Gross Windgällen
3,187 m
Switzerland
- Elevation
- 3,187 m
- Prominence
- 552 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 21 Jul 2025
A rockfall on 21 July 2025 buried the upper Stäfelfirn. The hut no longer recommends the old approach to the east flank over the upper glacier; use the cairned variant shown on the hut's website. The old start of the east face is also no longer usable; a new bolted start further left is used in ascent and descent.
windgaellenhuette.chWorksReported 29 Sep 2026
Construction works on the Bristen road between Amsteg and Bristen in autumn 2026 with weekday closure times (no closures at weekends or on public holidays); check the closure times before travelling.
windgaellenhuette.ch
Routes
1Sources differ: SAC ZS (SAC route portal; SAC Clubführer Oberalpstock/Windgällen 2010) · Climbing pitches of grade 2 and 3, bergschrund sometimes difficult (Windgällenhütte AACZ) · III+ (gipfelbuch.ch (outflanking a late-season bergschrund on the far right))
The easiest way up the limestone fortress above the Maderanertal, and still a proper alpine climb: from the AACZ Windgällenhütte over what is left of the Stäfelfirn to a steep, loose east face equipped with 12 iron stanchions and some bolts, then up the north ridge to the summit. Retreating ice and a 2025 rockfall have changed the approach.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 9.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,987 m
- −191 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,187 m
- Time Up
- 8h 08m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 45m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the cable car from Bristen to Golzern and walk via Seewen (or the steeper path via Oberchäseren) to the Windgällenhütte AACZ (2,032 m), 2–2½ hours. From the hut follow the blue-and-white path towards the Furggeli. At just under 2,300 m, where the gravel flats of the Stäfelfirn begin, leave it to the right and follow red marks north-east over scree and small rock steps to reach the glacier at about 2,480 m, west of Pt. 2589 (Schwarz Berg). The Stäfelfirn has split in two; the slabby, rubble-covered rocks between the lower and upper glacier were bolted by the hut team in autumn 2023. On 21 July 2025 a rockfall buried the upper Stäfelfirn, and the hut no longer recommends the old line over the upper glacier: follow the new cairned variant shown on the hut's website and ask the guardians for current advice. The old start of the east face is no longer usable because the ice has dropped away; its bolts and fixed ropes were removed and a new start further left (seen from below), protected by a few bolts, is used in ascent and descent. The face itself alternates grade II climbing, mostly with pegs and 12 fixed iron stanchions, with walking ledges; a prominent tower halfway up is bypassed on the right by a corner, and a final rib leads onto the north ridge, ten minutes from the summit. The SAC gives 3½–4½ hours from the hut (1,155 m) and 2½–3½ hours back down the same way. Rockfall is a serious hazard once the face is snow-free in midsummer, and with several parties on the route.
Start
Golzern1,392 m
- Bristen–Golzern cable car
- Train to Erstfeld, bus to Amsteg, PostBus to Bristen (Golzern valley station), cable car to Golzern
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golzern → Windgällenhütte | 4.0 | 648 | 14 | 2h 41m |
| 2 | Windgällenhütte → Gross Windgällen | 5.1 | 1,330 | 173 | 5h 25m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Golzern1,392 m
Top station of the Bristen–Golzern cable car
- Feature: Seewen1,434 m
- Hut: Windgällenhütte2,032 m
- Feature: Schwarz Berg2,565 m
The glacier is reached at about 2,480 m just west of this point
- Feature: Stäfelfirn2,559 m
- Summit: Gross Windgällen3,187 m
Key Passages
- Bolted slabs between the lower and upper Stäfelfirn
- Bergschrund and new start of the east face
- Fixed stanchions in the east face
- Tower bypassed by a corner on the right
- Exit rib onto the north ridge
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A massive limestone peak (3,187 m) above the Maderanertal and the Reuss valley in Uri, with a 900 m north wall over the Seewlisee. The easiest route still crosses a shrinking glacier and climbs a loose, equipped east face (SAC ZS).
