Piz Alvra (3116 m) - short hike from the Albula pass

Piz Alvra (3116 m) is a mountain peak north of the Albula pass.

The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms in the afternoon, so today I chose a shorter hike. Start of the hike at 9 AM on the Albula pass. I followed the wrw marked trail which goes up to Fuorcla Zavretta. Above elevation 2550 m, the trail is partially covered by large snowfields. I chose a steeper and more direct ascent through the scree, mostly following a visible path though.

I was actually assuming that the steep ascent to P.3088 would still be snow covered, and therefore I brought my crampons with me. But it was possible to ascend off the snow in the steep area. Still, ascending in the steep scree is nearly impossible, cause you just slide one step back down for each step up. So I mainly stayed on the rocky area on the left side. This involved some climbing (I), and overall I would rate the ascent T4+. After the struggle to reach P.3088, it is only 5 min more to the summit of Piz Alvra.

For the descent from P.3088, I surfed down in the scree to elevation 2920 m. Then I mounted the crampons and traversed down on the steep snowfield just south of Piz Alvra and down to Fuorcla Zavretta. This was not necessary, but I thought I would make use of the crampons when I had brought them along.

At Fuorcla Zavretta I enjoyed my lunch. The plan was to visit Igl Compass on the way, but thunderstorms were approaching, so I started the descent. The snowfields allowed for a speedy descent (340 m elevation loss in 15 min). During the descent, there were a few raindrops, but there was no need to put on rain gear.

Equipment:
- Hiking sticks
- Crampons
- Ice axe (not used)

Remarks:
- Please see the attached GPS track for more details on the route.
- There were a few other hikers on this route, but they all headed for Igl Compass.