Mönch

4,110 m

Switzerland

Also known as Мьонх, Moench, +2

Мьонх · Moench · მენხი · Мёнх

Elevation: 4,110 m
Prominence: 591 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Jul–Aug
Routes: 2

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? 5 check notes

danger scan: Mönchsjochhütte → Mönch: connector line 290 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: Mönchsjochhütte → Mönch: connector line 290 m above the last hut/bivouac
last routed vertex 290 m from the summit (closed by connector)
ascent 813 m vs net gain 596 m (+36%)
unresolved waypoints: Mönch SE ridge start, Pt 3887, Jungfraufirn (OSM match off-route)

AlpineAD-UIAAIIMixedNormal route

Sources differ: PD+ (Camptocamp) · PD (SummitPost (PD, II, snow/ice to 45°))

The normal route and one of the most accessible 4,000 m summits in the Alps: from the Jungfraujoch railway station a groomed glacier track leads towards the Mönchsjoch hut, then about 450 m of broken rock (II, a few iron stakes) and a narrow, usually corniced snow ridge to the top. Short but exposed; the altitude gain by train catches many people out.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 3.9 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +813 m; −217 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,110 m
Time Up: ≈ 3h 38m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 2h 50m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Take the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch (3,454 m), walk through the Sphinx tunnel onto the Jungfraufirn and follow the groomed piste-basher track east towards the Mönchsjoch hut. About 15 minutes before the hut (about 45 minutes from the station) the rock ridge reaches almost down to the glacier; turn left at a marker pole to the start at about 3,650 m. Many parties sleep at the Mönchsjoch hut (3,657 m), a few minutes from the foot of the ridge, to acclimatise and start early. Climb broken limestone and slabs, loose when snow-free, past a rain gauge to Pt 3,887. The ridge then narrows into the gneiss, with several short rock steps of UIAA II (some iron stakes for protection), usually climbed in crampons and delicate when iced. A steep, often icy snow section leads to the junction with the main east ridge, and the final part follows a narrow, exposed and normally corniced snow crest to the summit. The SAC gives 3–4 hours and 650 m of ascent from the Jungfraujoch. Descend the same way, about 2½ hours back to the station; allow for the last train down. The SAC stresses that the Mönch is repeatedly underestimated: falls on the ridge, including unroped parties sliding on icy sections, are not rare. Keep well away from the cornices on the summit ridge and watch for other parties above you.

Start

Jungfraujoch3,513 m

Eiger Express (Grindelwald Terminal–Eigergletscher) and Jungfrau Railway (Eigergletscher–Jungfraujoch)
Train to Grindelwald Terminal and the Eiger Express gondola to Eigergletscher, or Wengernalp Railway from Lauterbrunnen, then the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Jungfraujoch → Mönchsjochhütte	2.7	313	180	1h 44m
2	Mönchsjochhütte → Mönch	1.3	500	38	1h 54m

Waypoints

Station:
Jungfraujoch3,513 m
Exit through the Sphinx tunnel onto the Jungfraufirn
Hut:
Mönchsjochhütte3,655 m
Summit:
Mönch4,110 m

Key Passages

Loose lower buttress to the rain gauge at Pt 3,887
Short UIAA II rock steps with iron stakes (delicate when iced)
Steep icy snow section below the junction with the east ridge
Narrow, corniced summit ridge

Equipment

0/10 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 86%

Overview

The middle peak of the Eiger–Mönch–Jungfrau trio above Grindelwald, 4,110 m. The Jungfrau Railway puts you at 3,454 m, so the normal south-east ridge is a short rock-and-snow climb, but it is exposed, often icy and repeatedly underestimated.

The Mönch stands between the Eiger and the Jungfrau on the watershed between the Bernese Oberland and the Aletsch glacier basin, inside the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage site. Its north side drops in steep ice walls and the Nollen ice buttress towards Grindelwald and Wengen; its south side rises only about 650 m above the Jungfraujoch, where Europe's highest railway station sits.

