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 Platta Group is a mountain range in the eastern part of Switzerland, in the canton Grisons (Graubünden). A part of the Rhaetian Alps and of the Oberhalbstein area.

Located between the village Savognin and Julier pass. The river Julia (Geglia) flows trough this region. In this district the minority language rhaeto-romanic and german is spoken.

The area is parcel out in the rural commune: Salouf, Riom-Parsonz, Cunter, Savognin, Tinizong-Rona, Mulegns, Sur, Marmorera und Bivio.

Regions/Groups in the eastern Alps

Summits in the Platta Group

Piz Platta 3392m
Piz Forbesch 3258m
Piz Arblatsch 3203m
Piz Timun / Pizzo d'Emet 3201m
Mazzaspitz 3164m
Pizzo Stella 3162m
Piz Duan 3131m
Pizzo Gallegione 3109m
Gletscherhorn 3107m
Cima di Lago 3082m
Piz Grisch 3062m
Piz Piot 3053m
Usser Wissberg 3053m
Surettahorn /Pizzo Suretta 3039m
Piz Turba 3018m
Piz Curvèr 2975m

...and many more

Piz is rhaeto-romanic, a minority language in Switzerland, and means peak. Or in italien pizzo.

The "landmark" of the Platta Group: The Piz Platta 3392m

Accommodations

Not many huts in this region. Here some guesthouses:

- Hotel Bergalga >Link: Bergalga

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

- Youth Hostels >Link Youth Hostels Switzerland

- Hotels in Savognin >Link: Savognin.ch

Books & Map

Guidebook summer:
Bündner Alpen 6
Author Manfred Hunziker
and
Bündner Alpen 3
Author Manfred Hunziker

Guidebook winter:
Skitouren Graubünden
Vital Eggenberger

Online maps of Switzerland:

www.mapplus.ch

Map Search - Online Maps

Weather Conditions

Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology

Weather SFDRS

Meteo News.ch

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

Links

Wikipedia about Grisons

official government side of Grisons/Graubünden

Switzerland Tourism: www.myswitzerland.com

Gisons Tourism: www.graubünden.ch

Good and favorable accommodations: www.rooms.ch

>> Link to the official government map: GR.CH

Images



[ View Gallery - 105 More Images ]