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Mittaghorn in 3D: real relief (Copernicus DEM) and satellite image (Sentinel-2)

Mountain·SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Mittaghorn

3,893m

Gletscherhorn-Blümlisalp-Balmhorn Group

Summit weather

3D view drawn from Copernicus WorldDEM-30 (© DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA) and Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH, CC BY 4.0

Elevation
3,893m
Prominence
197m
Isolation
1.8km
Relief
2,751mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
61°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
Summit
46.4978°N, 7.9328°E

Mountain

Mittaghorn is a mountain in the Gletscherhorn-Blümlisalp-Balmhorn Group (Switzerland). Its summit stands 3,893 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 197 m, and the nearest higher ground is 1.8 km away.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,142 m), it rises 2,751 m. The steepest side is the north-west face: 42° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 61° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Lauterbrunnen, 11 km away at 787 m: 3,106 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Mittaghorn for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

8.9/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T4 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.556 waymarked routes and 96 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.513 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/23,106 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.0/1.5197 m of prominence
  • 1.2/1.55 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.6/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

9.4/10

  • 3.9/4246 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.551 ski lifts
  • 1.0/1.51,042 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/38 months of snow at about 2,164 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Easy 91 km
  • Intermediate 77 km
  • Difficult 32 km
  • Expert 2 km
  • Freeride 4 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 2,164 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from November to June (some years from October to June).

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

51 lifts · lift stations from 1,643 to 2,685 m · 4 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Mittaghorn

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,893 msnow all year round
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,340 msnow from November to June (some years from October to June)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow some of the timeSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Lauterbrunnen787 msnow from December to March
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Mittaghorn, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 3 °C; on January nights it falls to about -25 °C. In 9 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,410 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (69 mm) and August the wettest (165 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 mSUMMIT · 3,893 mLAUTERBRUNNEN · 787 mJanuary: 1,220 mFebruary: 1,350 mMarch: 1,840 mApril: 2,580 mMay: 3,390 mJune: 4,130 mJuly: 4,410 mAugust: 4,350 mSeptember: 3,750 mOctober: 3,050 mNovember: 2,070 mDecember: 1,390 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CLauterbrunnen high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-17-2531,22081144.1
February-17-2541,35069125.5
March-13-2171,84089156.4
April-9-16122,580103165.9
May-3-12173,390154205.7
June2-7224,130151207.4
July3-6244,410148197.9
August3-6234,350165187.1
September-1-10193,750106166.1
October-6-14153,050107154.7
November-12-1982,070114163.4
December-16-2441,39092153.4

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 1,854 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east
3,893 m2,179 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,893 m1,203 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 34°NNE: 13°NEE: 18°ESE: 21°SES: 27°SSW: 13°SWW: 37°WNW: 42°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Mittaghorn

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Mittaghorn seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches Riggli at 2,685 m — just 1,208 m below the summit.

  • 13mountain huts and shelters

    Rotstockhütte (2,039 m), Spielbodenalp, Guggihütte (2,791 m), Berggasthaus Tschingelhorn (1,678 m) and 9 more

  • 21cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Stechelberg – Gimmelwald, Birg - Schilthorn, Riggli, Muttleren and 17 more

  • 5ski areas

    Mürren/Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch Snow Fun Park, Grindelwald - Wengen, Grindelwald - Wengen (Kleine Scheidegg - Männlichen) and 1 more

  • 56waymarked hiking routes

    Schwendriwald - Wasserbrücke, Schwendriwald - fixme, Stechelberg / Rütti - Schwendriwald, Stechelberg / Rütti - Stechelberg / Post and 52 more

  • 13via ferratas

    Mürreflue - Klettersteig, Nepalbrücke (3 Seile), Hängebrücke (ein Halteseil), Rock Metal Climbing (B/C) and 9 more

  • —climbing crags and routes
  • 34named glaciers

    Chielouwenengletscher, Schmadrigletscher, Nollengletscher, Hochfirn and 30 more

  • 21viewpoints

    Panorama-Webcam Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn, Tanzbödeli, High Ultimate Basejump and 17 more

  • 3campsites

    Rütti, Breithorn, Camping Fafleralp

  • 28hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hotel Restaurant Stechelberg, Mittagshorn, Desalpes, Fafleralp and 24 more

  • 37restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

96 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Lauterbrunnen11 km · 787 m
  • Grindelwald16 km · 1,047 m
  • Fiesch19 km · 1,052 m
  • Wilderswil19 km · 598 m
  • Naters20 km · 720 m
  • Matten21 km · 576 m
  • Brig21 km · 680 m
  • Bönigen21 km · 569 m

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Mittaghorn
T. Kennedy · Public domain
4675 - Gimmelwald - View from Mountain Hostel
Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5
5651-5652 - Schynige Platte - View of Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnental
Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-17-17-13-9-3233-1-6-12-16
2020+2.2+2.9+0.4+2.8+1.8−1.7+0.9+0.7+1.0−2.5+3.5−0.6
2021−1.4+2.2−0.3−1.8−2.5+1.0−0.6−0.9+1.7−0.4−0.2+1.2
2022+1.2+1.6+2.1+1.2+2.8+2.8+2.8+2.3−0.5+3.8+0.7+1.0
2023+0.2+2.6+2.9−0.7+0.3+1.1+1.6+1.4+4.0+3.1−1.1+1.8
2024+1.7+4.1+1.4−0.8−0.6−0.1+1.8+2.9−1.6+1.1+2.4+1.9
2025+1.7+2.4+1.4+2.7+0.5+4.1−0.8+1.4+0.7−0.2−0.1+2.4

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q674459) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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