Jungfrau

4,158 m

Switzerland

Also known as Юнгфрау, Γιουνγκφράου, +1

Юнгфрау · Γιουνγκφράου · იუნგფრაუ

Elevation: 4,158 m
Prominence: 694 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Apr–Jun
Routes: 2

Hut closedReported 4 Oct 2026
The Mönchsjoch Hut closed for the season from 5 October 2026 because of the lack of precipitation and increasingly demanding conditions on the Mönch and Jungfrau; it plans to reopen in mid-March 2027. The 8-place emergency room (no cooking or water) stays open.
moenchsjoch.ch
AdvisoryReported 27 Jul 2026
In late July 2026 a party found the bergschrund below the rock spur near point 3,506 m bare of snow and impossible to protect, and turned back; a solo climber the week before found the Rottalsattel bergschrund hard to cross. Expect fixed-rope or route changes in coming seasons.
camptocamp.org

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

danger scan: Rottalsattel → Jungfrau: straight line 442 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: Rottalsattel → Jungfrau: sustained 44° > 40° on a straight line
last routed vertex 442 m from the summit (closed by straight)
100% approximate geometry
Jungfraujoch → Rottalsattel: glacier (snap_failed, 2.4 km)
Rottalsattel → Jungfrau: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 0.4 km)
unresolved waypoints: Jungfraufirn, Point 3506

AlpineAD-GlacierNormal route

Sources differ: PD+ (Camptocamp)

The normal route, made short by the Jungfrau railway: from the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m) down the Jungfraufirn, up a rock spur or snow slope to point 3,506 m, across steep slopes below the Rottalhorn to the Rottalsattel (3,885 m), then a 45° snow or ice slope and rocky ridge with metal stakes to the summit. About 840 m of ascent, 4–5 hours up.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 2.9 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +805 m; −161 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,158 m
Time Up: ≈ 3h 22m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 2h 30m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Start from the Jungfraujoch station (3,454 m), leaving through the Sphinx tunnel onto the glacier, or from the Mönchsjoch Hut (about 1 hour away), where most parties spend the night to acclimatise. Early in the season, descend the glacier south-east and go round the snow and rock spur that comes down east from the Rottalhorn, then climb a short 30° slope to a large snow hump (point 3,506 m). Later in summer, descend south-west to about 3,380 m and climb a small snow or ice slope to the foot of the spur by a rain gauge, then follow a path up the crest with a step of 3b (two pegs) and easy rocks to the snow hump. Cross the hump and traverse a steeper slope below the Rottalhorn (cornices, and avalanche risk in wet or fresh snow) to the bergschrund below the Rottalsattel, the usual ski depot. Cross the bergschrund (often awkward) and climb the steep, often icy slope to the col (3,885 m); a 50 m rope is needed to pitch it. In spring, with good snow, climb the broad south-south-east snow ridge (up to 45°) directly to the summit. In summer, go to the foot of the snow ridge, traverse left (one metal stake) to the rocky ridge and follow it, protected by metal stakes every 25–50 m, to the summit (4,158 m). Descend the same way. The section above the Rottalsattel is the most serious part, with exposure to long falls on a slope that is often icy. Total ascent from the Jungfraujoch is about 840 m including the initial descent, so fast parties return to the station in a day and catch the train down.

Start

Jungfraujoch3,513 m

Jungfrau railway (Jungfraubahn) to the Jungfraujoch, year-round
Train from Interlaken Ost via Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg, or via Grindelwald Terminal and the Eiger Express to Eigergletscher, then the Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Jungfraujoch → Jungfrau	2.9	805	161	3h 22m

Waypoints

Station:
Jungfraujoch3,513 m
Top of the Jungfrau railway; exit to the glacier through the Sphinx tunnel
Col:
Rottalsattel3,877 m
Summit:
Jungfrau4,158 m

Key Passages

Rock spur by the rain gauge (3b step) in late summer
Traverse below the Rottalhorn (cornices, avalanches)
Bergschrund and steep icy slope to the Rottalsattel
45° snow ridge or stake-protected rock ridge to the summit

Equipment

0/11 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 50%

Overview

The 4,158 m highest summit of the Eiger–Mönch–Jungfrau trio above Interlaken. The Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m) leaves about 840 m of glacier, steep snow and stake-protected rock ridge via the Rottalsattel, an AD- climb of 4–5 hours.

The Jungfrau stands on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais, at the north-western corner of the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the Lauterbrunnen valley and Interlaken it rises as a 3,000 m wall of rock and hanging glaciers; from the south it is a snow peak above the head of the Aletsch glacier. It is the highest of the famous trio with the Eiger and the Mönch.

