Capanna Margherita: highest building in Europe
Overview
- Starting point: Staffal (1800m)
- Arrival point: Capanna Margherita (4554m)
- Lift dropoff: Punta Indren (3200m)
- Altitude gain: 1300m
- Time: 2 days (at least for normal people like me)
- Difficulty: Difficult (especially due to the altitude)
- Technical difficiulty : Easy
If you love mountaineering, you can't miss Capanna Margherita. At 4,554m, it’s the highest mountain hut in Europe and, surprisingly, accessible to anyone with average fitness. I went with a friend, joining a guided tour organized by MonteRosaBooking. It cost us €420, and I can say—worth every cent!
You can start your ascent from Staffal (Gressoney) or Alagna. Either way, you take the lifts (included in our tour in our case) up to Passo dei Salati (3,000m). There we met our guide, Fabio. He immediately made us feel at ease, provided the necessary gear (crampons and harnesses), and then... it started raining. Not the best start...
From there, we took one last lift to Punta Indren (3,200m)—and then crampons on and off we went! At this point, we were walking right inside the clouds, barely able to see anything around us. Even if it was June there was deep snow everywhere and you feel in another season.
Day 1: A Walk Into the Clouds
The first day's walk is easy—just 1.5 to 2 hours to Capanna Gnifetti (3,650m), where you spend the night. The first section is rocky, leading up to Rifugio Mantova (3,400m), about halfway. Luckily, by then, the clouds had cleared a bit, revealing stunning 4000m peaks all around.
The final stretch before reaching the hut you finally step onto the glacier. I started feeling the altitude—but otherwise, it wasn’t too difficult. The hut sits on a rock that sticks out of the glacier. There are two routes to reach the hut:
- A short via ferrata from the front
- A staircase from the back
Night at Capanna Gnifetti: A Battle with Altitude
Inside the hut, we celebrated with a massive cheesecake and a beer. Proper dinner was served at 6:00 PM, and was suprisingly good for a hut at 3600m! Then we crawled into the bunk beds at around 8:00 PM—because wake-up was at 3:30 AM.
But sleeping at 3,600m? Good luck.
Most people struggle with altitude symptoms—your heart races, and you feel restless. I probably slept for just an hour the whole night. Judging by the constant tossing, turning, and midnight bathroom runs, I wasn’t the only one.
Day 2: Into the Thin Air
At 3:30 AM, our alarms went off. Honestly, it was a relief to get up after that awful night. We geared up in onion layers of clothing while elbowing 50 other climbers doing the same.
At 4:00 AM, we had a quick breakfast, and by 5:00 AM, we stepped outside and roped up with the others. Our team consisted of 9 climbers and two guides, split into two smaller groups. I was right behind Fabio, our guide—I confess, probably because he noticed I was struggling with the altitude.
The sky was clear, and as we stepped onto the glacier, the first hints of dawn painted the horizon.
A Strange Feeling at Altitude
The climb itself wasn’t technically difficult—the glacier is neither steep nor full of crevasses. Since we started early, the snow was hard and easy to walk on. (That’s exactly why they make you wake up so early!)
But every step felt exhausting... It was the altitude. At some point, the guide told me:
"Take it easy, you’re walking too heavy and breaking the snow crust."
By breaking the crust I was making it even more difficult. It’s a strange experience: you feel fine at rest, but as soon as you exert yourself, it’s like...
"Wait, what’s happening? Why is walking so hard?"
I joked with my friend:
"This must be what getting old feels like."
Into the Whiteout
After a bit more then one hour, we reached Col del Lys (4,000m) and took a short break sipping some tea. Twenty minutes later, the weather turned.
The sky went from clear to a total whiteout—fast. Suddenly, we were inside a cloud, with zero visibility. (No photos of this part—because, well, there was nothing to see.)
To reach the Capanna one has to cross the valley (which is actuall Swiss territory) and climb back up the hill from the other side.
I put here a picture from our way down, when it was clear again. From the Col (when there are no clouds) you can already see the tiny Capanna on the summit.
The Final Push: 70 Meters of Suffering
At this point, I was really struggling and started to suffer. Every step felt like a marathon.
Thankfully, Fabio kept a steady pace—I focused only on his boots, blocking out everything else. Follow the steps. Follow the steps. I was breathing very heavy. Then, suddenly, he turned and said:
"Only 70 meters more."
I looked up. The Capanna was clearly visibile in the fading clouds.
"70 meters? That seems far!"
At sea level, it’s a 10-minute walk. But at 4,500m? It felt like an eternity.
Capanna Margherita: A Hut in the Sky
Surprisingly, Capanna Margherita is not so tiny at is seems from below. It is a quite large and modern structure with 70 beds, perched right on the edge of a cliff. Inside it is wierd because it is the 20th century back again. You get wifi and pizza?! I would have loved to eat something—but my stomach was wrecked from the altitude. I settled for a tea and a snack bar instead.
One fun part was "water inflation" as a bottle was 3 euro at Passo dei Salati (3000m), 4 euro at Gnifetti (3600m) and 6 euros at Capanna (4550m). I don't what to know what it is at 8000m!
The Descent: A Battle Against the Sun
After an hour of rest at Capanna, we began our descent. The weather had cleared, and we could finally see the the majestic serracs we had passed by before in the whiteout. And the Dufurspitze 4634m the highest summit of the Monte Rosa.
The descent at first was easy—a relief after the strenuous climb, with good weather and a view.
But by midday, at around 4,000m, things got tough again.
- The sun was brutal—reflecting on the snow it hits you from all directions, and we started to be sunburnt.
- The snow crust had melted, and every step sank us knee-deep into slush.
- The lack of sleep finally hit me hard.
The last hour was a grind, but eventually, we made it back to Rifugio Mantova, where we had a snack. When we came out it was hailing! The weather can really change fast in the mountains. After 1 more hour we were back at the starting point, Punta Indren.
At 3:00 PM, we arrived back in the valley—green trees, warm air, and summer again.
It felt surreal. Just that morning, we were in an icy, high-altitude world. But now? It was just another summer day.
But hey—we did it!
Final Thoughts
Capanna Margherita is an amazing experience—not just for expert climbers but for anyone willing to push themselves. The altitude is tough, but the views, the adventure, and the feeling of accomplishment?
Totally worth it.
Would I do it again?
...Ask me after I catch up on some sleep.
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