How to prepare for the Lyskamm Traverse?
It's a question we get asked often, because the Lyskamm crossing is a highly sought-after goal reserved for the few who haven't just dreamed about it, who haven't just found the courage to do it, but those who have sweated and trained to experience it.
In this article we tell a possible path, concrete, progressive and human, to get, one day, to live it.
With head, technique and heart.
In the mountains, wherever you may be, something simple but profound happens.
It happens when the noise of the world calms down, leaves room for the sound of footsteps, breathing and a thought that becomes clear.
When your path becomes a silent reflection among the peaks.
This is where mountaineering really begins.
But why do it?
Why face crests, cold, differences in altitude and waking up at dawn?
Because “normal” mountaineering is a way to rediscover the meaning of doing, in a gesture that finds its greatest strength in its uselessness.
Even the crossing of the Lyskamm, as mythical as it is, at a certain point simply becomes part of the journey. Not an exception, but an evolution.
Prepare for the Lyskamm Traverse It's not just a technical issue: it's a path that is built.
Every summit reached, every bivouac, every little mistake that teaches you something become part of a personal narrative made of trust,hard work and beauty.
Let's start with the basics. There's no need to rush, but there's build a solid foundation.
Because everything (balance, rhythm, listening skills) starts from here:
Short, accessible, but already above 4000: a high-altitude baptism that leaves its mark.
Should you do it? Yes, because it changes the way you look at the mountain.
A real glacier, 1000 meters of positive altitude difference, an excellent high-altitude gym.
Here you really get into the rhythm of mountaineering.
It takes time to learn. And someone to accompany you. Mountaineering courses are a key step. A ritual, if you will.
• To move on snow, rock and mixed terrain with awareness.
• To understand what it means to be tied to someone in the technical and symbolic sense.
• To discover that every gesture counts, every decision has a weight.
When your body responds better and your head gets used to the gaps and distances, you can push yourself further:
1. Castor (4,228 m)
An elegant mountain, with an airy crest that teaches you how to tread safely.
2. Polluce (4,091 m)
Rock and snow, hands and feet. A complete climb, perfect for training technique and decision.
3. Lyskamm Nose (4,272 m)
The first real taste of exposure. A way to see if that crest is really calling you.
These are climbs that speak of you.
How do you react to fatigue?
What do you do when the wind comes?
How do you decide above 4000?
Three spectacular itineraries, three different ways of walking on the wire.
The Cresta del Naso from Bivacco Mamo, the Cresta Sella and the Cresta Rey on the Dufour are much more than training: they are high-altitude experiences that put you to the test and prepare you to dream big.
Grade: AD+
Difference in height:
Day 1:1,800 m to the Mamo Comotti bivouac (6-7 hours)
Day 2:600 m to the Nose (3-4 hours), or 6 hours to the Eastern Lyskamm
Descent: 3-4 ore
Maximum quota: 4.272 m
One of the most intriguing and wild ridges of Monte Rosa.
Long, panoramic and solitary, it takes you to an authentic and silent environment, far from the beaten track.
The Mamo Comotti bivouac is a high-altitude jewel, perfect for experiencing a night out of time.
The route alternates easy climbing sections with snow passages: it is ideal for those who want to explore the mountain in depth, without compromise.
Want to prepare for the Naso Ridge?
It starts from Soldier's Crest.
Grade: AD+
Difference in height:
Day 1:220 m to Rifugio Mantova (1 hour)
Day 2:1,050 m uphill (about 5 hours)
Descent: 2-3 ore
Maximum quota: 4.527 m
Among the most evocative itineraries of the massif.
A rocky ridge, dry and often well protected even after bad weather.
Not too technical, but exposed, and always demanding: it is a route for those who already have experience in high mountains and know how to move on mixed terrain.
It offers a great mental workout: balance, attention, progression in tandem.
Do you want to try it?Train on Soldier's Ridge, or look at the Lyskamm from the Margherita Hut and start imagining yourself up there.
Grade: D-
Difference in height:
Day 1:370 m to the Gnifetti refuge (1.5 hours)
Day 2:1,300 m uphill (5-6 hours), 4-5 hours downhill
Maximum quota: 4.634 m
A challenging classic, which takes you to the top of the highest mountain of Monte Rosa.
The route develops along the marked south-west spur (SSW), between 4,200 and 4,600 m, with sections on well-gripped rock and mixed sections, depending on the conditions.
The passages of the third and fourth degrees alternate with exposed and never banal sections.
A route that requires good form, concentration and mental strength.
Dedicated to Guido Rey, mountaineer, writer and photographer, this ridge is a true immersion in classic high-altitude mountaineering.
A strong experience, for those who feel they are ready to level up.
Now you know the answer to the question “How to prepare for the Lyskamm Traverse”.
A white line suspended between two peaks.
A thread stretched between sky and ice.
That experience is one of those things you dream about, then prepare for, then, perhaps, do.
Preparare for the Lyskamm Traverse asks for everything: head, technique, form and ideal conditions.
In return, it offers one of the most fascinating routes in the Alps.
It's not for everyone, but it's not for just a few either.
It is for those who have chosen to sacrifice themselves, sweat and train, accompanied by the right UIAGM Alpine Guide.
So if you prepare well like those who climb with us do, it's definitely for you.
Sample program:
Day 1 – Ascent to Quintino Sella Refuge (3,585 m)
You meet with the guide, check your equipment, look at the ridge. That's where it all begins.
Day 2 – The crossing
Departure at dawn: Western Lyskamm (4,481 m), then the ridge, then Eastern Lyskamm (4,527 m) and descent towards the Colle del Lys. A full day, to be lived to the full.
When you cross the Lyskamm, you are not just walking on a ridge: you are walkingwithinan idea, within the story and within yourself.
You have to be ready, you have to know how to listen to the mountain and trust your preparation.
Every step becomes a choice, every bond a relationship, every glance an unrepeatable moment.
It is not a mere enterprise to collect, but an experience to feel on your own skin, an experience to live inside your belly and that will leave a mark on you.
And even if you decide not to do it right away, the crossing will remain inside you. Like a call. Like something waiting for the right moment.
In the meantime, you can start listening to yourself. Building yourself. Climbing up.
We are here. To accompany you in every step of this vertical journey.
👉 Need to know where to start? Write to us: We help you plan your first 4000 or prepare for the Lyskamm Traverse
👉 Do you want to have a first experience of conscious mountaineering? Discover our guided proposals and scheduled courses.
