Mountain hut Cristallina

The Cristallina hut is located at 2572 m on the Passo di Cristallina between Val Bedretto and Val Bavona in Ticino and belongs to the Ticino section of the Swiss Alpine Club. The modern hut stands in an open granite basin just above the pass and is a central base for crossings, summit tours on the Pizzo Cristallina and its neighbors as well as for ski and snowshoe tours. In summer it is manned from June to mid-October, in winter it is open intermittently depending on conditions; outside of these periods, a simple winter operation offers protection on reservation. Half-board with breakfast and a warm evening meal are on offer, as well as drinks and simple dishes, which are particularly popular with long-distance hikers and groups. The classic approach starts in Ossasco in Val Bedretto and leads to the hut in around three and a half hours and a good 1200 meters in altitude; other approaches start at Robiei, at the reservoirs of Lago Naret, at Passo San Giacomo or at the Airolo-Pesciüm mountain station. The first hut was built lower down the slope at the end of the 1930s, was destroyed by avalanches in 1999 and rebuilt at its current location in 2002/2003. Current conditions, closures and the weather and avalanche situation should be carefully checked before every tour.