The Gross Windgällen is the western cornerstone of the long chain of the Glarus Alps that continues over the Gross Ruchen and Schärhorn to the Clariden. It stands between the Maderanertal to the south and the Schächental to the north, about 2,700 m above the Reuss. Its steep walls are visible from far down the Reuss valley, and the north face drops up to 900 m to the Seewlisee, the largest natural mountain lake in Uri. The name is usually derived from 'gellen', to howl or whistle — a windy place. The SLF operates a wind-measuring station on the east summit, which is separated from the west summit by a deep notch.
There is no easy way up. The normal route from the Windgällenhütte AACZ crosses the remains of the Stäfelfirn and climbs the east face on grade II–III rock with a dozen fixed iron stanchions, then the north ridge. Glacier retreat has made the bergschrund awkward by midsummer, the old start of the face has been abandoned for a new bolted line further left, and in July 2025 a rockfall buried the upper Stäfelfirn. All other routes — the south-east flank, the long west ridge, the south spur and the north face — are graded S and are much less frequented.
For a competent rope team the mountain gives a compact two-day trip from Golzern, with a hospitable hut and a summit view over central Switzerland. The limestone is not reliable and the route keeps changing, so ask the hut for current conditions.
Climbing Notes
This is an alpine climb rather than a scramble: you need to move confidently on grade II–III limestone, to cross a crevassed glacier and a bergschrund with crampons and axe, and to manage rope work and short abseils on loose ground. Inexperienced parties should go with a guide. A 50 m rope, harness, slings, a few quickdraws, glacier kit and a helmet are the standard rack.
Typical itinerary: cable car to Golzern, 2–2½ hours to the Windgällenhütte on day one; on day two the summit takes 3½–4½ hours and the return to the hut 2½–3½ hours, then down to Golzern. Start early: rockfall in the east face increases once it is snow-free and when the sun reaches it, and other parties above you are the main source. Early summer, with old snow bridging the bergschrund and binding loose rock, generally gives the best conditions; call the hut (+41 41 885 10 88) for the latest on the glacier and the 2025 rockfall variant.
History
The first ascent was made on 16 August 1848 by the Uri guide Josef Maria Tresch-Exer and Melchior Tresch, reconnoitring for Georg Hoffmann; bad weather prevented a return the next day, and the guides repeated the climb with Hoffmann on 31 August 1848 (Camptocamp; Wikipedia says ten days later). The second tourist ascent was by Ralph Milbanke on 3 August 1863. The west ridge was first climbed by G. Miescher and C. Egger in 1913 and re-equipped in 2010; the south-east flank was first climbed in 1950.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; only the winter room is open
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski tours on the Stäfelfirn from Golzern; summit climb in winter conditions only for experts
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring; summit rarely climbed
- May
- Hut still closed; heavy snow
- Jun
- Hut opens in early June; snow helps on the bergschrund and loose rock
- Jul
- Best season; rockfall increases as the face dries out
- Aug
- Bergschrund often difficult; rockfall when fully snow-free
- Sep
- Stable weather but a dry, loose face and an awkward bergschrund
- Oct
- Hut staffed until mid-October; early snow and verglas
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Windgällenhütte AACZ: book online through the hut reservation system (hut-reservation.org); weekdays are usually quiet outside peak summer.
- Fees
- Bristen–Golzern cable car fare
- Paid parking at the Golzern valley station in Bristen
- Rules
- No self-catering at the Windgällenhütte while it is staffed; the winter room is closed during the staffed season
- Dogs only by phone arrangement, one per night, kept in a box in the workshop
- Getting There
Bristen (Maderanertal); Amsteg and Erstfeld in the Reuss valley
Zurich (ZRH)
- Train to Erstfeld, bus to Amsteg, PostBus Amsteg–Bristen to the Golzern cable-car valley station, then the cable car to Golzern
- By car: A2 exit Amsteg, mountain road to Bristen; paid car park at the Golzern valley station
- From the Golzern top station: via Seewen and Schisseneggen (easiest) or via Oberchäseren (steeper, short exposed passages) to the hut, 2–2½ hours
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,032 m
WindgällenhütteHutStaffed
60 beds · Staffed from early June to mid-October (until 18 October in 2026); winter room with 8 places