Weisshorn
4,505 m
Switzerland
Also known as Вайсхорн, ვაისჰორნიAlso known as
Вайсхорн · ვაისჰორნი
- Elevation
- 4,505 m
- Prominence
- 1,234 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 25 Aug 2026
Weisshorn East hanging glacier above Randa: after several ice collapses on 24 August 2026 the commune raised the alert level to 3. Entry is banned inside the marked danger perimeter and the official pedestrian and cycle routes through it are closed until further notice. Check with the commune of Randa or the Weisshornhütte whether the hut paths are affected.
swissinfo.chAdvisoryReported 31 Jul 2025
A 45-year-old climber died in a fall while descending the east ridge at about 3,500 m on 30 July 2025.
bluewin.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: AD, 3a (SAC route portal) · 3b obligatory (Lochmatterturm, A0 possible) (Camptocamp)
The normal route, and still a big, serious climb: 1,570 m from the small Weisshornhütte, first by a tricky night-time path and a long rock rib to the Frühstücksplatz (3,914 m), then a rock ridge with five steps (up to 3b) and a long, narrow snow and ice crest to the summit. As hard in descent as in ascent; 7–8 hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 10.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,151 m
- −53 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,505 m
- Time Up
- 11h 52m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 44m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Randa station (1,409 m) follow the red-and-white marked path via the Jatzalp (T2, 4.5 hours, 1,540 m) or via the Schatzplatte (T3, 5 hours) to the Weisshornhütte (2,932 m), a small hut opposite the Weisshorn's south-east face. It is worth reconnoitring the start of the route the evening before. Day two: from the hut take the path to the hut's water intake on the Schali glacier, traverse it and descend slightly to the gully coming down from a gap just north of point 3,145 m. A wet slab (2b, bolt at the top) and a path out to the right and back lead to the top of the rock band (fixed rope). Snow or scree slopes then lead north-north-east to slabs below a snowy shoulder at about 3,470–3,500 m (15 m, 3b, fixed ropes); climb the shoulder and an easy 20 m chimney (bolts), then a broad, easy rib for over 300 m to the Frühstücksplatz (3,914 m), 2.5–3.5 hours from the hut. Avoid the couloirs on either side of the rib: rockfall. The east ridge proper starts in rock with five steep steps; the first, the Lochmatterturm (plaque at its base), has the hardest move (3b, or A0 on the rings). All the steps are equipped with bolted belays. At about 4,120 m a very sharp snow crest (about 30 m) begins; it then widens to a 50 m snow and ice hump, climbed directly or turned, and continues to the summit rocks (1–1.5 hours from the end of the rock). Descend the same way in about 5 hours, downclimbing or abseiling (20 m maximum) the rock steps, or traverse down the north ridge to the Cabane de Tracuit.
Start
Randa1,407 m
- Train to Randa on the Visp–Zermatt line (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randa → Weisshornhütte | 6.2 | 1,538 | 10 | 5h 56m |
| 2 | Weisshornhütte → Weisshorn | 3.8 | 1,613 | 43 | 5h 56m |
Waypoints
- Station: Randa1,407 m
- Hut: Weisshornhütte2,933 m
- Shoulder: Frühstücksplatz3,908 m
- Summit: Weisshorn4,505 m
Key Passages
- Wet slab and rock band above the Schali glacier (night-time route-finding)
- Slabs to the snowy shoulder (3b, fixed ropes)
- Rock rib to the Frühstücksplatz
- Lochmatterturm and four further rock steps (3a–3b)
- Knife-edge snow crest at about 4,120 m
- Snow/ice hump and summit rocks
Equipment
0/12 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A 4,505 m pyramid of rock and snow above Randa and Zinal, often called the most beautiful mountain in the Alps. Every route is long and committing: the normal east ridge (AD, rock to III) climbs 1,570 m from a small, remote hut, with no easy way off.
The Weisshorn stands on the ridge between the Mattertal and the Val d'Anniviers, nearly 3,100 m above Randa, its three ridges and three faces forming an almost perfect pyramid. It is one of the highest and most respected of the Valais 4,000ers: there is no glacier plod to the top, the huts are small and far below the summit, and the descent is as demanding as the ascent.