The normal route, the south arm of the east ridge, starts a few minutes from the railway: broken rock with short UIAA II steps, a steep icy section and a narrow corniced snow ridge to the summit. In good conditions it is a half-day climb, which makes the Mönch one of the most climbed 4,000 m peaks in Switzerland. The south-west ridge (AD, III) is a popular, more interesting alternative, and the Nollen and Lauper routes on the north side are serious ice climbs.

The SAC warns that the mountain is repeatedly underestimated and sees many, often fatal, accidents. Arriving from the valley by train means climbing at 4,000 m without acclimatisation, and the ridge is often icy and crowded. Sleeping at the Mönchsjoch hut the night before helps with both altitude and timing.

Climbing Notes

You need crampon technique on narrow, possibly icy snow ridges, the ability to move roped together over UIAA II rock in crampons, and a head for exposure. The route is short but at altitude: if you can, spend a night at the Mönchsjoch hut (3,657 m) or climb another 3,500–4,000 m objective first. Coming straight from the valley on the first train is common but increases the risk of altitude sickness and of being on the ridge in the soft-snow afternoon.

Typical plans: (1) first train to the Jungfraujoch, climb and descend the south-east ridge, last train down; or (2) afternoon train, night at the Mönchsjoch hut, early start, then down to the valley or on to other routes in the Jungfrau region. Grindelwald and Wengen guides offer the Mönch as a guided day; less experienced climbers should take one.

Book the hut online (compulsory) and buy railway tickets in advance in summer. Carry drinking water: the hut cooks with melted snow and sells water in bottles.

History

The first ascent was made on 15 August 1857 by Christian Almer, Christian and Ulrich Kaufmann and Sigismund Porges, probably by the east ridge. The south-east spur was first documented in 1863 by Christian Almer, Melchior Anderegg and Reginald Somerled Macdonald, and the south-west ridge on 24 August 1875 by Christian Almer, Christian Roth and Florence Thomas Wethered, who descended by the Nollen. The Mönchsjoch hut was built in 1978–79, enlarged in 2003–04 and re-equipped in 2022–23 with 26 kW of solar panels; it is the highest staffed hut entirely on Swiss soil.

Season

Best Jul–Aug

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

Jan: Winter; hut unstaffed (emergency room only)
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Hut staffed from late March; ski tours in the area, ridge often icy
Apr: Spring; ridge usually snowy or icy
May: Spring snow; possible in stable weather
Jun: Good; more snow on the rock steps
Jul: Main season; busy
Aug: Main season; ridge can be icy after cold nights
Sep: Often stable and quieter
Oct: Hut unstaffed from 5 October 2026; short days
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Mönchsjoch hut: online booking via moenchsjoch.ch (compulsory); phone +41 33 971 34 72.

Fees

Jungfrau Railway ticket to the Jungfraujoch
Mönchsjoch hut: CHF 78 per adult with half board, CHF 40 overnight only (2026), plus tourist tax CHF 1.75 per night
Mönchsjoch hut: CHF 20 surcharge per person without a reservation

Rules

Mönchsjoch hut: reservation compulsory, online, by 10:00 on the day of arrival; free cancellation until 18:00 the day before
Mönchsjoch hut: no tap drinking water; bottled water for sale

Getting There

Grindelwald (also Wengen and Lauterbrunnen)

Zurich (ZRH) or Bern (BRN)

Train via Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald Terminal, Eiger Express gondola to Eigergletscher, Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch
Or train to Lauterbrunnen, Wengernalp Railway to Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch
By car: A8 to Interlaken, then to Grindelwald Terminal or Lauterbrunnen (paid parking)
From the Jungfraujoch station: Sphinx tunnel, then about 1 hour on the marked glacier track to the Mönchsjoch hut

Hazards

Exposure
Cornices
Altitude
Weather
Glacier
Crevasses

Huts & Shelters

MönchsjochhütteHutStaffedBooking required
120 beds · Staffed from late March to early October (unstaffed from 5 October 2026); emergency room outside the season
Book Mönchsjochhütte
3,657 m