Signalkuppe

Signalkuppe
Punta Gnifetti

The Signalkuppe lying behind the Zumsteinspitze. The Margherita hut is just visible on the summit.
Highest point
Elevation 4,554 m (14,941 ft)
Prominence 102 m ↓ Colle Gnifetti
Isolation 0.7 km →  Zumsteinspitze
Parent peak Dufourspitze of Monte Rosa
Coordinates 45°55′38″N 7°52′37″E / 45.92722°N 7.87694°E / 45.92722; 7.87694Coordinates: 45°55′38″N 7°52′37″E / 45.92722°N 7.87694°E / 45.92722; 7.87694
Geography
Signalkuppe

Alps

Location Piedmont, Italy /
Valais, Switzerland
Parent range Pennine Alps
Climbing
First ascent 9 August 1842 by Giovanni Gnifetti and party
Easiest route Glacier tour via west flank, south-west ridge (F)

The Signalkuppe (in German, pronounced seen-yall-koo-pay) also known as Punta Gnifetti (in Italian) (4,554 m) is a peak in the Pennine Alps on the border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a subpeak of Monte Rosa. The mountain is named after 'the Signal', a prominent gendarme atop the east ridge, named Cresta Signal.

The first ascent was made by Giovanni Gnifetti, a parish priest from Alagna Valsesia, together with J. Farinetti, C. Ferraris, C. Grober, J. and G. Giordiano and their porters on 9 August 1842.

The highest hut in Europe, the Margherita Hut (named after Italy's Queen consort Margherita of Savoy) lies on the summit of the mountain. Work started in 1890, supported by the Italian crown, and Queen Margherita opened it in 1893. The new hut, a high-altitude Faraday Cage, is clad in sheet copper to shield against unwanted electrical fields.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Signalkuppe.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.