for its details.
| Route | Activity / direction | Difficulty / system | Starting point | Elevation gain | Duration | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West ridge via Sattel | AlpinismAscent | ZS-SAC alpine overall grade | Monte Rosahütte | 1,750 mPublished climbing metres; Ascent from Monte Rosahütte | 7–8 hAscent from Monte Rosahütte | Source 1 ↗ |
| Traverse via Zumsteinspitze | AlpinismTraverse | ZSSAC alpine overall grade | Capanna Margherita | 300 mPublished climbing metres; Ascent section from Capanna Margherita; full traverse adds 4–5 h descent to Monte Rosahütte. The source prints 3–3 h. | Not documented | Source 1 ↗ |
| Cresta Rey | AlpinismAscent | ZS+SAC alpine overall grade | Monte Rosahütte | 1,770 mPublished climbing metres; Ascent from Monte Rosahütte | 7–8 hAscent from Monte Rosahütte | Source 1 ↗ |
| Marinelli couloir / east faceHistorical listing · 2009 | AlpinismAscent | S / 4aSAC 2009 guidebook notation | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Source 1 ↗ |
| Central couloir to SilbersattelHistorical listing · 2009 | AlpinismDescent | ZS / 3aSAC 2009 guidebook notation | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Source 1 ↗ |
Choose an activity to see its entries. Ascent, descent, approaches and historical climbing lines are labelled separately.
Alpinism (5)
West ridge via SattelAlpinism · Ascent · ZS-
- Activity
- Alpinism
- Direction / role
- Ascent
- Starting point
- Monte Rosahütte
- Difficulty
- ZS- · SAC alpine overall grade · Published overview; not converted between language editions
- Elevation gain
- 1,750 m · Published climbing metres; Ascent from Monte Rosahütte
- Duration
- 7–8 h · Ascent from Monte Rosahütte
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
SAC · Dufourspitze route overview and archive · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Traverse via ZumsteinspitzeAlpinism · Traverse · ZS
The overview prints an ambiguous 3–3 h ascent interval; duration remains open pending clarification.
- Activity
- Alpinism
- Direction / role
- Traverse
- Starting point
- Capanna Margherita
- Difficulty
- ZS · SAC alpine overall grade · Published overview; not converted between language editions
- Elevation gain
- 300 m · Published climbing metres; Ascent section from Capanna Margherita; full traverse adds 4–5 h descent to Monte Rosahütte. The source prints 3–3 h.
- Duration
- Not established from the checked source
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
SAC · Dufourspitze route overview and archive · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Cresta ReyAlpinism · Ascent · ZS+
- Activity
- Alpinism
- Direction / role
- Ascent
- Starting point
- Monte Rosahütte
- Difficulty
- ZS+ · SAC alpine overall grade · Published overview; not converted between language editions
- Elevation gain
- 1,770 m · Published climbing metres; Ascent from Monte Rosahütte
- Duration
- 7–8 h · Ascent from Monte Rosahütte
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
SAC · Dufourspitze route overview and archive · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Marinelli couloir / east faceAlpinism · Ascent · S / 4a · archive 2009
- Activity
- Alpinism
- Direction / role
- Ascent
- Starting point
- Not established from the checked source
- Difficulty
- S / 4a · SAC 2009 guidebook notation · Historical archive entry
- Elevation gain
- Not established from the checked source
- Duration
- Not established from the checked source
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
SAC · Dufourspitze route overview and archive · source checked 2026-10-05
Historical listing; a route name or old grade does not confirm the current line, protection or completion.
Central couloir to SilbersattelAlpinism · Descent · ZS / 3a · archive 2009
- Activity
- Alpinism
- Direction / role
- Descent
- Starting point
- Not established from the checked source
- Difficulty
- ZS / 3a · SAC 2009 guidebook notation · Historical archive entry
- Elevation gain
- Not established from the checked source
- Duration
- Not established from the checked source
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
SAC · Dufourspitze route overview and archive · source checked 2026-10-05
Historical listing; a route name or old grade does not confirm the current line, protection or completion.
Route questions, answered
Specific planning questions, with the scope of each source kept visible.
West ridge or Cresta Rey: does the same time mean the same difficulty?
