Piz Platta 3392m

In Memory of Cyrill Rüegger

A note from the SP staff
Cyrill Rüegger, the member we all used to know as Cyrill and Digitalis, died on June 13th 2009 in an avalanche on the summit ridge of Piz Palü together with his wife Tanja and a common friend. They were swept down by the avalanche into a couloir underneath the east summit and died instantly. Their bodies were retrieved from the Palü Glacier by helicopter a day after the accident.

Cyrill joined SP in March 2006 and soon was one of the most prolific contributors on the site with almost 70 mountain and 5 range pages to his profile. He was an accomplished climber, bagging almost 1000 summits in not quite seven years. Among them are 35 4000ers and 272 3000ers, almost all of them in his home country Switzerland.

While contributing a lot on SP, Cyrill's real internet home was www.hikr.org where he contributed 585 mountain profiles and reports in his native language German. Cyrill also posted on www.bergsteigen.at and other climbing sites, often under his real name but also under the pseudonym Digitalis. He was a botanist by profession and also contributed his knowledge about medical plants to different websites. Cyrill will be greatly missed by all.

This page will be kept in honour of Cyrill, one of SP's most prolific members and most active mountaineers.

Rest in peace, brother!

The picture above was taken on the summit of Matterhorn on July 28th 2007.

Overview

The Piz Platta 3392m is a mountain in the eastern part of Switzerland, in the canton Grisons (Graubünden). Piz Platta is a popular mountain in summer as well as in spring with ski. With ski is essential to have a minimal avalanche risk. To the south of the Piz Platta you find "Vadret da Piz Platta", the last glacier in the area, which has suffered heavily from global warming. The Piz Platta separate the valleys Avers and Julia. He is the "Landmark" of the Platta Group. First ascent: 7. November 1866 by Arnold Baltzer & S.Hartmann



Written and mounted by Cyrill
If you have any question, do not hesitate to contact me: cyrill74@gmx.ch

Route & Difficulty

Summer route:

From Avers valley, village Cresta: Büels 2569m - P. 3201m - P3137m - Southwest flank - Piz Platta.
Difficulty: WS (PD), or in the new scale: T6


Winter route with ski (our way):

Start in the village Mulegns 1482m - Val da Faller - Val Bercla - Platta firn - Piz Platta. A long and heavy ski tour with 2100metres in altitude.
Difficulty: S (D)
Route 426b ¦ 2100 metres in altitude!

Getting There

By public transport:

With the RHB-railway from Chur to Tiefencastel. Than with post bus to Savognin and Mulegns

Online train schedule (public transport Switzerland): SBB schedule


By car:

Avers valley: Chur - Thusis - Andeer - Innerferrera - Cresta

Julier valley: Chur - Thusis - Tiefencastel - Savognin - Mulegns

Accommodations

Avers valley:

- Hotel Bergalga >Link: Bergalga

Julia valley/Mulegns:

- Ski hut Platta in 7455 Mulegns, Tel. ++41/81/684 55 95 (starting point for Piz Platta 3392m)

Books & Map

Guidebook summer:
Bündner Alpen 3
Author Manfred Hunziker

Guidebook winter:
Skitouren Graubünden
Vital Eggenberger

Weather, climate and snow conditions in Switzerland

Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology

Weather SFDRS

Meteo News.ch

Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research Davos: www.slf.ch

Links

Link to Piz Platta 3392m: Platta rockerz

Switzerland Tourism: www.myswitzerland.com

Gisons Tourism: www.graubünden.ch

Images

View Piz Platta 3392m Image Gallery - 26 Images