Bishorn
4,149 m
Switzerland
Also known as Бишорн, ბისჰორნი, +1Also known as
Бишорн · ბისჰორნი · Бисхорн
- Elevation
- 4,149 m
- Prominence
- 90 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1One of the easiest 4,000 m summits in the Alps: a long hut walk from Zinal to the Cabane de Tracuit (3,256 m), then about 900 m of gentle, crevassed glacier on the Turtmann glacier to the saddle between the two summits and a short steep snow slope to the top. Technically simple; the crevasses and navigation in cloud are the real issues.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 12.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,504 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,149 m
- Time Up
- 9h 58m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 39m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Zinal (about 1,675 m) a marked mountain path climbs steeply through larch forest to the alp of Le Chiesso, then by long hairpins and a diagonal line below cliff bands past the Combautanna alp huts (about 2,580 m) to scree above 3,000 m. A short rocky couloir with fixed chains leads to the Col de Tracuit; the hut stands just beyond on the Turtmann glacier side. The SAC gives 4 h 45 min and 1,580 m of ascent (T3+); a longer, easier variant goes via the Roc de la Vache. Day two: from the hut a cairned path leads south-east to the Turtmann glacier. Rope up at once: crevasses just beyond the hut run parallel to the line of ascent. Cross the glacier eastward in a wide arc to a saddle at about 3,540 m on the north-north-west ridge, then climb the long, steady north-west slope to the saddle (about 4,115 m) between the main summit and Pointe Burnaby. The final 20–30 m to the main (west) summit is a short, steep slope (up to about 35°), often icy and usually climbed on foot with crampons. The SAC and the hut give 2½–3 hours from the hut. Descent is by the same route, back to the hut and down to Zinal the same day for most parties. In cloud the broad glacier is featureless: use a GPS track and compass and do not follow old tracks blindly. Pointe Burnaby (about 4,135 m), the east summit, is a short walk along the easy snow ridge from the saddle.
Start
Zinal1,660 m
- Train to Sierre, PostBus line 451 to Vissoie, then line 453 to Zinal (about 1 h 40 min in total).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zinal → Cabane de Tracuit | 8.4 | 1,596 | 0 | 6h 22m |
| 2 | Cabane de Tracuit → Bishorn | 4.4 | 912 | 12 | 3h 37m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Zinal1,660 m
PostBus stop and car parks; path starts at the south end of the village
- Feature: Le Chiesso2,189 m
Alp above Zinal (not the Le Chiesso 2.5 km further south) (not on route line)
- Col: Col de Tracuit3,247 m
Short rocky couloir with fixed chains just below the col
- Hut: Cabane de Tracuit3,261 m
- Summit: Bishorn4,149 m
Key Passages
- Fixed chains in the rocky couloir below the Col de Tracuit
- Crevassed glacier immediately beyond the hut
- Long north-west slope to the saddle between the two summits
- Short steep (about 35°) final slope to the main summit
Equipment
0/11 packedDownloads
Route confidence 90%Overview
A 4,149 m snow peak on the north ridge of the Weisshorn above Zinal, widely regarded as one of the easiest 4,000 m summits in the Alps: a long hut walk, then a gentle but crevassed glacier climb graded F from the Cabane de Tracuit.
The Bishorn rises at the northern end of the Weisshorn's north ridge, on the watershed between the Val d'Anniviers (Zinal) to the west and the Turtmanntal to the north-east. It has two summits about 600 m apart on an easy snow ridge: the main west summit and the slightly lower east summit, Pointe Burnaby (about 4,135 m). From the top the view is dominated by the Weisshorn's north ridge rising directly to the south, with the Zinalrothorn, Dent Blanche and Matterhorn beyond.
The normal route from the Cabane de Tracuit crosses the broad upper Turtmann glacier and climbs a steady north-west slope; there is no rock climbing and only a short steep step below the top. That makes it a common first 4,000 m peak, both on foot in summer and on ski in spring. The difficulty is the length of the approach (about 1,600 m from Zinal to the hut) and the glacier itself: there are large crevasses, particularly just beyond the hut, and the slopes are easy to get lost on in cloud.
A typical ascent takes two days: Zinal to the hut, then summit and back down to Zinal. The Tracuit hut is busy in season, and booking is compulsory year-round.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills: walking roped on crevassed terrain, crampon technique on slopes up to about 35°, and crevasse rescue. Fitness matters more than technique: day one is about 1,600 m of ascent to 3,256 m, day two about 900 m to the summit and 2,500 m of descent to Zinal. One or two nights at altitude beforehand help, since the hut is at 3,256 m.
The usual itinerary is Zinal to the Cabane de Tracuit (about 4¾ hours), an early start, summit in 2½–3 hours, then back to Zinal. Inexperienced climbers should go with an IFMGA guide; guides commonly use the Bishorn as an introductory 4,000 m peak, sometimes combined with Pointe Burnaby. In spring the same line is a classic ski tour.
Book the hut online in advance (compulsory). Check the forecast for visibility as well as precipitation, and carry a GPS track: the upper Turtmann glacier is wide and featureless in cloud.
History
Pointe Burnaby, the east summit, was climbed first, on 6 May 1884, by Elizabeth Burnaby (later known as Mrs Aubrey Le Blond) with the guides Joseph Imboden and Peter Sarbach. The main summit was reached on 18 August 1884 by G. S. Barnes and R. Chessyre-Walker with Joseph Imboden and J.-M. Chanton. Locally it is nicknamed the '4000 des Dames'. The first hut on the Col de Tracuit, the Baumgartner refuge, opened in 1929 with 12 bunks; after several enlargements the Chaussy section of the Swiss Alpine Club replaced it with a new 120-place hut, inaugurated in summer 2013.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut unstaffed (winter room only)
- Feb
- Winter; ski ascents for experienced parties only
- Mar
- Hut staffed from mid-March; ski-touring season begins
- Apr
- Main ski-touring month
- May
- Hut closes in early May; spring snow on the approach
- Jun
- Hut reopens around 20 June; snow on the approach path early in the month
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; lower glacier more open and crevassed late in the summer
- Sep
- Often stable; hut closes late September
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow and short days
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Cabane de Tracuit: online only via alpsonline.org (linked from tracuit.ch); booking is compulsory year-round. Phone +41 27 475 15 00.
- Fees
- Cabane de Tracuit overnight fee (half board available); prices on the hut's tariff sheet
- Rules
- Cabane de Tracuit: overnight reservation compulsory in every period, online only
- Getting There
Zinal (Val d'Anniviers)
Geneva (GVA); Sion (SIR) for limited flights
- Train to Sierre on the Lausanne–Brig line, PostBus 451 to Vissoie, then PostBus 453 to Zinal (about 1 h 40 min)
- By car: from Sierre up the Val d'Anniviers road to Zinal; public car parks in the village
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,256 m
Cabane de TracuitHutStaffedBooking required
120 beds · Staffed 14 March – 3 May and 20 June – 27 September 2026; winter room open outside these periods