Ober Gabelhorn
4,063 m
Switzerland
Also known as Obergabelhorn, ობერ-გაბელჰორნი, +1Also known as
Obergabelhorn · ობერ-გაბელჰორნი · Обер-Габельхорн
- Elevation
- 4,063 m
- Prominence
- 536 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 1 Sep 2024
Rockslides closed the usual Zermatt–Edelweiss–Trift path to the Rothornhütte; parties used a detour via Chüeberg from the north end of Zermatt (about 100–150 m more ascent). Reported on Camptocamp as 'September 2024' (month precision only). Check current status before going.
camptocamp.orgWorksReported 17 Aug 2024
The Rothornhütte was rebuilt slightly below its old site after permafrost-related ground movement; the new hut, with 54 places, was inaugurated on 17 August 2024.
thomascrauwels.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: French 4b (one unprotected layback pitch below the summit) (Camptocamp) · PD (Cosley & Houston)
The usual route from Zermatt: a long walk to the Rothornhütte, then glacier, easy rock and snow over the Wellenkuppe (3,903 m), the fixed rope on the Grand Gendarme, an exposed corniced snow ridge above the north face and steep, solid rock to the summit. AD, about 6 hours from the hut, descent the same way.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 11.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,585 m
- −127 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,063 m
- Time Up
- 10h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 05m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Zermatt (about 1,610 m) a steep path climbs west past the Edelweiss restaurant (Alterhaupt) and the Hotel du Trift (2,337 m), then up the Vieliboden and a long moraine crest to the Rothornhütte (3,180–3,198 m), 4½–5 hours. The hut was rebuilt slightly below its old site and reopened in August 2024. After rockslides in 2024 parties have used a detour via Chüeberg/Hubel from the north end of Zermatt, about 100–150 m more ascent; check the current state of the Trift gorge path. From the hut follow the left bank of the Trift glacier in a wide arc to avoid crevasses and reach the shoulder at the foot of the Wellenkuppe's east ridge (about 1 hour 20 minutes). Easy broken rock with cairns and iron stakes (a chimney of III in one variant) leads to slabs (3a) and a 35° snow slope to the summit of the Wellenkuppe (3,903 m), about 3 hours from the hut. Descend snow to the col below the Grand Gendarme (Klucker tower, about 3,870 m), which carries a thick fixed rope (replaced in 2018); either climb it or traverse a ledge 10 m below the top. A short down-climb leads to the snow ridge; follow it, then a steeper snow slope, to the final rock ridge, which gives several pitches of good rock to the summit, including a 4b layback pitch that is hard to protect. Allow about 6 hours from the hut. Descend the same way, with 25 m abseils from slings and maillons on the upper ridge and the Grand Gendarme and three 25 m abseils below the Wellenkuppe, then the final abseil onto the Trift glacier shoulder. The ridge is exposed above the north face and can be corniced; do not underestimate the descent (AD, III+ at the Grand Gendarme) or navigation off the Wellenkuppe in mist.
Start
Zermatt1,606 m
- Train via Visp to Zermatt (or park in Täsch and take the shuttle train); the hut path starts in the village.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zermatt → Rothornhütte | 8.1 | 1,595 | 16 | 6h 22m |
| 2 | Rothornhütte → Ober Gabelhorn | 3.8 | 990 | 111 | 4h |
Waypoints
- Station: Zermatt1,606 m
- Hut: Rothornhütte3,180 m
- Shoulder: Wellenkuppe3,895 m
- Crux: Grand Gendarme3,832 m
Klucker tower with a fixed rope; can be bypassed on a ledge 10 m below the top
- Summit: Ober Gabelhorn4,063 m
Key Passages
- Trift glacier (crevasses)
- Broken rock and slabs on the Wellenkuppe east ridge
- Grand Gendarme (Klucker tower) fixed rope
- Corniced snow ridge above the north face
- Final rock ridge with a 4b layback pitch
Equipment
0/12 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A sharp 4,063 m rock-and-ice pyramid between Zermatt and Zinal, often called one of the most beautiful peaks in the Alps. Every route is a genuine climb: the normal route over the Wellenkuppe is AD, with a fixed-rope gendarme, a corniced ridge and steep summit rock.
