Großes Wiesbachhorn
3,564 m
Austria
Also known as Grosses WiesbachhornAlso known as
Grosses Wiesbachhorn
- Elevation
- 3,564 m
- Prominence
- 490 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 7 Oct 2026
The Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus has closed for the 2026 season; its tenants leave after four years and the DAV München & Oberland section is seeking a new tenant from 2027. Online bookings for summer 2027 open on 15 December 2026.
alpenverein-muenchen-oberland.de
Routes
1The normal route: shuttle bus from Kaprun to the Mooserboden reservoir (2,040 m), a steep path to the Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus (2,802 m), then a short cabled rock step, the Fochezkopf ridges and the Kaindlgrat to the crevasse-poor Kaindlkees, and the SW ridge and a 35° summit flank to the top. About 1,550 m of ascent over two days.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 6.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,657 m
- −129 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,564 m
- Time Up
- 6h 34m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 32m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Moosersperre bus stop at the Mooserboden reservoir (about 2,040 m), cross both dam walls and follow the Haushofer-Weg (trail 718) up many switchbacks to the Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus (2,802 m), about 770 m and 2¼–2½ hours. The path is steep and rated difficult; there is no luggage transport to the hut. From the hut, trail 718 climbs rock with a cabled chimney (up to B) to the Unterer Fochezkopf (3,022 m), then follows a curving ridge, snow early in the season and rock later, to the Oberer Fochezkopf (about 3,160 m). It needs precise footwork but is not especially exposed. The Kaindlgrat beyond is crossed on snow or, now usually, on rock with moves of UIAA I, and drops onto the Kaindlkees, the glacier plateau between the Wiesbachhorn and the Bratschenköpfe, which is largely crevasse-free here. Follow the usual tracks to the SW ridge, climb the summit flank (up to about 35°) and the short summit ridge to the top. The steeper, rockier W ridge, starting from the end of the Kaindlgrat, joins just below the summit but is now rarely used because of permafrost loss. Allow 2¼–3 hours from the hut. Descend the same way, about 3½ hours to the Mooserboden; the last bus down leaves at 16:45 (17:00 in July and August, 2026). Early in the season the snow ridges make the route a proper snow climb; in late summer it is mostly rock and scree, and in good conditions experienced parties may not need crampons, though they should still be carried.
Start
Mooserboden2,037 m
- Kaprun Hochgebirgsstauseen shuttle bus and Lärchwand inclined lift (Kesselfall – Mooserboden)
- Train to Zell am See, bus 660 to Kaprun Kesselfall, then the VERBUND reservoir shuttle bus and Lärchwand inclined lift to the Mooserboden (22 May – 11 October 2026; weekend mountaineers' bus at 06:45 from June to September, register by noon the day before).
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mooserboden → Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus | 4.2 | 848 | 123 | 3h 36m |
| 2 | Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus → Großes Wiesbachhorn | 2.1 | 804 | 5 | 2h 57m |
Waypoints
- Station: Mooserboden2,037 m
End of the Kaprun reservoir shuttle bus (Moosersperre)
- Feature: Moosersperre2,003 m
Cross both dam walls
- Hut: Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus2,771 m
- Shoulder: Unterer Fochezkopf2,974 m
Reached via a cabled rock step (up to B)
- Shoulder: Oberer Fochezkopf3,117 m
- Feature: Kaindlkees3,203 m
Glacier plateau, largely crevasse-free on the route (not on route line)
- Summit: Großes Wiesbachhorn3,564 m
Key Passages
- Steep Haushofer-Weg switchbacks to the hut
- Cabled chimney to the Unterer Fochezkopf
- Narrow snow or rock ridge to the Oberer Fochezkopf
- Kaindlgrat (I on rock)
- SW ridge and 35° summit flank
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The third-highest summit of the Glockner group and the main peak of the ridge between the Kaprun and Fusch valleys, with one of the biggest summit-to-valley drops in the Eastern Alps. Its normal route, the Kaindlgrat from the Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus, is a PD ridge climb over largely crevasse-free glacier.
The Großes Wiesbachhorn (3,564 m) rises between the Kaprun and Fusch valleys in the Salzburg part of the Hohe Tauern. Long seen as a rival to the Großglockner, it is the second-highest independent mountain of the Glockner group and falls more than 2,400 m to the Fusch valley on its east side. Built of calcareous mica schist, it is ringed by the Wielingerkees, Sandbodenkees, Teufelsmühlkees and Kaindlkees glaciers, all of which have shrunk dramatically. The mountain is privately owned, by the Fischhorn estate.