The normal route is the east ridge from the Weisshornhütte (2,932 m). After a tricky approach in the dark over wet slabs and a long rock rib to the Frühstücksplatz (3,914 m), the ridge offers five rock steps up to about UIAA III, equipped with bolted belays, then a long, narrow snow and ice crest. From the Zinal side, the north ridge from the Cabane de Tracuit over the Bishorn is a harder (AD+ to D, up to 4a) and very fine mixed ridge, often combined with the east ridge as a traverse. The Schaligrat (south-west ridge) and the Young ridge are serious undertakings for experienced alpinists.
Hazards include rockfall in the gullies beside the east ridge rib, icy conditions on the upper snow crest, exposure throughout, and fatigue on the 5-hour descent; a climber was killed in a fall at about 3,500 m on the east ridge on 30 July 2025. The mountain's east-face hanging glacier above Randa has a long history of collapses and was under an alert in 2026.
Climbing Notes
Only for experienced alpinists: you need to move quickly and securely over long sections of UIAA II–III rock in mountain boots, often in the dark, to climb an exposed snow and ice crest with crampons, and to downclimb or abseil the same ground on the way back. The climb from the Weisshornhütte takes 7–8 hours up and about 5 hours down, after a 4.5-hour, 1,540 m approach the day before. Acclimatise first with two or three nights above 3,000 m and a couple of 4,000 m peaks, and get fit on long rock ridges (the Bishorn or Lagginhorn are typical warm-ups).
Most parties take a guide, usually one client per guide. Reconnoitre the first part of the route above the hut the evening before, start around 2:00–3:00 and set a strict turnaround time. Book the small Weisshornhütte (31 places) early. From Zinal, plan a night at the Cabane de Tracuit and expect a long day over the Bishorn and the north ridge. Avoid hot spells: the gullies beside the east-ridge rib and the approach slabs become more dangerous.
History
John Tyndall, the Irish physicist, made the first ascent on 19 August 1861 with the guides Johann Joseph Bennen and Ulrich Wenger by the east ridge, still the normal route. Leslie Stephen with Melchior Anderegg and Franz Biner made the second ascent in 1862. The north ridge from the Bishorn was first traversed in 1898, and the Schaligrat was first climbed on 2 September 1895 by Edward Alfred Broome with the guides Joseph-Marie Biner and Ambros Imboden. The east-side hanging glaciers have repeatedly broken off; in 1991 a series of rockslides came down above Randa.
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; Weisshornhütte winter room only (6 places)
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions; Tracuit hut open for ski touring from mid-March
- Apr
- Rarely climbed; ski tourers stop on the Bishorn
- May
- Ridges snow-covered
- Jun
- Weisshornhütte usually staffed from late June; ridge often still snowy
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; rockfall in the rib-side gullies during heat waves
- Sep
- Good, quieter conditions; Weisshornhütte closes in September
- Oct
- Huts unstaffed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Weisshornhütte: online via alpenonline.ch (linked from sac-basel.ch), hut phone +41 27 967 12 62. Cabane de Tracuit: online only via tracuit.ch, +41 27 475 15 00.
- Fees
- Weisshornhütte (SAC Basel price list): SAC members CHF 30 overnight / CHF 79 half board; non-members CHF 42 / CHF 91; cash only (CHF), no cards
- Cabane de Tracuit: see the hut's tariffs page (not verified for 2026)
- Rules
- Weisshornhütte: sleeping-bag liner compulsory; no self-cooking in the kitchen during the staffed season (food can be handed to the warden for a small fee)
- Weisshornhütte winter room (6 places): registration with the hut warden required
- Cabane de Tracuit: online reservation mandatory at all times
- Randa: an entry ban applies inside the marked danger perimeter below the Weisshorn east hanging glacier (in force since June 2026, until further notice)
- Getting There
Randa (Mattertal); Zinal (Val d'Anniviers) for the north ridge
Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH)
- Train on the Visp–Zermatt line to Randa (parking garage in Randa)
- Zinal: train to Sierre, then PostBus up the Val d'Anniviers
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
- Cornices
- Crevasses
- Glacier
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,932 m
WeisshornhütteHutStaffed
31 beds · Usually staffed from late June into September; 6-place winter room otherwise
- 3,256 m
Cabane de TracuitHutStaffedBooking required
120 beds · 2026: 14 March–3 May and 20 June–27 September; winter room otherwise