Schiahorn (2636 m) - hike from Val Madris

Schiahorn (2636 m) is a mountain peak on the east side of Lago di Lei. It lies exactly on the border between Italy and Switzerland. Typically it can be reached via Passo del Scengio (T2). However, I chose to start the hike from Val Madris, between Cröt and Ramsa.

Start of the hike at 8:40 AM. At the beginning it goes fairly steep uphill between big larch trees, and the slope is 30-35° (T3). I noticed herds of cows about 200 m further up on the steep hillside. That should have been a warning sign, since there were loose stones here and there. As I was taking a short break, standing directly below the big trunk of a dead tree, I heard something coming tumbling down the hill. It was a stone with a diameter of 15-20 cm, and it passed by at a distance of just 1 m! Luckily I have the habit of making stops only in such "safe" places during steep ascents. After this scary moment, I continued up along the Wandflue rock wall. Further up I headed more or less directly towards Schiahorn, with a short stop at P.2604 first. The weather was really perfect, and the views were amazing!

Next, I headed for Cima dei Rossi. I must admit that I had not done any research on this mountain beforehand. The route down on the ridge from Schiahorn in southerly direction might be considered T3+, because it is rather narrow and exposed for a short distance. On the way I spotted a few ibex at the top of P.2678. Getting up to Cima dei Rossi P.2678 was pretty easy, but then I realized that I would not be able to continue to the main summit P.2726. There is a 20 m deep crack just south of P.2678. Hard to believe, but the ibex made it down and across! It looks like they use a narrow couloir which seemed nearly vertical to me. It would be interesting to have a look from below to understand how they can get up and down there...

On the way back down I passed across Cima di Colle Scengio, but after that I followed essentially the same route down. While on my way down, I spotted two other hikers on their way to the summit of Schiahorn.

Equipment: hiking sticks