Corno Nero / Schwarzhorn

4,322 m

Italian for 'black horn'; the German name Schwarzhorn means the same. The rock here is a dark gneiss visibly different from the lighter rock of the neighbouring Parrotspitze and Ludwigshöhe.

Card

Coordinates45.9189° N · 7.8642° E

UIAA rank№ 19 / 82

CountriesItaly

Normal gradeF · facile

First ascent1873 · A. de Rothschild & M. Maglionini with Édouard Cupelin and the Knubels

Typical seasonJuly to September

Photo of Corno Nero / Schwarzhorn — Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Short, steep snow/ice cone on the Monte Rosa ridge between Ludwigshöhe and Balmenhorn, climbed as a brief add-on from the Gnifetti hut.

History

The 'black horn' (German: Schwarzhorn) — a small rock spike on the long Monte Rosa summit plateau, between the Ludwigshöhe and the Balmenhorn. First climbed in 1873 by an Italian party from Alagna by what is still the standard route, a short rock pitch from the snow saddle below the summit. The peak is taken in by parties doing the full Spaghetti Tour but is one of the least independently visited of the 82.

Location

Summit · huts that serve as bases for routes on this peak

Major routes

From Capanna Gnifetti (steep snow finish)

PD · peu difficile

Vertical / summit day680 m gain · 3h

Small rocky summit on the Lys glacier ridge between Ludwigshöhe and Balmenhorn. From Capanna Gnifetti follow the standard glacier route past Balmenhorn to the foot of the Corno Nero, then climb a steep snow slope (40–45°) and a short scramble (II) to the airy summit. The 'hard tick' among the easy Monte Rosa east-side peaks.

Huts on this route

Rifugio Capanna Gnifetti3,647 m

Featured in tours

Spaghetti Tour4-7 daysPD+

Nearby huts

Neue Monte Rosa HütteSAC · late February to October2,795 m Rifugio Capanna GnifettiCAI · late June to mid-September3,647 m Rifugio Città di MantovaCAI · late June to mid-September3,498 m Rifugio Giovanni GnifettiCAI · mid-March to late September3,647 m

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