Fluchthorn
3,397 m
Switzerland, Austria
Also known as Mittleres Fluchthorn, Piz FengaAlso known as
Mittleres Fluchthorn · Piz Fenga
- Elevation
- 3,397 m
- Prominence
- 643 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- —
- Routes
- 1
Not currently accessible
The mountain and its approaches have been closed by the Tyrolean authorities since the rockfall of 11 June 2023.
NoticeReported 11 Jun 2023
Closed long-term after the 11 June 2023 rockfall (about 1 million m³ broke off the south summit). The Fluchthorn and the Zahnjoch approach are closed by the Tyrol authorities; no reopening announced as of October 2026.
tirol.gv.at
Routes
1Sources differ: II–III (DAV Sektion Schwaben (Jamtalhütte tour list); German Wikipedia) · WS+, rock to III- (hikr.org)
The pre-2023 normal route: from the Jamtalhütte up the Futschöl valley to the Finanzerstein, a moraine to the foot of the south flank, then the Weilenmannrinne (snow gully) to the south col and mixed ground with short steps of III- to the south summit. Closed by the authorities since the rockfall of 11 June 2023, which removed the old south summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 15.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,825 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,397 m
- Time Up
- 8h 01m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Status first: on 11 June 2023 about one million cubic metres of rock broke away from the north-west flank of the south summit, taking the summit cross with it. The marked paths in the danger zone were closed; the valley path past the Breites Wasser was rerouted in August 2023, but the unmarked approach towards the Zahnjoch and the Fluchthorn itself remain closed for the long term, and further rockfall from the south summit was reported during summer 2023. The description below is of the route as it was climbed before 2023, for reference only; it is not currently a legitimate or safe objective. From Galtür (bus) or the Menta-Alm car park, a track and path lead up the Jamtal to the Jamtalhütte (2,165 m; about 3 hours from Galtür). On summit day the path follows the Futschölbach past the Breites Wasser to the Finanzerstein boulder shelter (about 2,476 m), where the unsignposted path towards the Zahnjoch branches left and climbs steeply to P. 2,763. Traces then follow a moraine to about 2,900 m below the south flank, where two gullies lead up to a notch. The climb takes the left-hand gully, the Weilenmannrinne (named after the first ascensionist), and when it is melted out the rib on its eastern side, to the south col (about 3,150 m). From the col, depending on conditions, rock, mixed ground or snow gullies lead in several variants to the south summit; the hardest move, just above the col, is III-. Pre-2023 guidance was to go in early summer while the gully still held snow, start very early so the snow stays frozen for the descent, and avoid the melted-out gully, which is heavily exposed to stonefall. Descent was by the same line. The south summit used to be the highest point (3,398–3,399 m). Since the collapse it stands at about 3,380 m and the highest point of the massif is now the middle summit (3,397 m), about 280 m to the north along an exposed, pinnacled ridge. In the traverse reports read, that ridge involved a bolted crack at the crux and an abseil off the middle summit; no published grade for this section was found.
Start
Galtür1,577 m
- Train to Landeck-Zams, then bus up the Paznaun to Galtür; walk up the Jamtal to the Jamtalhütte.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galtür → Jamtalhütte | 10.0 | 579 | 0 | 3h 28m |
| 2 | Jamtalhütte → Fluchthorn | 5.4 | 1,242 | 5 | 4h 50m |
Waypoints
- Station: Galtür1,577 m
Bus from Landeck
- Parking: Menta-Alm1,666 m
Car park for the Jamtalhütte; the road on to the Scheibenalpe has restricted access
- Waypoint: Scheibenalpe1,836 m
- Hut: Jamtalhütte2,164 m
- Feature: Breites Wasser2,345 m
Flat valley floor dammed into a lake by the 2023 debris flow; the old path here is permanently closed and a rerouted path passes the new lake
- Feature: Finanzerstein2,479 m
Boulder with a small shelter; the unsignposted path towards the Zahnjoch branched left here (closed since June 2023)
- Shoulder: Südliches Fluchthorn3,276 m
Old main summit (3,399 m) until the collapse of 11 June 2023; now about 3,380 m
- Summit: Fluchthorn3,397 m
Middle summit, now the highest point; reached from the south summit by an exposed ridge with an abseil (grade not published)
Key Passages
- Steep unsignposted path from the Finanzerstein to P. 2763 (closed since June 2023)
- Weilenmannrinne (40–45° snow, stonefall when melted out)
- Step of III- just above the south col
- Exposed ridge with abseil between the south and middle summits
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%No GPX or KML while the mountain is not accessible.
Overview
A massive four-topped rock peak on the Austrian–Swiss border above Galtür, second only to Piz Linard in the Silvretta. On 11 June 2023 about a million cubic metres of rock broke off the old south summit; the mountain and its normal route from the Jamtalhütte have been closed since.
