Dürrenhorn
4,035 m
Switzerland
Also known as Dirruhorn, დიურენჰორნი, +2Also known as
Dirruhorn · დიურენჰორნი · Дюрренхорн · Chli Dürrenhorn
- Elevation
- 4,035 m
- Prominence
- 124 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 1 Jun 2027
The Bordierhütte closed after the 2026 summer season and plans to reopen in mid-June 2027 (month only given); the winter room remains available.
bordierhuette.com
Routes
2Sources differ: PD+ (SAC Walliser Alpen 4/5 (WS+/3b, from the Selle via the N ridge)) · AD+ (SAC Route Portal (Selle couloir variant from the Bordierhütte))
The route hut wardens and mountain rescue now recommend: from the Bordierhütte up a cairned path to the Galenjoch (3,301 m), then the long, loose NNW ridge over the Chli Dirruhorn and the Selle snow saddle to the summit, mostly UIAA II with a III+ step. No glacier on the way up; 5½–6½ hours from the hut.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 13.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,928 m
- −410 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,035 m
- Time Up
- 12h 15m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 8h 53m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Gasenried (1,659 m) above St. Niklaus follow the marked trail via the Alpja and the moraine to the Bordierhütte (2,886 m), about 3¾ hours; since 2023 the trail no longer crosses the Riedgletscher. Day two: from the hut a path marked with cairns, reflectors and pink paint traverses below rock bands, passes P. 3028 and joins the ridge towards the Gugla at about 3,330 m, just above the Galenjoch (3,301 m). Follow the NNW ridge, more or less on the crest, bypassing some sections carefully on the west flank where the rock is very brittle; it is II, in places II+, to the Chli Dirruhorn (3,890 m). Descend to the Selle snow saddle (3,859 m; an equipped abseil of about 12 m is used in descent) and climb the N ridge to the summit, staying close to the crest (II–III-), with a spike about halfway that is climbed or passed on a cracked slab (III+). SummitPost gives 3 hours from the Galenjoch and 5½–6½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way. The shorter early-season lines from the Riedgletscher, the NE couloir to the Dirrujoch and the E couloir to the Selle (both AD+), dry out early and have caused several accidents through rockfall and loose rock; the hut wardens advise against them. Many parties combine the Dürrenhorn with the Nadelgrat traverse to the Hohberghorn, Stecknadelhorn and Nadelhorn.
Start
Gasenried1,516 m
- Train to St. Niklaus on the Visp–Zermatt line, then PostBus to Gasenried.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gasenried → Bordierhütte | 8.1 | 1,451 | 85 | 6h 01m |
| 2 | Bordierhütte → Dirruhorn | 5.3 | 1,474 | 326 | 6h 14m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Gasenried1,516 m
PostBus from St. Niklaus; limited parking
- Hut: Bordierhütte2,886 m
- Col: Galenjoch3,302 m
- Shoulder: Chli Dirruhorn3,885 m
- Col: Selle3,859 m
- Summit: Dirruhorn4,035 m
Key Passages
- Cairned path from the Bordierhütte to the Galenjoch
- Long NNW ridge to the Chli Dirruhorn on brittle rock (II–II+)
- Selle snow saddle (short abseil in descent)
- Spike on the N ridge (III+)
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The Dürrenhorn (Dirruhorn, 4,035 m) is the rocky northern end of the Nadelgrat in the Mischabel group above St. Niklaus. Almost all rock and far from the crowds, it is climbed from the Bordierhütte by the long, loose N ridge via the Galenjoch (AD-), or at the end of a Nadelgrat traverse.
The Dürrenhorn, now officially called Dirruhorn, closes the Nadelgrat, the high ridge that runs north-west from the Nadelhorn over the Stecknadelhorn and Hohberghorn. North of the summit the ridge drops over the Selle snow saddle and the Chli Dirruhorn (3,890 m) to the Galenjoch; south-east it falls to the Dirrujoch below the Hohberghorn. Unlike its neighbours it is almost entirely rock, and the rock is poor. The name comes from Valais dialect 'dirr' (dry), probably transferred from the Dirrufad, a dry south-facing meadow below the Dirrugrat. The view across the Mattertal to the Weisshorn is the highlight.
The easiest lines are only PD to AD+, but every route is long and the faces and couloirs are exposed to rockfall. For years the standard approach was the short NE couloir to the Dirrujoch or the E couloir to the Selle from the Riedgletscher; both now dry out early in summer and have caused several accidents, so mountain rescue and the hut wardens recommend the Galenjoch and the N ridge (AD-, III+), which avoids the glacier on the way up.
Many 4,000er collectors find this the last summit they lack in the Mischabel, and it is often climbed as part of the Nadelgrat traverse between the Bordierhütte and the Mischabelhütte, which crosses four 4,000 m summits in a day.
Climbing Notes
You need to move efficiently together on long, exposed and loose rock ridges (II–III, one III+ step), downclimb confidently and know when to place a sling; a short rope (30–40 m) is enough. The day from the Bordierhütte is 5½–6½ hours up plus the descent, so be fit and acclimatised.
Typical itinerary: PostBus to Gasenried, about 3¾ hours to the Bordierhütte; leave early and ask the warden about the cairned path to the Galenjoch, which is hard to find in the dark; summit and back to the hut, then down to Gasenried the same or next day. To combine with the Nadelgrat, go from the Mischabelhütte over the Nadelhorn and finish down the Galenjoch, or the classic way from the Bordierhütte. Avoid the Dirrujoch and Selle couloirs unless they are fully snow-filled and frozen early in the season. Best in July and August when the ridge is dry.
History
The first ascent was made on 7 September 1879 by Albert Frederick Mummery and William Penhall with the guides Alexander Burgener and Ferdinand Imseng, by the E couloir to the Selle and the N ridge; they descended the SSW flank. The Dirrugrat (SW ridge) was first climbed on 30 July 1887 by Oscar Eckenstein with Matthias Zurbriggen, avoiding the main difficulties on the south side.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed (winter room)
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Winter conditions; occasional ski ascents by the ENE couloir
- May
- Ridge snowy; hut closed
- Jun
- Bordierhütte opens mid-June; ridge may still be snowy
- Jul
- Main season; ridge usually dry
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Hut partly staffed in September; colder, shorter days
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Bordierhütte SAC: online booking via bordierhuette.com, +41 27 956 19 09, info@bordierhuette.com.
- Fees
- Bordierhütte overnight fee (SAC hut, CAS Genevoise)
- Hannig cable car and Mischabelhütte fee for the Nadelgrat approach from Saas-Fee
- Rules
- The NE couloir to the Dirrujoch and the E couloir to the Selle are discouraged by hut wardens and mountain rescue because of rockfall
- Camping near the huts is not permitted (tolerated at a distance, per SummitPost)
- Getting There
St. Niklaus / Grächen (Mattertal)
Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH) or Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Train on the Visp–Zermatt line to St. Niklaus, then PostBus to Gasenried or Grächen
- By car: limited parking in Gasenried and Grächen
- For the Nadelgrat from the east: PostBus from Visp to Saas-Fee, Hannig cable car, path to the Mischabelhütte
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
- Glacier
- Crevasses
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,886 m
BordierhütteHutStaffedBooking required
44 beds · Mid-June to September (partly staffed in June and September); 9-place winter room
- 3,340 m