The Jungfrau railway, completed in 1912, tunnels through the Eiger and Mönch to the Jungfraujoch at 3,454 m, so the normal route is short: down the Jungfraufirn, up a rock spur or snow slope to point 3,506 m, across slopes below the Rottalhorn to the Rottalsattel (3,885 m), and up a 45° snow slope or rock ridge with metal stakes to the summit. The SAC grades it AD-, Camptocamp PD+. The upper part is steep and exposed, often icy in summer, and the traverse below the Rottalhorn is avalanche-prone in wet or fresh snow: in July 2007 six Swiss Army recruits died in an avalanche on this route.

Recent dry summers have made the route harder late in the season, with bare ice at the bergschrunds and loose rock on the spur; the Mönchsjoch Hut closed early in October 2026 citing increasingly demanding conditions on the Mönch and Jungfrau. Spring, when the slopes are snow-covered, is often the best time. From the Lauterbrunnen side, the long and loose Innere Rottalgrat (AD) from the Rottal Hut is the classic alternative.

Climbing Notes

Altitude is the first problem: the train goes from the valley to 3,454 m in a couple of hours. Spend a night at the Mönchsjoch Hut (3,657 m) before the climb, or acclimatise on other high peaks first. Technically you need to move confidently in crampons on 40–45° snow and ice, protect yourself with ice screws and the fixed stakes, and handle crevasse rescue; parties without that experience should hire a guide.

Typical plan: train to the Jungfraujoch, walk to the Mönchsjoch Hut (under 1 hour) and acclimatise, start before dawn, summit in 4–5 hours and return to the Jungfraujoch for the train down. Avoid the route after fresh snow or in poor overnight freeze (slides below the Rottalhorn). In late summer of dry years, check conditions with the hut: in 2026 the bergschrund onto the spur below point 3,506 m and the Rottalsattel bergschrund were bare and hard to cross.

History

The summit was first reached on 3 August 1811 by the Meyer brothers of Aarau with two chamois hunters from Valais. The Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch, completed in 1912, transformed access to the mountain. The Jungfrau-Aletsch area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. In July 2007 six Swiss Army recruits died in an avalanche on the normal route.

Season

Best Apr–Jun

January: Possible
February: Possible
March: Good
April: Best (best window)
May: Best (best window)
June: Best (best window)
July: Good
August: Good
September: Good
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Possible

Jan: Railway runs year-round; winter ascents for experienced parties
Feb: Winter; ski ascents possible
Mar: Mönchsjoch Hut reopens mid-March
Apr: Spring ski-mountaineering season; slopes snow-covered
May: Good snow conditions on the Rottalsattel slopes
Jun: Early summer; good snow cover
Jul: Main season, but watch bergschrunds and wet-snow slides in heat
Aug: Often icy above the Rottalsattel; bare ice on the spur in dry years
Sep: Stable weather, icy slopes; hut may close early in dry years
Oct: Hut usually closed; emergency room only
Nov: Winter conditions; hut closed
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Mönchsjoch Hut: online via alpsonline.org (hut_id 77) or +41 33 971 34 72. Rottal Hut: online reservation via SAC Interlaken, rottalhuette@sac-interlaken.ch, +41 79 546 89 56.

Fees

Jungfrau railway ticket to the Jungfraujoch (expensive; not verified)
Mönchsjoch Hut: CHF 78 per adult with half board, CHF 40 room only, plus CHF 1.75 tourist tax; IFMGA guides CHF 50 with half board
Mönchsjoch Hut: CHF 20 surcharge without reservation; late cancellation or no-show charged at 100%

Rules

Mönchsjoch Hut: reservation mandatory (online, by 10:00 on the day of arrival); free cancellation until 18:00 the day before
Mönchsjoch Hut: no running water; drinking water sold in bottles; no vegan meals
Rottal Hut: no overnight stay without a reservation; hut sleeping bag required

Getting There

Wengen / Lauterbrunnen / Grindelwald (Interlaken)

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

Train to Interlaken Ost, then via Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, or via Grindelwald Terminal and the Eiger Express gondola to Eigergletscher, then the Jungfrau railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m)
From the Jungfraujoch, through the Sphinx tunnel and about 1 hour on a marked glacier track to the Mönchsjoch Hut
Lauterbrunnen side: PostBus to Stechelberg, then 5.5 hours (T4) to the Rottal Hut

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Avalanche
Altitude
Exposure
Cornices
Rockfall
Weather

Huts & Shelters

RottalhütteHutStaffedBooking required
28 beds · Open year-round; staffed at weekends and partly midweek from early June to late September
Website of Rottalhütte
2,755 m
MönchsjochhütteHutStaffedBooking required
120 beds · Staffed from mid-March to autumn; 2026 season ended early on 5 October; 8-place emergency room in the off-season
Book Mönchsjochhütte Website of Mönchsjochhütte
3,657 m