Brunegghorn
3,831 m
Switzerland
Also known as Брунегхорн, ბრუნეგჰორნიAlso known as
Брунегхорн · ბრუნეგჰორნი
- Elevation
- 3,831 m
- Prominence
- 304 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Gässi → Brunegghorn: straight line 4142 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Gässi → Brunegghorn: straight line 4142 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Gässi → Brunegghorn: sustained 60° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 4142 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 30% straight-line fallback
- 62% approximate geometry
- ascent 2766 m vs net gain 1924 m (+44%)
- DIN time up 12.64 h vs published 6.5 h (+94%)
Sources differ: PD- (Camptocamp (west face normal route), hikr (WS-)) · T2 (SAC route portal, hut approach from Gruben/Meiden)
A two-day snow and glacier climb from the head of the Turtmanntal: hut walk to the Turtmannhütte (2,519 m), then up the Gässi gully, a long moraine and the gently angled Brunegg Glacier to the col at P. 3671 and a short rock-and-snow SW ridge to the summit cross. About 1,400 m from the hut; a common acclimatisation peak.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 13.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,766 m
- −842 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,831 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 12h 38m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 10h 04m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Sänntum (about 1,900 m) at the end of the Turtmanntal road, follow the track to the Turtmann reservoir, cross the dam and climb the zigzag path to the Turtmannhütte (2,519 m), about 2 hours. A longer variant via the Holustei chapel leaves from the same car park. From the hut a path heads south to the Gässi, a short rocky gully (about I; in spring 100 m of snow at up to 40°) that leads onto the moraine crest. Follow the well-cairned path towards the Barrhorn to about 2,900–3,050 m, where a large cairn marks the turn-off right onto the Brunegg Glacier. The glacier is long and fairly flat between 3,200 and 3,400 m; keep near its north-east side below the Schöllihorn, then pass between the crevasse zones below the Bruneggjoch and cross the bergschrund towards the col between the Bishorn and the Brunegghorn's SW ridge (P. 3671). The final 150 m follow steeper west and south-west slopes (about 35–37°) and the SW ridge, partly on scree, to the summit cross. Watch for cornices on the Mattertal side. The SAC gives 4–5 hours from the hut. Descend the same way, or traverse the Schöllihorn: from the Bruneggjoch (3,365 m) a faint path climbs west of the rocky ridge to the Schöllihorn (3,500 m), then down to the Schöllijoch (3,343 m) and the Barrhorn path back to the hut. In fog the featureless glacier is hard to navigate; on warm days snow bridges weaken early and stones fall on the final slopes, so start before dawn.
Start
Sänntum1,906 m
- Train to Turtmann, walk 15 minutes to the Turtmann–Oberems cable car, then bus from Oberems to Gruben (on request to the road end at Sänntum); about 1 hour from the station.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sänntum → Turtmannhütte SAC | 5.2 | 622 | 12 | 2h 45m |
| 2 | Turtmannhütte SAC → Brunegghorn | 8.7 | 2,144 | 830 | 9h 53m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Sänntum1,906 m
End of the Turtmanntal road; paid parking
- Feature: Barrage de Turtmann2,167 m
Dam of the Turtmann reservoir
- Hut: Turtmannhütte SAC2,517 m
- Crux: Gässi3,232 m
Short rocky gully south of the hut, about 2,640 m
- Summit: Brunegghorn3,831 m
Key Passages
- Gässi gully above the hut
- Turn-off from the Barrhorn path onto the Brunegg Glacier
- Crevasse zones and bergschrund below the Bruneggjoch
- Col at P. 3671
- 35–37° final slope and SW ridge
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 53%Overview
A 3,831 m snow pyramid on the north ridge of the Weisshorn, between the Turtmanntal and the Mattertal. The normal route from the Turtmannhütte is a long but easy PD glacier climb with a close-up view of the Weisshorn and Bishorn.
