Grünhorn

4,043 m

Switzerland

Also known as Gross Grünhorn, გრიუნჰორნი, +1

Gross Grünhorn · გრიუნჰორნი · Гросс-Грюнхорн

Elevation: 4,043 m
Prominence: 303 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Jul–Aug
Routes: 1

AdvisoryReported 20 Sep 2026 · until 13 Mar 2027
The Konkordiahütte closed for the season on 20 September 2026. Announced 2027 seasons: spring 13 March – 29 May, summer 12 June – 18 September.
konkordiahuette.ch
WorksReported 1 Jun 2025
In June 2025 (month only given) the Konkordiahütte stairway was extended further down so that it now starts directly above the moraine debris on a rock plateau; the bottom of the access remains subject to glacier retreat.
konkordiahuette.ch

Routes

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Approximate line — not for navigation

An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.

Why? 7 check notes

Jungfraujoch → Konkordiahütte: closed above ~3468 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 304228912)
ascent 1890 m is 3.6× the net gain 530 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
67% approximate geometry
Jungfraujoch → Konkordiahütte: glacier (unreachable, 8.2 km)
Konkordiahütte → Grünegghorn: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 8.4 km)
Grünegghorn → Gross Grünhorn: glacier (snap_failed, 0.7 km)
unresolved waypoints: Konkordiaplatz, Grüneggfirn

AlpinePD+UIAAIIGlacierNormal route

Sources differ: AD- (SAC Route Portal; SAC Berner Alpen Auswahlführer (ZS-)) · PD (SAC Jungfrau Region guide (WS); German Wikipedia)

A long, varied glacier and ridge climb in the middle of the Aletsch glacier system: from the Konkordiahütte up the Grüneggfirn, a steep snow couloir (one short 45° section) to the Grünegghorn, then an exposed rock and firn ridge (UIAA II) to the summit. About 1,400 m and 5–6 hours from the hut, descent by the same way.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 17.3 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +1,890 m; −1,360 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,049 m
Time Up: ≈ 11h 11m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 10h 28m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from the Jungfraujoch station (3,454 m) go out through the Sphinx tunnel and descend the Jungfraufirn, unmarked and crevassed, to the Konkordiaplatz (about 2,700 m); cross the moraines and meltwater streams and climb the 526 metal steps to the Konkordiahütte (2,850 m), 4–5 hours. Alternatively walk in from Fiescheralp via the Märjelen tunnel and the Great Aletsch Glacier (5–6 hours, 1,050 m of ascent). Day two: start in the dark. Descend the stairs to the glacier and go east up the Grüneggfirn to about 3,000 m, then turn north up steep, often broken glacier slopes, keeping near the rocks lower down. A pronounced snow couloir (a short section of 45°) leads to the saddle north-east of P. 3475; above it a broad snow ridge climbs to the Grünegghorn fore-summit (3,787 m) and an exposed mixed ridge to the Grünegghorn (3,860 m). Descend north-east to the gap at about 3,800 m (or bypass the Grünegghorn top on its north face), watch for crevasses in the Grünhorn's south-west face, and climb the rocky south-west ridge, sometimes just left of the crest, at about UIAA II to the summit (4,043 m), about an hour from the gap. The SAC puts hut to summit at 5–6 hours for 1,400 m. Descend the same way; the Grünegghorn summit is usually bypassed on its north face. A traverse to the Finsteraarhornhütte is possible via the Grünhornlücke (recommended) or by rappels from the gap between Grünegghorn and Grünhorn to the Fiescher glacier (AD, not recommended when the anchors are buried in snow). In early summer and after snowfall the route is a long snow plod and the couloir can be avalanche-prone; in dry conditions the ridges may have to be climbed in crampons.

Start

Jungfraujoch3,513 m

Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch; or Fiesch–Fiescheralp cable car for the Aletsch Glacier approach
Train to Interlaken, Bernese Oberland railway to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, then the Wengernalp and Jungfrau railways to the Jungfraujoch. From the Valais: train to Fiesch and cable car to Fiescheralp.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Jungfraujoch → Konkordiahütte	8.2	204	869	3h 26m
2	Konkordiahütte → Gross Grünhorn	9.1	1,686	491	7h 44m

Waypoints

Station:
Jungfraujoch3,513 m
Jungfraubahn top station; exit via the Sphinx tunnel onto the Jungfraufirn
Hut:
Konkordiahütte2,848 m
Reached by 526 metal steps from the glacier
Shoulder:
Grünegghorn3,798 m
Summit:
Gross Grünhorn4,043 m

Key Passages

Crevassed Jungfraufirn and meltwater streams on the Konkordiaplatz
526-step metal stairway to the Konkordiahütte
Steep couloir onto the Grünegghorn ridge (short 45° section)
Exposed Grünegghorn ridge
Rocky SW ridge of the Grünhorn (UIAA II)

Equipment

0/12 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 64%

Overview

The Gross Grünhorn (4,043 m) rises in the middle of the Aletsch–Fiescher glacier system, hidden from the valleys by higher neighbours. The normal route from the Konkordiahütte crosses the Grünegghorn and finishes on an exposed rock ridge: a long PD+/AD- day in one of the most glaciated landscapes in the Alps.

