Pizzo Stella (3163 m) - bike & hike from the northern end of Lago di Lei

Pizzo Stella (3163 m) is the third highest peak around Lago di Lei, only surpassed by Piz Timun and Piz della Palù. The peak lies in Italy, but can also be accessed from the Lago di Lei hydropower dam in Switzerland. The elevation gain is less than if you start from the Italian side, but the distance is longer. It is best to ride the bike all the way along Lago di Lei, and start the actual hike at Pian del Nido.

Route and difficulties: First I biked from the parking lot at the hydropower dam to Pian del Nido (10 km, 45 min). From there I continued on foot, following the marked trail in direction Passo di Lei. At elevation 2400 m I left the marked trail and continued in westerly direction up through the steep area which finally leads to the south ridge. The terrain consists mainly of a stone run with rocks of different sizes and is a bit tricky to ascend in. The ascent here I would rate T4-. The hands are sometimes needed. On the south ridge itself, it is a bit easier (T3+) and mostly a path is visible. During the descent I generally followed the same route, but I traversed the grassy hillside for quite some time before I reached the marked trail (see GPS track).

Weather: Overall the weather was great today. When I started the hike at 8:45 AM, it was quite cold, but no wind. At the end of the bike ride it became a little bit windy. During the ascent on foot it became increasingly windy, especially during the final ascent on the south ridge. There the wind speed was probably 40 km/h. Luckily, at the summit it was not that windy. Towards the south it was all cloudy, and patches of fog kept pushing across Passo di Lei.

Various:
I saw and heard numerous marmots in the valley south Pian del Nido. Most of them were quite chubby, so they should be ready for the winter.

Equipment:
- Hiking sticks

Remarks:
- Please see the attached GPS track for more details on the route.
- Surprisingly, I did not meet any other people on the hiking part of the tour. I only spotted two hikers descending from the summit when I was still half an hour away. Those two hikers disappeared, so they must have descended to the west.
- The total time given for this hike includes a total of 35 min breaks.
- Many thanks to StefanP for his report describing the route - it was very helpful for my tour planning.