Hinter Fiescherhorn
4,025 m
Switzerland
Also known as Hinteres Fiescherhorn, ჰინტერ-ფიშერჰორნი, +1Also known as
Hinteres Fiescherhorn · ჰინტერ-ფიშერჰორნი · Хинтер-Фишерхорн
- Elevation
- 4,025 m
- Prominence
- 102 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 2
NoticeReported 4 Oct 2026 · until 1 Mar 2027
Because of the dry summer and increasingly demanding conditions on the Mönch and Jungfrau, the Mönchsjochhütte closed from Monday 5 October 2026; it plans to reopen in mid-March 2027 (month only given). The 8-place emergency room (no cooking, no water) is open.
moenchsjoch.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: PD- (Camptocamp (Fieschersattel route, 40° over 100 m)) · PD+ (in good firn) (SummitPost ('easy ridge' from the saddle))
The usual summer route, normally combined with the Gross Fiescherhorn: from the Jungfraujoch or the Mönchsjochhütte down the Ewigschneefäld, up a glacier ramp and a steep 120 m slope (about 40–45°) to the Fieschersattel (3,923 m), then a short snow wall and the NW ridge to the summit. The slope below the saddle gets icy and stony in late summer.
About 69% 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 1095 m is 2.1× the net gain 511 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- 69% approximate geometry
- Obers Mönchsjoch → Fieschersattel: glacier (unreachable, 5.5 km)
- Fieschersattel → Hinter Fiescherhorn: dem (snap_failed, 0.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Ewigschneefäld
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,095 m
- −584 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,025 m
- Time Up
- 5h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 14m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m), out through the Sphinx tunnel and along the marked, usually pisted track over the Jungfraufirn to the Obers Mönchsjoch and the Mönchsjochhütte (3,657 m), just under an hour. Some parties start directly from the Jungfraujoch on the first train instead. Day two: from the Obers Mönchsjoch (3,623 m) descend south-east across the Ewigschneefäld to the foot of the glacier ramp (about 3,260 m) between the spurs of the Gross and Hinter Fiescherhorn, passing north of P. 3509. Climb the south-east edge of the ramp (crevasses), then bear north under the Hinter Fiescherhorn to the foot of the final slope (about 3,800 m). Cross the bergschrund and climb the slope, about 120 m at 40–45°, exiting left onto the Fieschersattel (3,923 m); watch for stonefall near the top. From the saddle traverse right (south-east) under the ridge across the upper Fiescherfirn basin, gain the NW ridge by a short 40° snow wall and follow it to the summit (4,025 m). Most parties also climb the Gross Fiescherhorn by its SE ridge from the saddle. Descend the same way; there is an abseil anchor (ring) at the Fieschersattel and some parties abseil 50 m to reach snow when the top of the slope is dry. Then the long climb back up the Ewigschneefäld to the Mönchsjoch. Alternatively continue east down the Walliser Fiescherfirn to the Finsteraarhornhütte (beware the serac zone below the Fieschergrat between about 3,500 and 3,200 m).
Start
Jungfraujoch3,513 m
- Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch
- Train to Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald Terminal, Eiger Express to Eigergletscher, then the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch (or via Lauterbrunnen and the Wengernalp railway).
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jungfraujoch → Mönchsjochhütte | 2.7 | 310 | 186 | 1h 44m |
| 2 | Mönchsjochhütte → Hinter Fiescherhorn | 6.1 | 785 | 398 | 4h 10m |
Waypoints
- Station: Jungfraujoch3,513 m
Exit via the Sphinx tunnel
- Hut: Mönchsjochhütte3,655 m
- Col: Obers Mönchsjoch3,623 m
- Col: Fieschersattel3,924 m
Reached by a 120 m slope of about 40–45°; abseil ring at the saddle
- Summit: Hinter Fiescherhorn4,025 m
Key Passages
- Glacier ramp from the Ewigschneefäld (crevasses)
- Bergschrund and 120 m slope (40–45°) to the Fieschersattel
- Short 40° snow wall onto the NW ridge
- Long re-ascent of the Ewigschneefäld to the Mönchsjoch on return
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
A 4,025 m snow summit just south-east of the Gross Fiescherhorn in the heart of the Jungfrau-Aletsch glaciers, usually climbed together with its higher neighbour from the Mönchsjoch or Konkordia huts via the Fieschersattel (AD-), or on ski from the Finsteraarhornhütte.
