Lauteraarhorn

4,042 m

Switzerland

Also known as Лаутерархорн, ლაუტერაარჰორნი, +1

Лаутерархорн · ლაუტერაარჰორნი · Лаутераархорн

Elevation: 4,042 m
Prominence: 772 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Jul
Routes: 2

AdvisoryReported 11 Sep 2026
After several rockfalls from the Lauteraarhorn above the descent, the Schreckhornhütte advised against crossing the Strahleggpass and the Schraubengang for the time being; other routes were not affected. The SAC Route Portal issued a related situation warning on 17 September 2026.
schreckhornhuette.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? 8 check notes

danger scan: Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn: straight line 3590 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn: straight line 3590 m above the last hut/bivouac
danger scan: Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn: straight line: 64° over 25 m (> 60°, high-res DEM)
danger scan: Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn: sustained 56° > 45° on a straight line
last routed vertex 3593 m from the summit (closed by straight)
ascent 2464 m vs net gain 2087 m (+18%)
Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 3.6 km)
unresolved waypoints: Unteraargletscher, Finsteraargletscher, Strahleggfirn, Lauteraarhorn south-face couloir

AlpineADUIAAIIMixedNormal route

Sources differ: AD- (SAC Route Portal; SAC Berner Alpen 5 and Auswahlführer (ZS-)) · AD+ (SummitPost (couloir up to 50°, ridge II+))

A remote and serious normal route: a 7–8 hour glacier walk from the Grimsel Hospiz to the unstaffed Aarbiwak, then up the Strahleggfirn and a 600–900 m south-facing snow couloir of 40–50° to the SE ridge, finishing on good rock (UIAA II). The couloir must be climbed and descended early while the snow is frozen.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 20.1 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +2,464 m; −377 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,042 m
Time Up: ≈ 11h 28m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 8h 41m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from the Grimsel Hospiz (about 1,980 m) cross the dam, pass through a tunnel and follow the path along the north shore of the Grimselsee (1–1½ hours), then cross the glacier forefield onto the debris-covered Unteraargletscher. Its lowest part is often easier to bypass on the path towards the Lauteraarhütte; follow the medial moraine and the northern edge of the glacier, then head south-west up the Finsteraargletscher (markings from about 2,500 m) and turn right (north-west) up the Strahleggfirn to leave the ice at about 2,700 m for the Aarbiwak (2,731 m). The SAC gives 7–8 hours (T5). The Lauteraarhütte (2,392 m, staffed) is an alternative base: shorter on day one, but at least 8 hours to the summit. Day two: start very early. Go up the Strahleggfirn (check the line the evening before; hidden crevasses and avalanche debris), traverse below the south-west faces of the Klein Lauteraarhorn at about 3,200–3,300 m past its icefall to the foot of the south-face couloir, marked by an avalanche cone and a reflector. Climb the couloir, 600–900 m at 40–50°, directly if the snow is frozen, or on the loose rocks on its right (west) side. From the col at its top (about 3,900 m) follow the SE ridge on sound rock (II, one awkward pinnacle can be bypassed on the left) to the summit, 5–6 hours from the bivouac. Descend the same way, and be out of the couloir before the sun softens it: several fatal avalanche accidents have happened to parties who were too late. From the bivouac it is still about 19 km across the glaciers back to the Grimsel. Late in the season the snow in the couloir does not reach the bottom and the lower part is loose rock.

Start

Grimsel Hospiz1,953 m

Train to Meiringen or Oberwald, then PostBus over the Grimsel Pass road to Grimsel Hospiz (summer only).
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Grimsel Hospiz → Aarbiwak	16.5	1,092	318	6h 20m
2	Aarbiwak → Lauteraarhorn	3.6	1,371	58	5h 08m

Waypoints

Trailhead:
Grimsel Hospiz1,953 m
PostBus stop; path starts across the Spitallamm dam
Bivouac:
Aarbiwak2,735 m
Unstaffed, 17 places, bring stove and gas
Summit:
Lauteraarhorn4,042 m

Key Passages

Long approach over the Unteraar and Finsteraar glaciers
Strahleggfirn below the Klein Lauteraarhorn icefall, usually in the dark
South-face couloir, 600–900 m at 40–50°
SE ridge on sound rock (II)

Equipment

0/13 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 78%

Overview

A remote 4,042 m summit east of the Schreckhorn in the heart of the Bernese Alps, reached either by a long glacier approach from the Grimsel and a steep south-facing couloir (AD), or by the Lauteraargrat ridge traverse from the Schreckhorn (D+). Few people climb it, and every route is a big undertaking.

