Hockenhorn
3,293 m
Switzerland
Also known as ჰოკენჰორნი, Хокенхорн, +1Also known as
ჰოკენჰორნი · Хокенхорн · Kleines Hockenhorn
- Elevation
- 3,293 m
- Prominence
- 350 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 30 Sep 2026 · until 8 Nov 2026
Hut update of 30 September 2026: all trails in good condition, the Hockenhorn is being climbed regularly, and the Lötschenpasshütte stays open until the beginning of November. The Lauchernalp cable car runs until 8 November 2026; the Gasterntal bus ran on schedule until 4 October 2026, with special trips on request afterwards.
loetschenpass.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: T4- (SAC Tourenportal) · PD (Camptocamp (snow and mixed classification))
The SAC normal route and a popular alpine hike: cable car from Wiler to Lauchernalp (1,969 m), a marked path via Stafel and Sattlegi to the Lötschenpasshütte on the Lötschenpass (2,690 m), then cairned tracks up the broad west ridge to the summit cross. T4-, about 4½ hours and 1,450 m up, 2¾ hours down.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,333 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,293 m
- Time Up
- 5h 34m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 48m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Lauchernalp top station of the Wiler cable car, follow the hiking path to Stafel, then west on a mountain path via Mälcherbeden to Sattlegi, where the terrain turns rocky. The trail is not always visible on the ground, but waymarks show the line. It traverses almost level via Simmle to the Lötschenpass and the Lötschenpasshütte (2,690 m), about 2½ hours from Lauchernalp (T2). From the hut, head east on a faint, cairned trail up the broad west ridge, passing below the rocks of the Kleinhockenhorn, to the summit with its cross. This takes about 2 hours in good conditions; hands are needed in places, and old snow can lie on the ridge into summer, when crampons and an ice axe may be needed. Waymarks are white-red-white to the hut, then cairns. Descend the same way, about 2¾ hours to Lauchernalp. Fit parties do it as a day trip with the cable car; staying at the Lötschenpasshütte gives an early start and the evening light. A T5 direct variant from the south (Lauchernalp) exists but is not described here.
Start
Lauchernalp1,966 m
- Wiler–Lauchernalp cable car
- Train to Goppenstein (Lötschberg line), Postauto to Wiler (Lötschen), cable car to Lauchernalp.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauchernalp → Hockenhorn | 9.0 | 1,333 | 6 | 5h 34m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Lauchernalp1,966 m
- Feature: Stafel2,103 m
- Col: Sattlegi2,568 m
- Hut: Lötschenpasshütte2,691 m
- Summit: Hockenhorn3,293 m
Key Passages
- Rocky traverse from Sattlegi to the Lötschenpass
- Cairned west ridge above the hut, with some use of hands
- Possible old snow below the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 3,293 m summit above the Lötschenpass between Kandersteg and the Lötschental, and a popular objective for experienced hikers: T4- from Lauchernalp in about 4½ hours, with no glacier on the normal route and wide views over the Valais Alps.
The Hockenhorn rises north-east of the Lötschenpass, the old trade route linking the Gasterntal above Kandersteg with the Lötschental in the Valais. Its south side looks across the Lötschental to the Bietschhorn and the Valais 4,000ers, its north side drops to the Lötschengletscher and the Gasterntal. The neighbouring Kleinhockenhorn (3,161 m) stands just to the west.
The SAC rates the normal route T4- and calls it a very rewarding, often climbed summit for alpine hikers. With the Wiler–Lauchernalp cable car it is a day trip: a marked path to the Lötschenpasshütte, then cairned tracks up the broad west ridge. From the Bernese side the classic approach crosses the Lötschengletscher on a marked path. The north-west ridge (ZS-/PD), north rib and north-east ridge are seldom climbed rock routes.
In winter and spring the Hockenhorn is a popular ski tour from Lauchernalp or Ferden via the Lötschenpass. In summer, expect old snow on the ridge into July and an exposed, windy summit.
Climbing Notes
Requirements: sure-footedness on rough, sometimes pathless terrain, a head for moderate exposure and fitness for about 1,450 m of ascent from Lauchernalp. No climbing gear is normally needed in summer, but carry crampons and an ice axe if there is snow on the ridge.
Typical itinerary: train to Goppenstein, Postauto to Wiler and the cable car to Lauchernalp; 2½ hours to the Lötschenpasshütte and about 2 hours to the summit, then back the same way (2¾ hours) for the last cable car. Alternatively sleep at the hut, or approach from Kandersteg via the Gasterntal and the Lötschengletscher and descend to the Lötschental.
Best from July to early October once the ridge is free of snow; check the hut's condition updates.
History
The first recorded ascent was made on 28 August 1840 by Arthur Thomas Malkin with a guide, who described it in his diary, published in the Alpine Journal in 1890. The Lötschenpass had long been used as a trade and mule route. The privately run Lötschenpasshütte was extended in 2007–08 and became the first mountain hut in the Alps built to the Minergie energy standard.
Season
Best Aug–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Good
- March: Best
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Ski tour from Lauchernalp; hut partly open
- Feb
- Ski-touring season; hut open
- Mar
- Classic ski-touring month
- Apr
- Spring ski tours; hut partly open
- May
- Transition; snow on the ridge
- Jun
- Hut opens; old snow on the ridge, crampons often needed
- Jul
- Summer season; snow patches possible
- Aug
- Best hiking conditions
- Sep
- Often stable and clear
- Oct
- Hut open until early November in 2026; first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter; cable car closes early November
- Dec
- Early-season ski tours if snow allows
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Lötschenpasshütte (private): reservation required; +41 27 939 19 81, info@loetschenpass.ch, www.loetschenpass.ch. Payment in cash (CHF or EUR).
- Fees
- Wiler–Lauchernalp cable car ticket
- Gasterntal minibus to Selden (reservation required) for the Kandersteg approach
- Getting There
Wiler (Lötschen)
Bern (BRN); Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA) by train
- Train to Goppenstein on the Lötschberg line, Postauto up the Lötschental to Wiler (Lötschen), then the cable car to Lauchernalp
- From Kandersteg: Gasterntal minibus to Selden (reservation required; scheduled service ends in early October) or about 2 hours on foot
- By car: park at the Wiler cable car valley station
Hazards
- Exposure
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Crevasses
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,690 m
LötschenpasshütteHutStaffedBooking required
80 beds · Open in summer and winter: staffed February–March and June–October, partly open in January, April, May, November and December (SAC portal); 2026 summer season until early November