No. Both SAC listings start at Monte Rosahütte and give 7–8 hours for ascent, but the west ridge is ZS- and Cresta Rey ZS+. Compare the itinerary and required skills as well as time; hut access and return are separate.
Does the Zumstein traverse start at Monte Rosahütte too?
No. The SAC describes the traverse from Capanna Margherita via Zumsteinspitze towards Monte Rosahütte. This differs from the west-ridge ascent. Its published itinerary also has a substantial descent, so an ascent figure alone would misrepresent the traverse.
Why is the Zumstein traverse duration still undocumented?
The SAC overview prints an ambiguous 3–3-hour ascent interval plus 4–5 hours descent. We leave total duration open rather than repair the figure by guessing.
Why do the SAC page and catalogue use different grade letters?
The English overview uses AD notation; existing entries preserve the German source's ZS notation. No silent conversion is applied.
Climbing Chronicle Redaktion · Sources checked · Source research; current route conditions are not confirmed.
Planning at a glance
Access and starting point
The west ridge and Cresta Rey start at Monte Rosahütte; the Zumstein traverse starts at Capanna Margherita.
Difficulty and required experience
The English SAC page lists west ridge AD-, Cresta Rey AD+ and the Zumstein traverse AD. Existing German notation is retained in the catalogue.
Season and restrictions
Not yet established from checked sources for this mountain.
Sources for current information
- SAC · Dufourspitze alpinism overview
Public route listing in English/French grade notation; not current access clearance.
Regional weather and warning resources
Selected by the recorded country. Check geographic coverage and elevation; these links do not confirm access or conditions on this summit.
- SLF · Swiss avalanche bulletin
Swiss regional snow and avalanche information; select the correct area
This page stores reference sources, not live conditions. Check the provider’s publication date and route coverage before use.
Research still needed
For Dufourspitze, this atlas does not yet document first-ascent history; checked seasonal restrictions. Missing first-ascent evidence does not mean a mountain is unclimbed.
Use the linked sources as starting points; summit coordinates do not describe a climbing route or public access.
Sources and coverage
Imported geographic data from Wikidata (CC0); not independently field-verified. Data snapshot: 30 September 2026. Elevations and boundaries can differ between sources. Mountain-range membership follows explicit Wikidata relationships or a coordinate match against published GMBA v2 standard polygons. GMBA: Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (2021), CC BY 4.0; methodology: Snethlage et al. (2022). Missing evidence remains open.
Explore the surrounding regions
Monte Rosa Massif · Pennine Alps · Northwestern Alps · Western Alps · Alps · Central European Highlands · Alps · Pennine / Valais Alps · Mountains in Switzerland
Editorial responsibility
Responsible publisher and editorial author: Climbing Chronicle Redaktion. AI-assisted source research; no on-site inspection or professional route approval is claimed.
- Route listing source check
- 2026-10-05 · partial inventory; current access remains open
- Planning source check
- 2026-10-06 · only the individually cited planning additions
- Earlier profile review
- Open · no complete editorial review recorded
- Imported context retrieved
- 2026-10-05 · automated retrieval, not an editorial review
How sources, authorship and review dates work
Further reading about Dufourspitze
Links discovered through the Wikidata record. These articles have not been checked as evidence for route, difficulty or access claims.
Mountains nearby
Recorded mountains, ordered by straight-line distance. This does not describe a route or accessible connection.
1–20 of 225 recorded mountains within 25 km
- Grenzgipfel · 0.1 km
- Zumsteinspitze · 0.7 km
- Signalkuppe · 1.3 km
- Jägerhorn · 1.9 km
- Parrotspitze · 1.9 km
- Entdeckungsfels · 2.1 km
- Ludwigshöhe · 2.3 km
- Schwarzhorn · 2.5 km
- Balmenhorn · 2.7 km
- Lyskamm · 2.9 km
- Liskamm Oriental · 2.9 km
- Gran Fillar · 3.2 km
- Vincent Pyramid · 3.3 km
- Punta Giordani · 3.5 km
- Western Lyskamm · 3.6 km
- Punta Grober · 4.5 km
- Punta Straling · 4.6 km
- Cima di Jazzi · 5.4 km
- Stockchnubel · 5.4 km
- Pizzo Bianco · 5.7 km