The Hinter Fiescherhorn (Hinteres Fiescherhorn) lies about 700 m south-east of the Gross Fiescherhorn, joined to it by the Fieschersattel (3,923 m), and entirely within Valais. It rises only a little above the gently sloping glacier basin between the three Fiescherhörner, but it counts as an independent 4,000 m summit and is often visited. To the east and south-east it falls several hundred metres steeply to the Fiescher glacier; its whole west side is glaciated and drains into the Ewigschneefäld and the Aletsch Glacier, so the two longest glaciers in the Alps both start just below its summit. Its name comes from its position: seen from the north, it lies 'behind' the Gross Fiescherhorn.
The usual summer route is a glacier tour from the Mönchsjochhütte (or the Jungfraujoch or Konkordiahütte) across the Ewigschneefäld, up a steep 120 m slope to the Fieschersattel, then a short ridge to the top; most parties climb the Gross Fiescherhorn from the same saddle. From the Finsteraarhornhütte the long Walliser Fiescherfirn gives an easier-angled approach that is popular on ski in spring.
The main difficulties are glacier navigation and the slope to the Fieschersattel, which loses its snow in hot summers and becomes icy and stony. The long walk back up the Ewigschneefäld to the Mönchsjoch at the end of the day is often underestimated.
Climbing Notes
You need sound glacier skills, the ability to climb and descend a 40–45° slope (sometimes icy) in crampons, and good acclimatisation: the Mönchsjochhütte sleeps at 3,657 m and the whole day is spent above 3,200 m. A guide is a good idea without glacier experience.
Typical plan: train to the Jungfraujoch, an hour's walk to the Mönchsjochhütte (book ahead; overnight with half board CHF 78 in 2026), an early start for the Fieschersattel, then the Hinter and Gross Fiescherhorn, and back to the hut or the Jungfraujoch before the last train. Alternatively continue east to the Finsteraarhornhütte as part of a multi-day Bernese Oberland traverse. Spring (March–May) on ski and early summer on foot usually give the best snow on the slope to the saddle; in a dry late summer it can be bare ice and rock.
History
The first ascent was made on 28 July 1885 by the guideless climbers Eugen Guido Lammer and August Lorria. The neighbouring Gross Fiescherhorn had been climbed in 1862 by Adolphus Warburton Moore and Hereford Brooks George with Christian Almer and Ulrich Kaufmann.
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best
- August: Good
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-touring season; Mönchsjochhütte reopens mid-March
- Apr
- Best ski-touring month; Finsteraarhornhütte open for the spring season
- May
- Ski touring; snow softens early
- Jun
- Good snow on the slope to the Fieschersattel
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Slope below the saddle may become icy and stony
- Sep
- Often dry and icy; more crevasses open
- Oct
- Huts closed (Mönchsjochhütte closed early on 5 October 2026)
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Mönchsjochhütte: online via moenchsjoch.ch, hut +41 33 971 34 72. Finsteraarhornhütte: online booking via finsteraarhornhuette.ch. Konkordiahütte: hut-reservation.org or +41 33 855 13 94.
- Fees
- Jungfrau Railway ticket to the Jungfraujoch
- Mönchsjochhütte: CHF 78 with half board or CHF 40 overnight only (adults, 2026), plus CHF 1.75 tourist tax; booking compulsory (CHF 20 surcharge without)
- Finsteraarhornhütte overnight fee for the eastern approach
- Rules
- Mönchsjochhütte: reservation compulsory, online by 10:00 on the day of arrival; drinking water must be bought (no running water)
- The glacier path from the Jungfraujoch to the Mönchsjochhütte can be closed at short notice because of storms, thunderstorms or crevasses
- Finsteraarhornhütte winter room: telephone booking with the warden required
- Getting There
Grindelwald (via the Jungfraujoch); Fiesch for the Aletsch side
Zurich (ZRH), Bern (BRN) or Geneva (GVA)
- Train to Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald Terminal, Eiger Express to Eigergletscher, then the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch; or via Lauterbrunnen and the Wengernalp railway
- From the Jungfraujoch, about 1 hour on the marked glacier path to the Mönchsjochhütte
- From the Valais: train to Fiesch, cable car to Fiescheralp and the Aletsch Glacier to the Konkordiahütte
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 3,048 m
FinsteraarhornhütteHutStaffed
106 beds · Spring ski season and summer; 10-place winter hut outside the season
- 3,657 m
MönchsjochhütteHutStaffedBooking required
Mid-March to early October (closed from 5 October in 2026); 8-place emergency room outside the season