The Brunegghorn stands at the north end of the Weisshorn group, linked to the Bishorn by the Bisjoch (3,520 m). Its east side drops about 2,000 m in rock walls towards St. Niklaus and Randa in the Mattertal; the west side carries the Brunegg Glacier, which descends gently towards the Turtmanntal. That gentle west side is where the normal route goes.
Being below 4,000 m, it is much quieter than the neighbouring Bishorn while offering similar terrain: a long, fairly flat glacier, a bergschrund and a final 35–37° slope and short ridge to a summit cross. Mountaineers use it for acclimatisation before the bigger Valais peaks, and it is a popular spring ski tour, often combined with traverses to the Cabane de Tracuit and Zinal.
Expect two days: a 2–3 hour walk up to the Turtmannhütte and a 4–5 hour climb from the hut to the summit, then back to the valley. Harder lines include the NE ridge (AD+) and the north-east face.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills (roped glacier travel, crevasse rescue) and confidence on crampons on slopes up to about 37°, plus the fitness for about 1,400 m of ascent from the hut, or more if you climb from the valley in a single long day. The hut at 2,519 m makes a gentle first night for acclimatisation.
Typical itinerary: drive or take public transport to Sänntum at the head of the Turtmanntal, walk to the Turtmannhütte, then start before dawn the next morning. Check the start of the path to the Gässi the evening before. Inexperienced parties should hire an IFMGA guide; guides offer the peak as an acclimatisation or training tour.
The flat glacier between 3,200 and 3,400 m is hard to navigate in fog, so carry a GPS track. In hot spells snow bridges weaken by early morning and stones and wet snow come off the final slopes; one recent party turned back below the col for this reason. In late season the summit ridge can be icy. The Schöllihorn (3,500 m) is an easy fallback if conditions are poor.
History
The first recorded ascent was on 13 July 1853 by the guide Hieronymus Brantschen with Franz-Xaver and Josef Tantignoni, probably by the west side and the SW ridge. The NE ridge was first climbed on 23 July 1901 by Ludwig Becker with Clemens and Fridolin Perren. The Turtmannhütte below the west side was built in 1928 and belongs to the Prévôtoise section of the Swiss Alpine Club.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- 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; avalanche-prone approach
- Feb
- Winter; ski ascents for experienced parties
- Mar
- Ski touring; hut staffed from the fourth weekend in March
- Apr
- Main ski-touring month; hut staffed until the fourth weekend in April
- May
- Spring ski ascents; hut unstaffed
- Jun
- Hut opens around the second weekend in June; snow on the Gässi and glacier
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; more open crevasses and stonefall late in hot summers
- Sep
- Hut closes around the third weekend in September; icier ridge
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow and short days
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Turtmannhütte SAC: book online via the reservation system linked from turtmannhuette.ch / cas-prevotoise.ch; phone +41 27 932 14 55; payment at the hut in cash only.
- Fees
- Paid parking at Sänntum, the only permitted parking at the road end (coins or Twint; a 2023 report gives CHF 16 for 24 h)
- Turtmannhütte overnight fee; payment at the hut in cash only
- Rules
- Turtmannhütte: reservations only through the hut's online booking system
- Silk or cotton sleeping-bag liner compulsory at the Turtmannhütte; dogs only by prior phone arrangement (one per night, kennel box)
- Getting There
Turtmann (Rhône valley); Gruben/Meiden in the Turtmanntal
Sion (SIR) for limited flights; Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH) by train
- Train to Turtmann on the Sion–Visp line, walk 15 minutes to the Turtmann–Oberems cable car, then bus Oberems–Gruben, on request to the road end at Sänntum (about 1 hour from the station; timetable information from the cable car, +41 27 932 15 50)
- By car: from Turtmann via Oberems and Gruben to the road end at Sänntum; narrow mountain road
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Cornices
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,519 m
Turtmannhütte SACHutStaffedBooking required
74 beds · Staffed from the second weekend in June to the third weekend in September and from the fourth weekend in March to the fourth weekend in April; winter room with 10–14 places