The Fluchthorn (Romansh Piz Fenga) is a broad, steep-sided massif in the eastern Silvretta, on the border between Galtür in Tyrol and an exclave of Valsot in Graubünden, between the Jamtal to the west and the Fimbatal (Val Fenga) to the east. Austrian maps name three summits, the Nördliches (3,309 m), Mittleres (3,397 m) and Südliches Fluchthorn; a fourth, unnamed top of about 3,340 m lies just south of the north summit. Its bulk makes it the most conspicuous mountain of the eastern Silvretta, and the summit view reaches from the Ötztal and Stubai Alps to the Ortler, Bernina and, on clear days, the Bernese and Valais Alps.
Until 2023 the south summit (3,398 m Swiss, 3,399 m Austrian survey) was the highest point and the goal of the normal route through the Weilenmannrinne, a gully on the south flank first climbed in 1861. On the afternoon of 11 June 2023, roughly one million cubic metres of rock and the summit cross broke away from the north-west flank of the south summit. The debris crossed the Fluchthornferner and a group of small lakes, and the muddy surge ran down the Futschöl valley to just above the Jamtalhütte, damming the Breites Wasser into a new lake; no casualties were reported. Tyrolean state survey measurements put the new south summit about 19 m lower (3,380 m) and 30 m further north-east, and further rock fell in the following weeks. The state geologist attributed the collapse to thawing permafrost; a geographer has suggested that the retreat of the glacier which buttressed the foot of the face also played a part.
The highest point is now the middle summit (3,396 m Swiss, 3,397 m Austrian survey), just on the Swiss side. It has never been a simple objective: it lies on an exposed, pinnacled ridge between the north and south summits. Until the authorities lift the closure, the Fluchthorn is best enjoyed from neighbouring summits such as the Augstenberg or from the huts on either side.
Climbing Notes
Do not plan an ascent without first checking with the Jamtalhütte, the Heidelberger Hütte or the municipality of Galtür. Since 11 June 2023 the Fluchthorn, the unmarked approaches to the Zahnjoch and the Zahnjoch crossing have been closed for the long term because more rock could still fall, and no reopening has been announced in the sources reviewed. Before the collapse, the normal route was a long mixed day from the Jamtalhütte: about 1,250 m of ascent and 4–4½ hours to the south summit, with a 40–45° snow gully and short rock steps of II–III-, best in early summer while the gully still held snow and with a pre-dawn start. Even then it suited experienced alpinists with rope skills. The middle summit, now the highest point, needed a further exposed ridge with an abseil. The marked hut-to-hut path from the Jamtalhütte over the Kronenjoch to the Heidelberger Hütte stays open on a rerouted line past the Breites Wasser and gives a good view of the scar.
History
The first ascent was made by Johann Jakob Weilenmann of St. Gallen with the Paznaun hunter Franz Anton Pöll; most sources give 12 July 1861 (others give 19 August 1861 or 1862). Approaching from the Laraintal in the north, Weilenmann mistook the neighbouring Krone for the Fluchthorn and only realised his error at the Zahnjoch. The detour led the pair into the south-flank gully now called the Weilenmannrinne, and they reached the top at about 10:00. In the 19th century the middle summit was thought to be the highest and was also called the Rennerspitze. The Heidelberg section of the German Alpine Club placed a summit cross on the south summit in 1989. That cross was lost in the 2023 collapse.
Season
Best —- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Not advisable
- July: Not advisable
- August: Not advisable
- September: Not advisable
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Mountain closed since the June 2023 rockfall
- Feb
- Mountain closed; Jamtalhütte open for ski touring from late January
- Mar
- Mountain closed
- Apr
- Mountain closed
- May
- Mountain closed; huts shut between seasons
- Jun
- Mountain closed; before 2023 early summer (snow in the gully) was the preferred time
- Jul
- Mountain closed; Jamtalhütte open
- Aug
- Mountain closed; Jamtalhütte open
- Sep
- Mountain closed; Jamtalhütte closes late September
- Oct
- Mountain closed
- Nov
- Mountain closed
- Dec
- Mountain closed
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Jamtalhütte (DAV Sektion Schwaben): book online via alpsonline or contact the hut (+43 5443 8408, info@jamtalhuette.at); advance booking requested.
- Fees
- Overnight fee at the Jamtalhütte (reduced rates for Alpine Club members)
- Rules
- Since the rockfall of 11 June 2023 the Fluchthorn, the unmarked approaches to the Zahnjoch and the Zahnjoch crossing between the Jamtalhütte and the Heidelberger Hütte have been closed for the long term by the Tyrolean authorities and the municipality of Galtür, because more rock may fall. The old valley path at the Breites Wasser is permanently closed; use the rerouted path.
- Getting There
Galtür (Ischgl is the larger resort down the Paznaun valley)
Innsbruck (INN); Zurich (ZRH) is the larger alternative
- Train to Landeck-Zams, then bus up the Paznaun valley to Galtür
- By car via Landeck and the Paznaun to Galtür, or over the Silvretta High Alpine Road (toll) from the Montafon; parking at the Menta-Alm, with restricted access on to the Scheibenalpe
- Galtür to the Jamtalhütte on foot takes 3–3½ hours; from the Bielerhöhe about 4½ hours
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,165 m
JamtalhütteHutStaffedBooking required
180 beds · 2026: winter 30 January–26 April, summer 19 June–26 September; winter room with 12 places when closed