Gross Fiescherhorn
4,049 m
Switzerland
Also known as Grosses Fiescherhorn, Fiescherhorn, +2Also known as
Grosses Fiescherhorn · Fiescherhorn · გროს-ფიშერჰორნი · Гросс-Фишерхорн
- Elevation
- 4,049 m
- Prominence
- 396 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 5 Oct 2026
The Mönchsjochhütte is no longer staffed from Monday 5 October 2026; only the winter room is available until the spring season.
moenchsjoch.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: AD (Camptocamp) · Mittel (medium) (Bergwelten)
The usual summer route from the Jungfraujoch: an hour to the Mönchsjochhütte (3,657 m), down the Ewigschneefäld, a traverse below the Walcherhorn to the ridge at about 3,605–3,613 m, then a long, corniced snow and ice ridge with short rock steps to the summit. About 5 hours from the hut; same way down.
About 71% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 5 check notes
- ascent 1367 m is 2.6× the net gain 535 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- 71% approximate geometry
- Mönchsjochhütte → Walcherhorn: glacier (snap_failed, 2.7 km)
- Walcherhorn → Gross Fiescherhorn: glacier (snap_failed, 3.8 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Ewigschneefäld, Fiescherhorn north-west ridge (OSM match off-route)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 9.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,367 m
- −832 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,049 m
- Time Up
- 7h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 40m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m) and follow the prepared track across the Jungfraufirn to the Mönchsjochhütte (3,657 m) in about an hour; most parties sleep here. From the hut descend east onto the Ewigschneefäld and contour at about 3,500 m below the Walcherhorn towards the Fiescherhorn, then climb snow slopes eastwards, gradually gaining the crest north of the Gross Fiescherhorn (cornices) at about 3,605–3,613 m, where the north-west ridge (the upper part of the Walchergrat) begins. Follow the ridge, switching from side to side round short, easy rock steps (II), then up a steeper section of snow or bare firn to the summit. The ridge is exposed above the Fiescherwand and Ischmeer on the north-east side and is often corniced; in dry summers the upper part can be hard ice. SummitPost gives about 5 hours from the hut. Descend the same way; the reascent to the Mönchsjochhütte and the walk back to the Jungfraujoch take another hour or so at the end of the day. Some parties traverse the summit and descend the south-east ridge to the Fieschersattel, adding the Hinter Fiescherhorn.
Start
Jungfraujoch3,513 m
- Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch
- Train to Interlaken Ost, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, then the Wengernalp and Jungfrau railways (or the Eiger Express) to the Jungfraujoch.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jungfraujoch → Mönchsjochhütte | 2.7 | 318 | 179 | 1h 45m |
| 2 | Mönchsjochhütte → Gross Fiescherhorn | 6.6 | 1,049 | 653 | 5h 37m |
Waypoints
- Station: Jungfraujoch3,513 m
- Hut: Mönchsjochhütte3,655 m
- Feature: Walcherhorn3,692 m
Passed below on the south side
- Summit: Gross Fiescherhorn4,049 m
Key Passages
- Traverse below the Walcherhorn on the Ewigschneefäld
- Corniced crest north of the summit
- Short rock steps (II) on the north-west ridge
- Steeper firn or ice section below the summit
Equipment
0/11 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The highest of the Fiescherhörner at 4,049 m, deep in the glaciated heart of the Bernese Alps between the Mönch and the Finsteraarhorn. From the Jungfraujoch and the Mönchsjochhütte it is a long glacier day finishing on a corniced snow-and-rock ridge, graded around PD+ to AD.
The Gross Fiescherhorn rises on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais, above the Ewigschneefäld, the Walliser Fiescherfirn and, on the north, the huge Fiescherwand above Grindelwald's Ischmeer. Its neighbours the Hinter Fiescherhorn (4,025 m) and Kleines Fiescherhorn (Ochs) make up the Fiescherhorn massif, almost entirely surrounded by glaciers; from the north it is hidden behind the Eiger and Mönch.
The Jungfrau railway makes it accessible: most parties go up to the Jungfraujoch, sleep at the Mönchsjochhütte (3,657 m, the highest staffed hut in Switzerland) and climb the north-west ridge, a long, often corniced snow ridge with short rock steps. The alternative is the Fieschersattel route, a 40–50° couloir to the col between the two main summits followed by a short rock ridge, the usual line from the Konkordiahütte and on ski tours, and easily combined with the Hinter Fiescherhorn.
The climbing is not hard, but the glaciers are large and crevassed, navigation in cloud is difficult, cornices overhang the north face and the starting altitude above 3,450 m gives little time to acclimatise.
Climbing Notes
Requires roped glacier travel, crevasse rescue, confident cramponing on exposed snow ridges and 40–50° slopes, and easy rock scrambling in crampons. The railway lifts you straight to 3,454 m, so spend a night or two at altitude first (the Mönchsjochhütte suits this, with the Mönch or Jungfrau as other objectives). Guides from Grindelwald and the Jungfrau region regularly lead it.
Typical itinerary: day 1 Jungfraujoch to the Mönchsjochhütte (1 hour) and acclimatise; day 2 an early start for the north-west ridge (about 5 hours up), back to the hut and the last train down, or another night. The hut has no drinking water on tap; buy it or bring it from the Jungfraujoch. Check the last train time from the Jungfraujoch before planning a same-day return.
History
H. B. George and A. W. Moore, with the guides Christian Almer and Ulrich Kaufmann, made the first ascent on 23 July 1862 from the south-west. The north-west ridge was first climbed on 31 July 1887 by Hermann Woolley with Christian Jossi and Johann Kaufmann, and first followed in full from the Walcherhorn in 1890. The north ridge was climbed on 13 August 1926 by W. Amstutz and P. von Schumacher, and Willo Welzenbach and Heinz Tillmann made the first direct ascent of the Fiescherwand on 5 September 1930.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Good
- 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)
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Hut staffed from late March; ski tours via the Fieschersattel
- Apr
- Classic ski-tour season (Fieschersattel)
- May
- Ski tours; good snow cover
- Jun
- Good snow on ridges; crevasses mostly bridged
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Main season; ridge and couloir may turn icy late in the month
- Sep
- Stable weather often good; open crevasses
- Oct
- Hut unstaffed from 5 October 2026; early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Mönchsjochhütte: online booking via moenchsjoch.ch; hut phone +41 33 971 34 72.
- Fees
- Jungfrau railway ticket to the Jungfraujoch (expensive; discounts for hut guests and Swiss travel passes vary)
- Mönchsjochhütte overnight fee (winter room 23 CHF per Camptocamp)
- Getting There
Grindelwald
Bern (BRN); Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) for international flights
- Train to Interlaken Ost, then to Grindelwald (Eiger Express to Eigergletscher) or Lauterbrunnen (Wengernalp railway to Kleine Scheidegg), then the Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch
- No road access above Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen; park in Grindelwald Grund or Lauterbrunnen
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Cornices
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,657 m
MönchsjochhütteHutStaffedBooking required
120 beds · Staffed late March to early October (unstaffed from 5 October 2026); winter room with 8 places