The Ober Gabelhorn stands on the ridge between the Zinal valley and the Zmutt valley west of Zermatt, with the Dent Blanche to the west and the Zinalrothorn to the north. It has the classic pyramid shape of its neighbour the Matterhorn on a smaller scale: a smooth, fully glaciated north face above the Gabelhorn and Trift glaciers, and rocky ridges elsewhere, the Arbengrat (WSW), the Coeur ridge (NNW), the Gabelhorngrat (SE) and the east-north-east ridge over the Wellenkuppe.
There is no easy way up. The normal route from the Rothornhütte crosses the Trift glacier, goes over the Wellenkuppe (3,903 m), passes the fixed-rope Grand Gendarme and follows an exposed snow ridge to a final rock step with a short layback pitch, all at AD. The Arbengrat from the Arbenbiwak, on sound rock at around grade IV, is the main alternative and is often combined with the normal route as a traverse.
Expect a long, varied day with frequent changes between rock, snow and ice, cornices above the north face, and many abseils on the descent. It is a popular objective for climbers moving on from easier 4000ers, but a significant step up from them.
Climbing Notes
You need to move confidently and quickly on grade III–IV rock in boots and crampons, on exposed snow ridges and on a crevassed glacier, and to manage several abseils on the descent. Good fitness for a 1,600 m hut walk followed by a 6-hour climb and an equally long descent is essential, as is prior acclimatisation, for example on the Breithorn, Allalinhorn or Weissmies. Many climbers go with a guide; Zermatt guide programmes usually pair it with the Zinalrothorn from the same hut.
Typical itinerary: day 1 from Zermatt to the Rothornhütte (4½–5 hours); day 2 summit via the Wellenkuppe (about 6 hours) and back to the hut, then down to Zermatt the same day or the next. For the Arbengrat, sleep at the Arbenbiwak (from Schwarzsee about 4 hours) and either descend the same ridge or traverse to the Rothornhütte. Book the hut early; the rebuilt Rothornhütte has 54 places.
History
A. W. Moore and Horace Walker with the guide Jakob Anderegg made the first ascent on 6 July 1865 by the east face. A day later Lord Francis Douglas, Peter Taugwalder and Joseph Vianin made the second ascent, by the NNW (Coeur) ridge, unaware of Moore's success; part of the summit collapsed under them and they were held by Vianin's rope. Douglas died a week later on the first ascent of the Matterhorn. The Arbengrat was first climbed in 1874 and the Gabelhorngrat in 1877. Christian Klucker and Ludwig Norman-Neruda made the first ascent of the ENE ridge, today's normal route, on 1 August 1890; fixed ropes were placed on its Grand Gendarme (the Klucker tower) in 1918, after which it became popular. The north face was first climbed on 30 July 1930 by H. Kiener and R. Schwarzgruber.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; Rothornhütte only has a 4-place emergency room
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; rare ski-mountaineering ascents
- Apr
- Spring snow; ridges heavily loaded
- May
- Snowy ridges; huts closed
- Jun
- Hut opens late June; ridges often still snowy and corniced
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; drier rock, icier snow slopes late in the month
- Sep
- Good in stable weather until the hut closes mid-September
- Oct
- Hut closed; early winter conditions
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rothornhütte SAC: via rothornhuette-sac.ch. Arbenbiwak (SAC Zermatt section): online reservation.
- Fees
- Rothornhütte overnight fee (95 CHF half-board for non-members reported in 2024)
- Arbenbiwak overnight fee, paid on site
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gondola to Schwarzsee (Arbengrat)
- Rules
- Zermatt is car-free: park in Täsch and take the shuttle train, or arrive by train
- The Arbenbiwak is unstaffed; reservations are made online
- Getting There
Zermatt
Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH)
- Train via Visp to Zermatt; by car to Täsch, then the shuttle train
- Rothornhütte path starts in Zermatt village (Zermatt–Alterhaupt–Trift–Rothornhütte, about 4 h 40 min)
- For the Arbengrat: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gondola to Schwarzsee, then on foot via Stafelalp to the Arbenbiwak (about 4 h)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Cornices
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 3,180 m
RothornhütteHutStaffedBooking required
54 beds · Late June to mid-September (Zermatt Tourism: mid-July to mid-September); 4-place emergency room only outside the season
- 3,224 m
ArbenbiwakBivouacUnstaffed
15 beds · Open year-round; usually used July–September; a warden is often present in season