Titlis
3,238 m
Switzerland
Also known as ТитлисAlso known as
Титлис
- Elevation
- 3,238 m
- Prominence
- 1,014 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 1 Sep 2026
Condition report of 1 September 2026: the path up the west ridge from Klein Titlis has new blue waymarks on its lower two-thirds and has been considerably improved. The Rotair was under maintenance and visitors were carried by a new cabin lift.
gipfelbuch.chWorksReported 29 May 2026 · until 31 Dec 2029
The Titlis Tower on Klein Titlis opened on 29 May 2026. Construction of a new top station is under way, with completion expected by 2029; expect changes to routes through the station complex.
srf.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: L (F) (gipfelbuch.ch) · T3+ in good summer conditions (hikr.org)
The shortest high-mountain summit in central Switzerland: from the top station of the Titlis cable cars (3,020 m) across the groomed glacier piste past the Ice Flyer to the Stotzig Egg, then up the open west slope and ridge, with steel cables on the last steep step. About 250 m of ascent and 1 hour up, but it is real glacier terrain with cornices on the north side.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 1.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +240 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,238 m
- Time Up
- 1h 02m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 44m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the cable cars from Engelberg via Trübsee and Stand to the Titlis top station on Klein Titlis (3,020 m). Follow the snow-groomer track east and slightly left, gently downhill over the glacier piste to the top of the Ice Flyer chairlift. From the connecting piste between the Stotzig Egg and Ice Flyer lifts, turn right at the warning sign where you leave the ski area and climb the straight, open west slope directly to the upper saddle. Keep a safe distance from the drop and the cornices on the right (north and east). In high summer the west ridge is largely free of snow and a zigzag trail leads up it; in 2026 the lower two-thirds received new blue-and-white waymarks and an improved path. After a shallow hollow, steel cables help on the last steeper section to the summit (3,238 m) with its large survey triangle and panorama boards. Slopes rarely exceed 30°, but larger crevasses lie further down the glacier, the slope can be hard or icy early and late in the day, and in cloud the open glacier is disorienting. Descend the same way to Klein Titlis; hikr gives about 2 hours for the round trip. Watch the time of the last cable car down. In winter and spring this is the start of the Titlis ski tour, which needs full glacier and avalanche equipment.
Start
Titlis Bergstation (Klein Titlis)3,019 m
- Engelberg–Trübsee (Titlis Xpress), Trübsee–Stand and Stand–Klein Titlis (Rotair); the Klein Titlis top station is being rebuilt until 2029
- Train Lucerne–Engelberg (Zentralbahn), short walk to the Titlis cable car valley station
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Titlis Bergstation (Klein Titlis) → Titlis | 1.6 | 240 | 21 | 1h 02m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Titlis Bergstation (Klein Titlis)3,019 m
- Lift: Bergstation Sessellift Ice Flyer3,039 m
- Summit: Titlis3,238 m
Key Passages
- Leaving the ski area at the warning sign near the Stotzig Egg
- Open west slope with cornices on the right
- Cable-protected final step to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest peak of central Switzerland, a 3,238 m ice-capped summit above Engelberg. Cable cars go almost to the top, and from Klein Titlis a one-hour glacier walk (F) leads up the west ridge to the summit.
The Titlis rises above Engelberg on the border between Obwalden and Bern, with a broad glacier on its northern side and a steep limestone wall to the east and south. It is the highest point of the region between Lake Lucerne, the Susten Pass and the Haslital, and with roughly 1,000 m of prominence it dominates the skyline seen from Lucerne.
It is also one of the most developed mountains in the Alps. Three cable car sections, the last of them the rotating Rotair, lift hundreds of thousands of visitors a year from Engelberg to Klein Titlis (3,020 m). The site has a glacier cave, the Cliff Walk suspension bridge, summer skiing and, since May 2026, the Titlis Tower designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The true summit is 218 m higher and about 1 km east, beyond the edge of the ski area.
From the top station the climb to the summit is short and technically easy: a glacier piste, an open snow slope and a ridge with fixed cables at the top. It is still high-mountain terrain with cornices, crevasses lower down, cold and sudden cloud, and the ice has shrunk markedly in recent summers. Climbers who want to earn the summit can walk from Trübsee or even Engelberg, about 1,450–2,240 m of ascent, onto the Titlis glacier.
Climbing Notes
With the cable car this is a half-day outing for anyone with basic mountain experience, good boots and some sure-footedness on snow; fitness is less of an issue than the sudden jump to 3,000 m, so people coming straight from the lowlands may feel the altitude. Bring crampons and an ice axe unless conditions are known to be snow-free, keep well away from the cornices on the north-east side, and do not wander off the trodden line onto the glacier, which has crevasses lower down. Engelberg's mountain guides run guided ascents for those without glacier experience. Climbing on foot from Trübsee (about 1,450 m of ascent) or Engelberg (2,240 m) is a long day and a real glacier tour with crampons, axe and, ideally, a rope. Check the cable car timetable and current construction-related changes at the top station before you go.
History
The first ascent was probably made in 1739 by Ignaz Hess, J. E. Waser and two companions from Engelberg; the monastery's records document a party of four reaching the summit in 1744. It is among the earliest glaciated summits in the Alps to have been climbed. Richard Armin Baltzer, Leodegar Feierabend and Jules Piccard made the first winter ascent on 25 December 1866. Joseph Kuster and Willi Amrhein made the first ski ascent on 21 January 1904. The Rotair was the world's first rotating cable car. The Cliff Walk opened in December 2012 and the converted Titlis Tower on 29 May 2026; a new top station is due by 2029.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Ski area; summit only as a ski tour for equipped, experienced parties
- Feb
- Ski tours (e.g. the Titlis round tour) in good avalanche conditions
- May
- Snow-covered; crampons and axe; cornices
- Jun
- Snow on the west slope; good firm snow early in the day
- Aug
- Ridge largely snow-free; glacier entry from Unter Rotegg can be icy
- Sep
- Stable weather; 2026 conditions reported as excellent
- Oct
- Early snow and short days; check cable car revisions
- Nov
- Cable cars often closed for maintenance
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Cable car fare Engelberg–Klein Titlis (see titlis.ch)
- Paid parking at the Engelberg valley station
- Rules
- Beyond the warning sign at the edge of the ski area the terrain is unsecured high mountain terrain; walkers go at their own risk
- Construction of the new Klein Titlis top station (until 2029) may change access routes within the station
- Getting There
Engelberg
Zurich (ZRH), about 110 km
- Train from Lucerne to Engelberg (Zentralbahn, about 45 minutes), then walk to the Titlis cable car valley station
- By car: A2 to Stans-Süd, then up the valley to Engelberg; parking at the cable car
- Cable cars: Engelberg–Trübsee (Titlis Xpress), Trübsee–Stand, Stand–Klein Titlis (Rotair)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Cornices
- Weather
- Altitude