The north-west face, about 500 m high, was one of the great ice climbs of the Eastern Alps; it is now completely free of ice. The normal route from the west, the Kaindlgrat, has changed too: the snow ridges that once gave it character now melt out by midsummer, leaving a rocky ridge with a short glacier crossing and a 35° summit flank. It remains the standard way up, starting from the Kaprun reservoirs at 2,040 m, reached by shuttle bus.
The Wiesbachhorn is a good first 3,500 m summit for walkers with some alpine experience: the difficulties are modest (PD, UIAA I), the hut sits high at 2,802 m, and the views over the Glockner group and the turquoise Mooserboden reservoir are wide. Expect loose rock where permafrost is thawing.
Climbing Notes
You need basic alpine skills: walking in crampons on a narrow snow ridge and a 35° slope, easy scrambling (UIAA I), and good fitness for about 1,550 m over two days. Crampons and an axe are needed most of the season; a rope and glacier kit are often not used on the Kaindlkees, but parties without glacier experience should go with a guide from Kaprun. Altitude is moderate, but the hut night at 2,800 m helps.
Typical plan: first bus from Kesselfall (08:10, or the weekend mountaineers' bus at 06:45 in June–September), walk 2¼–2½ hours to the Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus, climb the summit early next morning (2¼–3 hours) and descend to catch the last bus at 16:45. June and early July give the most snow on the ridges; by late summer the route is mostly rock. Book the hut online in advance, bring cash and a hut sleeping bag; the kitchen has been vegetarian since 2025. Crampons and ice axes can be borrowed at the hut in small numbers.
History
The first ascent was made in the late 18th century by two farmers from Fusch, Zanker and Zorner, from Ferleiten via the site of today's Schwarzenberghütte and the Bratschenköpfe (reported in Moll's Jahrbuch, 1801); Camptocamp credits A. and P. Hetz with an ascent on 9 September 1867, presumably of the Kaindlgrat. On 15 July 1924 Friedrich Rigele and Willo Welzenbach made the first ascent of the north-west face, using ice pitons on the ice bulge for the first time, a forerunner of modern ice screws. Toni Schmid, who with his brother made the first ascent of the Matterhorn north face, died on the Wiesbachhorn on 16 May 1932. In 2017 about 150,000 m³ of rock broke from the east ridge of the neighbouring Kleines Wiesbachhorn onto the Sandbodenkees.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; reservoir road and bus closed
- Feb
- Winter; serious ski-mountaineering terrain only, long approach
- Mar
- Winter conditions; no bus to the Mooserboden
- Apr
- Spring snow; no bus to the Mooserboden
- May
- Reservoir bus from 22 May (2026); hut closed; full snow cover
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June; snow ridges in good condition
- Jul
- Main season; snow early in the month, rock later
- Aug
- Mostly snow-free ridges; loose rock; thunderstorms
- Sep
- Hut closes mid to late September; icy patches on the flank
- Oct
- Hut closed (winter room only); bus until 11 October (2026); new snow likely
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus: online only via alpsonline (credit card to guarantee the booking); groups of 10 or more by e-mail. Summer 2027 bookings open on 15 December 2026.
- Fees
- Kaprun reservoir shuttle bus (2026): adult EUR 22 one way, EUR 39.50 return; mountaineers' bus EUR 22 one way, EUR 35.50 return
- Kesselfall car park: first hour free, then EUR 5 per day (maximum EUR 20)
- Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus overnight: members EUR 15 dormitory / EUR 25 room, non-members EUR 29 / EUR 39; half board EUR 46
- Rules
- Private cars cannot drive to the reservoirs; use the VERBUND shuttle bus from Kesselfall
- Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus bookings online only (no phone bookings); cash payment only at the hut
- The hut lies in Hohe Tauern National Park (Salzburg)
- Getting There
Kaprun (Salzburg)
Salzburg (SZG); Innsbruck (INN)
- Train to Zell am See, then bus 660 to Kaprun Kesselfall
- By car: B311 to the Pinzgau, B168 to Kaprun and up the valley to the Kesselfall car park
- VERBUND shuttle bus and Lärchwand inclined lift from Kesselfall to the Mooserboden (22 May – 11 October 2026; uphill 08:10–15:30, last down 16:45, 17:00 in July–August)
- Weekend mountaineers' bus at 06:45 from Kesselfall, June–September; register by 12:00 the day before
Hazards
- Glacier
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,802 m
Heinrich-Schwaiger-HausHutStaffedBooking required
Mid-June to mid/late September; emergency winter room (Alpine Club key needed)