The Lauteraarhorn is the second-highest summit of the Schreckhorn group, joined to the Schreckhorn by the 1 km Lauteraargrat and rising above the Unteraar, Finsteraar and Strahlegg glaciers that drain east to the Grimselsee. With about 770 m of prominence it is an independent mountain, but it sees far fewer ascents than its neighbour because there is no staffed hut close to it and no lift-assisted approach.

The normal route starts from the unstaffed Aarbiwak, itself 7–8 hours from the Grimsel Hospiz across three glaciers, and climbs a 600–900 m south-facing couloir of 40–50° to a sound rock ridge (UIAA II). It is graded AD-/AD; the couloir is the crux and the main danger, because it softens quickly in the sun and has caused fatal avalanche accidents. The classic alternative is the traverse from the Schreckhorn along the Lauteraargrat, one of the finest ridge traverses in the Bernese Alps, with many gendarmes of III–IV.

Expect self-sufficiency: no mobile reception in the Aar valley, cooking for yourself at the bivouac, and a 19 km walk out after the climb. The reward is a quiet summit in the middle of the largest glaciated area of the Alps, with close views of the Finsteraarhorn and Schreckhorn.

Climbing Notes

You need to be confident on 45–50° snow and ice without belays, efficient on exposed UIAA II–IV rock in crampons (for the traverse), and able to navigate unmarked glaciers in the dark. Fitness matters: the normal route is 2,000 m of ascent spread over two days plus a long walk out, and the traverse is 11–13 hours from the Schreckhornhütte.

Typical plan for the normal route: PostBus to the Grimsel Hospiz, 7–8 hours to the Aarbiwak (bring stove, gas and food for two to three days), recce the Strahleggfirn line in the evening, start around 02:00–03:00 to be through the couloir while it is frozen, summit in 5–6 hours, back to the bivouac and out to the Grimsel the same or next day. For the traverse, sleep at the Schreckhornhütte and finish at the Aarbiwak. Choose a cold, clear spell after a good overnight freeze; do not enter the couloir if the snow is not frozen. Early summer usually gives the best snow in the couloir; by late summer the lower part is bare and loose. Guides from Grindelwald and Meiringen offer both routes.

History

The first ascent was made on 8 August 1842 by the geologist Arnold Escher von der Linth, the naturalist Édouard Desor and Christian Girard with the guides Melchior Bannholzer and Jakob Leuthold (Camptocamp also lists D. Bridger, Fahner and Madutz). Desor's account of the climb was published under the title 'Ascension du Schreckhorn'. The second ascent came only on 22 August 1869 (Eduard Burkhardt with Peter Egger and Peter Michel), and the first winter ascent on 5 January 1888 by Margaret Anne Jackson with Emil Boss, Ulrich Almer and Johann Kaufmann. Helene Kuntze with Peter and Rudolf Bernet first traversed from the Schreckhorn on 24 July 1902.

Season

Best Jul

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

Jan: Winter; very long approach
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Winter conditions; Grimsel Pass road closed
Apr: Ski ascents by the couloir for very strong ski-mountaineers
May: Ski season; Grimsel road usually not yet open
Jun: Good snow in the couloir once the Grimsel road and PostBus open
Jul: Main season; climb the couloir early
Aug: Couloir may lose its snow at the bottom; stonefall when warm
Sep: Lower couloir loose; rockfall reported in September 2026
Oct: Early winter; Grimsel road closes
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Aarbiwak SAC: reservation via the SAC hut portal (contact listed: k.brefin(at)livenet.ch, sac-pilatus.ch). Schreckhornhütte SAC: via the booking portal linked from schreckhornhuette.ch, +41 33 855 10 25.

Fees

Aarbiwak overnight fee (SAC Pilatus)
Schreckhornhütte overnight fee and Pfingstegg cable car for the traverse

Rules

The Aarbiwak is unstaffed: no fuel, no food; bring a stove and gas
No mobile phone reception in the Aar valley; emergency radio at the Aarbiwak

Getting There

Guttannen / Meiringen (Haslital); Grindelwald for the traverse

Zurich (ZRH) or Bern (BRN)

Train to Meiringen (via Interlaken or Lucerne) or to Oberwald, then PostBus to Grimsel Hospiz (summer only, while the Grimsel Pass road is open)
By car: Grimsel Pass road to the Grimsel Hospiz turn-off; parking near the hospice
For the Schreckhorn traverse: train to Grindelwald, bus or walk to the Pfingsteggbahn, cable car to Pfingstegg

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Avalanche
Rockfall
Altitude
Exposure
Weather
Cornices
Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

Berghaus BäreggHotel
Summer
1,772 m
SchreckhornhütteHutStaffedBooking required
Staffed from mid/late June to late September (2026: until 21 September); 16-place winter room
Website of Schreckhornhütte
2,530 m
AarbiwakBivouacUnstaffed
17 beds · Year-round, unstaffed
Website of Aarbiwak
2,731 m