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Wetterhorn and Bärglistock

Mountain·SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Wetterhorn

3,690m

Schreckhorn-Wetterhorn Group

Summit weather

Xperience · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
3,690m
Prominence
211m
Isolation
0.8km
Relief
2,603mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
67°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
Summit
46.6392°N, 8.1156°E

Mountain in the Bernese Alps, Grindelwald, Switzerland

Wetterhorn is a mountain in the Schreckhorn-Wetterhorn Group (Switzerland). Its summit stands 3,690 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 211 m.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,087 m), it rises 2,603 m. The steepest side is the north face: 45° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 67° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Grindelwald, 6 km away at 1,047 m: 2,643 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Wetterhorn 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

9.5/10

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.

  • 2.5/2.597 waymarked routes and 153 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.511 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/22,643 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.0/1.5211 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.56 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 1.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

9.7/10

  • 3.7/4207 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.544 ski lifts
  • 1.5/1.51,541 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/37 months of snow at about 1,728 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Easy 98 km
  • Intermediate 84 km
  • Difficult 15 km
  • Expert 3 km
  • Freeride 4 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 1,728 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from November to May.

  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

44 lifts · lift stations from 957 to 2,498 m · 1 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 Wetterhorn

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

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,690 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 up2,368 msnow 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 on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Grindelwald1,047 msnow from December to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo 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

Wetterhorn, 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 5 °C; on January nights it falls to about -24 °C. In 8 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 · 3,690 mGRINDELWALD · 1,047 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 °CGrindelwald high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-16-2411,22081144.1
February-15-2421,35069125.5
March-12-2051,84089156.4
April-7-15102,580103165.9
May-2-10153,390154205.7
June3-6204,130151207.4
July5-4224,410148197.9
August4-5214,350165187.1
September0-8183,750106166.1
October-4-12133,050107154.7
November-10-1772,070114163.4
December-15-2221,39092153.4

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. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east
3,690 m1,266 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,690 m1,668 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 45°NNE: 40°NEE: 24°ESE: 12°SES: 35°SSW: 42°SWW: 38°WNW: 45°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 Wetterhorn

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

Wetterhorn 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 Oberjoch at 2,498 m — just 1,192 m below the summit.

  • 11mountain huts and shelters

    Reutsperre (1,272 m), Engelhornhütte (1,901 m), Eiger-Ostegghütte (2,320 m), Alp Tschingelfeld and 7 more

  • 11cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Firstbahn, Oberjoch, Pfingsteggbahn, Sesselbahn Windegg and 7 more

  • 9ski areas

    First – Grindelwald, Meiringen-Hasliberg, Axalp ob Brienz, Grindelwald - Wengen and 5 more

  • 97waymarked hiking routes

    First - Grosse Scheidegg (Höhenweg 2400), Grosse Scheidegg - Mühlebach, Grosse Scheidegg - Schreckfeld, Breitenbodenalp - Pfanni and 93 more

  • 2via ferratas

    Schwarzhorn - Klettersteig, Klettersteig Ostegghütte

  • 2climbing crags and routes

    Klettergarten Gletscherschlucht

  • 19named glaciers

    Unteres Eismeer, Unteraargletscher, Kalligletscher, Strahleggfirn and 15 more

  • 26viewpoints

    Aussichtspunkt Aellfluh, Holenwang (Alp), Bänisegg, First Cliff Walk by Tissot and 22 more

  • 4campsites

    Camping Aareschlucht, Camping Gletscherdorf, Camping Sand Grindelwald, Eigernordwand

  • 74hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Rosenlaui, Zwirgi, Dakota, Sherlock Holmes and 70 more

  • 84restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

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

T1T2T3T4T5T6
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking
  • T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Grindelwald6 km · 1,047 m
  • Meiringen11 km · 599 m
  • Brienz14 km · 563 m
  • Lauterbrunnen16 km · 787 m
  • Lungern17 km · 716 m
  • Bönigen18 km · 569 m
  • Ringgenberg18 km · 603 m
  • Matten19 km · 576 m
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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

011 Wetterhorn - Berner Alpen
W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
5346 - Grindelwald - Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, Mettenberg, Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher
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-16-15-12-7-23540-4-10-15
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

Nearby

More mountains nearby

3,967 mEigerSwitzerlandSwitzerland11 km away4,274 mFinsteraarhornSwitzerlandSwitzerland11 km away4,078 mSchreckhornSwitzerlandSwitzerland6 km away4,110 mMönchSwitzerlandSwitzerland13 km away4,158 mJungfrauSwitzerlandSwitzerland16 km away4,042 mLauteraarhornSwitzerlandSwitzerland6 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q665089) · 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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