The Grünhorn stands on the ridge between the Aletsch Glacier to the west and the Fiescher Glacier to the east, about 3 km west of the Finsteraarhorn and 2 km south of the Gross Fiescherhorn. It is the highest point of a small group with the Grünegghorn, Klein Grünhorn and Grünhörnli; the name comes from the greenish amphibolite of its summit rocks. Because it is surrounded by higher peaks it cannot be seen from the Swiss lowlands or the Rhône valley, and it is reached only after a long glacier approach to the Konkordiahütte.

The normal route goes from the Konkordiahütte up the Grüneggfirn, through a steep snow couloir onto the Grünegghorn and along an exposed snow and rock ridge to the summit. Grades range from PD to AD- depending on the guidebook and on conditions: in deep snow it is a long plod, in dry conditions the ridges become rock climbing in crampons. The east face is a steep rock wall above the Fiescher firn, and the north ridge (D-) and the descent to the Finsteraarhornhütte (AD) see far fewer parties.

The approach is part of the experience: from the Jungfraujoch down the Jungfraufirn, or up the Great Aletsch Glacier from Fiescheralp, then up the 526 metal steps that now lead from the shrinking glacier to the Konkordiahütte, about 200 m above the ice that once lay a few metres below it. The peak is also climbed on ski in spring.

Climbing Notes

You need sound glacier skills (route-finding on unmarked glaciers, crevasse rescue) and the ability to move together confidently on exposed UIAA II rock and snow ridges, in crampons if necessary. Fitness for about 1,400 m of ascent from the hut, plus the return, is essential. Acclimatise first, for example with a night at the Mönchsjoch or Jungfraujoch area or an easier 4,000 m peak.

Typical itinerary: train to the Jungfraujoch and walk down to the Konkordiahütte (4–5 hours), or walk in from Fiescheralp (5–6 hours); next day a pre-dawn start for the Grünhorn (5–6 hours up) and back to the hut; walk out to Fiescheralp or continue to the Finsteraarhornhütte via the Grünhornlücke for the Finsteraarhorn. The Grünegghorn is a worthwhile fallback if time or conditions are against you. Summer (July to early September) is usually best on foot; after heavy snowfall treat the couloir with care. Parties without glacier experience should go with a guide.

History

Edmund von Fellenberg, the Bernese mineralogist, made the first ascent on 7 August 1865 with the guides Peter Michel, Peter Egger and Peter Inäbnit, climbing from the Ewigschneefäld on the west side. The Swiss Himalayan climber Erhard Loretan died in a fall on the Grünhorn on 28 April 2011, his 52nd birthday.

Season

Best Jul–Aug

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Possible
April: Good
May: Possible
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 only)
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Ski-touring season starts mid-March when the hut opens
Apr: Ski tours (demanding, about ZS+); crevassed descent
May: Ski season ends late May; hut closes until mid-June
Jun: Hut reopens mid-June; still a lot of snow, long plod
Jul: Main summer season
Aug: Usually best conditions on the ridges; meltwater streams on the Konkordiaplatz
Sep: Hut closes in the second half of September
Oct: Hut closed; early winter
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Konkordiahütte SAC: online via hut-reservation.org, +41 33 855 13 94 or info@konkordiahuette.ch.

Fees

Konkordiahütte half board: CHF 76 SAC members, CHF 91 non-members (prices valid from 1 January 2024)
Jungfrau Railway ticket to the Jungfraujoch (expensive), or Fiesch–Fiescheralp cable car

Rules

All approaches to the Konkordiahütte cross glaciers with no marked route; glacier equipment and experience are required

Getting There

Fiesch (Valais); Grindelwald (Bernese Oberland) via the Jungfraujoch

Zurich (ZRH), Bern (BRN) or Geneva (GVA)

From Bern side: train to Interlaken Ost, Bernese Oberland railway to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, then the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m)
From Valais: train (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn) to Fiesch, cable car to Fiescheralp, track and tunnel to Märjela, then the Great Aletsch Glacier
By car: park in Fiesch, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Altitude
Exposure
Weather
Avalanche
Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

KonkordiahütteHutStaffed
159 beds · Mid-March to late May and mid-June to mid/late September (2027: 13 March – 29 May, 12 June – 18 September); winter room bookable outside the season
Book Konkordiahütte Website of Konkordiahütte
2,850 m