Pizzo Cassinello (Ticino/Grisons - Switzerland)

In a wild valley between Ticino and Grisons, across a historic pass and just a step from heaven.The pass unites, the mountain separates.

How true a phrase, as this mountain separates two civilisations, but, in spite of this, people have always wanted to cross this barrier: the Scaradra Valley and the Soreda Pass are indeed rich in history.

They were travelled as far back as the early Middle Ages by the alpine inhabitants of the Blenio Valley on their way to Grisons with their cows. In search of new pastures for their livestock, the farmers climbed the steep, rugged slope up to the Soreda Pass and faced a long descent to the Alpe di Soreda, today's Lampertschalp.

Hikers, on the other hand, can discover the Soreda Pass thanks to what has now become an official mountain trail, and they can reach the summit with the aid of chains positioned there and using the rock for support.

The hike starts from Lareccio, location of a larch tree that is more than 500 years old, and ascends along the Scaradra Valley (so called because of the river that flows through it) to Alpe Scaradra above.

A short detour leads to the mountain hut of Scaradra located at an altitude of 2173 m a.s.l., or continue along the trail which gradually leaves the green meadows, to climb a gully made up of rocky debris, specially equipped with chains and wooden steps to reach the historic pass.

From the pass, either descend back down the Grisons side to the Lampertschalp hut, or continue to the right onto the white-blue trail in the direction of Pizzo Cassinello.

The route becomes a little more challenging encountering large rocky slabs, which nevertheless make the ascent to the summit at 3102 m a.s.l. much easier.

The panorama of some of the highest peaks in Ticino is splendid:  there’s the Adula massif, but also the wild peaks that surround the Scaradra Valley such as Torrone di Nav (2832 m), Pizzo Sorda (2884 m), Pizzo Cassimoi (3128 m), Cima di Aquila (3127 m) and Pizzo Cassinello (3102 m).