Balmhorn
3,698 m
Switzerland
Also known as Балмхорн, ბალმჰორნიAlso known as
Балмхорн · ბალმჰორნი
- Elevation
- 3,698 m
- Prominence
- 1,013 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
NoticeReported 5 Oct 2026
Berghotel Schwarenbach and its restaurant are closed for renovation from Monday 5 October 2026 until the start of the winter season at the end of December 2026 (exact reopening date not given).
schwarenbach.ch
Routes
1Sources differ: PD (Camptocamp; SAC Alpes bernoises (2002)) · AD (SAC route portal: about AD without snow and with blue ice on the upper ridge) · WS+ (SAC Wildhorn/Wildstrubel/Blüemlisalp guide (2011) and Berner Alpen Auswahlführer (2013))
The normal route in summer and winter: from Berghotel Schwarenbach on the Gemmi path up the shrinking Schwarzgletscher, a steep rockfall-prone slope to the Zackenpass, then an easy rocky ridge and an exposed snow arête to the fore-summit, with a crevassed saddle before the main summit. A long PD+ day of about 1,650 m.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 11.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,842 m
- −81 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,698 m
- Time Up
- 7h 41m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 20m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Sunnbüel cable car above Kandersteg, walk over the Spittelmatte plateau to Berghotel Schwarenbach (2,060 m, about 1 hour 15 minutes); most parties sleep here and order an early breakfast. From the hotel follow the broad Gemmi path back towards Spittelmatte to point 2057, then a marked trail east and south-east to the western lateral moraine of the Schwarzgletscher at about 2,150 m. Camptocamp describes bivouac sites with old stone walls on the large flat at about 2,450 m. Go onto the rubble-covered glacier and climb to the right of a rock spur, then trend left (east) up the last steep slope (up to about 40°), reaching the ridge just north-east of the Zackenpass (3,036 m). Stay on the eastern side of this slope where possible because of stonefall, which is worst in warm weather or when it is snow-free; without snow it becomes scree-covered slabs. The mostly rocky ridge above is easy, with a well-trodden path late in the season; near its top a steep step is avoided by dropping briefly to the north. From about 3,300 m a broad, exposed snow arête with slopes falling away on both sides leads to the fore-summit (3,667 m). Descend slightly into a saddle with large hidden crevasses and climb the final 50 m slope (40–45°, sometimes with a bergschrund) to the summit. SAC gives 5 hours from Schwarenbach. Descend the same way (about 4 hours to Sunnbüel). The SAC strongly recommends a traverse to the Altels and descent of its north-west flank as a variant for competent parties. When the upper ridge is bare blue ice the route becomes about AD.
Start
Sunnbüel1,934 m
- Kandersteg – Sunnbüel cable car (2026: 30 May – 1 November); alternatively Leukerbad – Gemmi
- Train to Kandersteg, walk 15 minutes to the Sunnbüel cable car; from the Valais side, the Leukerbad–Gemmi cable car and a walk past the Daubensee to Schwarenbach.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunnbüel → Berghotel Schwarenbach | 4.1 | 190 | 65 | 1h 24m |
| 2 | Berghotel Schwarenbach → Balmhorn | 7.0 | 1,652 | 21 | 6h 25m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Sunnbüel1,934 m
- Hut: Berghotel Schwarenbach2,064 m
- Summit: Balmhorn3,698 m
Key Passages
- Steep, stonefall-prone slope to the Zackenpass
- Easy rocky Zackengrat
- Exposed snow arête to the fore-summit
- Crevassed saddle and final 40–45° summit slope
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The Balmhorn (3,698 m) is the highest summit between the Gemmi and the Lötschenpass, a broad, glaciated peak above Kandersteg and Leukerbad. Its normal route up the Schwarzgletscher and the Zackengrat is a long but technically modest PD+ glacier climb from Berghotel Schwarenbach.
The Balmhorn rises on the Bern–Valais border at the western end of the Gletscherhorn–Blüemlisalp–Balmhorn group, joined to its twin the Altels by a high snow ridge. To the north its icy face drops to the Gasterntal; to the south it overlooks Leukerbad and the Rhône valley. With over 1,000 m of prominence it is a superb viewpoint, and the SAC describes it as frequently visited.
The normal route starts at Berghotel Schwarenbach on the old Gemmi mule track, reached in a little over an hour from the Sunnbüel cable car. It climbs the debris-covered Schwarzgletscher, a steep, stonefall-prone slope to the Zackenpass and the easy rocky Zackengrat, then an exposed snow arête to the fore-summit and across a crevassed saddle to the top. It is graded PD+, rising to about AD when the ridge is bare ice. Harder routes include the Wildelsigegrat (AD) and the Gitzigrat (AD+) from the Gasterntal and Lötschenpass side.
In spring the Balmhorn is a sought-after ski tour, with a steep west face descent back to the Schwarzgletscher.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills, confident cramponing on exposed slopes up to 40–45° and the stamina for about 1,650 m of ascent in a day. A night at Berghotel Schwarenbach is the usual plan (5 hours to the summit, about 4 hours back to the cable car). Go early: the slope below the Zackenpass sees stonefall once the sun warms it, and the snow on the arête softens. Rope up between the fore-summit and the main summit, where large crevasses are often hidden. Late in dry summers the approach slope melts out to scree-covered slabs and the upper ridge can be bare ice. Competent parties can continue to the Altels and descend its north-west flank. A guide is a good idea for first-time glacier climbers.
History
Frank, Horace and Lucy Walker with the guides Melchior and Jakob Anderegg made the first ascent on 21 July 1864. Lucy Walker was one of the earliest women mountaineers in the Alps.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Ski tour possible in stable conditions
- Mar
- Ski touring season
- Apr
- Good spring ski-touring conditions
- May
- Late spring ski tours; Sunnbüel lift opens end of May
- Jun
- Good snow on the approach slope; Schwarenbach open
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Stonefall below the Zackenpass and icy arête in dry summers
- Sep
- Stable weather; upper ridge may be icy
- Oct
- Schwarenbach closes early October; short days
- Nov
- Lifts closed after early November
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Berghotel Schwarenbach: schwarenbach.ch/buchung, +41 33 675 12 72, info@schwarenbach.ch.
- Fees
- Kandersteg – Sunnbüel cable car (or Leukerbad – Gemmi cable car)
- Rules
- Winter: the ski route passes near wildlife quiet zones; follow the authorised routes on respektiere-deine-grenzen.ch
- Getting There
Kandersteg (Leukerbad on the Valais side)
Bern (BRN); Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) by train
- Train to Kandersteg (Lötschberg line), walk about 15 minutes to the Sunnbüel cable car, then about 1 h 15 min to Schwarenbach
- From Valais: bus to Leukerbad, Gemmi cable car, then the path past the Daubensee to Schwarenbach
- By car: parking at the Sunnbüel valley station in Kandersteg
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,060 m
Berghotel SchwarenbachHotelStaffed
120 beds · Summer 2026: 30 May – 5 October; winter season from late December
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