Mountain·Switzerland

Finsteraarhorn

4,274m

Bernese Alps

Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation: 4,274m
Prominence: 2,278m
Isolation: 52km
Relief: 1,894mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope: 62°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit: All yearSee month by month ↓
Summit: 46.5372°N, 8.1247°E

Highest mountain of the Bernese Alps at the border of Berne and Valais in Switzerland

Finsteraarhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps (Switzerland). Its summit stands 4,274 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 2,278 m, and the nearest higher ground is 52 km away.

From the lowest point within 5 km (2,380 m), it rises 1,894 m. The steepest side is the north-east face: 49° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 62° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Grindelwald, 12 km away at 1,047 m: 3,227 m below the summit.

Finsteraarhorn 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

7.4/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T5 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

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

0.8/2.51 waymarked routes and 12 path sections nearby
1.5/1.59 huts and shelters
2.0/23,227 m of ascent from the valley
1.4/1.52,278 m of prominence
1.0/1.54 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
0.6/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

7.4/10

3.4/4125 km of downhill runs
1.0/1.526 ski lifts
0.0/1.5lift station heights not mapped
3.0/36 months of snow at about 1,547 m

Runs by difficulty

Easy 58 km
Intermediate 57 km
Difficult 6 km
Expert 3 km
Freeride 1 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 1,547 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from November to April (some years from November to May).

Snow on the ground all month
Snow some of the time
No snow
This month

26 lifts · 28 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 Finsteraarhorn

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Summit4,274 msnow all year round	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,660 msnow from October to July	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	No snow	No snow	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month
Grindelwald1,047 msnow from December to April	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	Snow 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

Finsteraarhorn, 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 1 °C; on January nights it falls to about -28 °C. In 10 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 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit

Month	Summit high °C	Summit low °C	Grindelwald high °C	0 °C line (m)	Rain & snow (mm)	Wet days	Sun h/day
January	-20	-28	1	1,220	81	14	4.1
February	-19	-28	2	1,350	69	12	5.5
March	-16	-23	5	1,840	89	15	6.4
April	-11	-19	10	2,580	103	16	5.9
May	-6	-14	15	3,390	154	20	5.7
June	-1	-10	20	4,130	151	20	7.4
July	1	-8	22	4,410	148	19	7.9
August	0	-8	21	4,350	165	18	7.1
September	-3	-12	18	3,750	106	16	6.1
October	-8	-16	13	3,050	107	15	4.7
November	-14	-21	7	2,070	114	16	3.4
December	-19	-26	2	1,390	92	15	3.4

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

South – north

Steepness by direction

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

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Finsteraarhorn

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

Finsteraarhorn 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.

9mountain huts and shelters
Eiger-Ostegghütte (2,320 m), Lauteraarhütte (2,393 m), Oberaarjochhütte (3,258 m), Finsteraarhornhütte (3,048 m) and 5 more
—cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways
9ski areas
First – Grindelwald, Bellwald, Grindelwald - Wengen, Gluringen and 5 more
1waymarked hiking routes
1via ferratas
Klettersteig Ostegghütte
—climbing crags and routes
30named glaciers
Unteres Eismeer, Unteraargletscher, Oberaargletscher, Kalligletscher and 26 more
4viewpoints
Bänisegg, Schärflüe
—campsites
46hotels, B&Bs and chalets
Aspen Hotel, Tenne, Blinnenhorn, Glocke and 42 more
42restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

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

T4T5T6

T4 alpine hiking
T5 demanding alpine hiking
T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

Grindelwald12 km · 1,047 m
Fiesch15 km · 1,052 m
Lauterbrunnen18 km · 787 m
Meiringen22 km · 599 m
Bönigen24 km · 569 m
Wilderswil25 km · 598 m

Car hire at BRN airport (Bern)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

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

5676 - Schynige Platte - View of Lütschinetal, Wetterhorn, Mettenberg, Schreckhorn, Finsteraarhorn, Eiger — Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5

Aletschgletscher und Märjelenseen — Paradise Chronicle · CC BY-SA 4.0

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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1991–2020 average	-20	-19	-16	-11	-6	-1	1	0	-3	-8	-14	-19
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 mEiger

Switzerland10 km away

4,158 mJungfrau

Switzerland12 km away

4,110 mMönch

Switzerland10 km away

4,078 mSchreckhorn

Switzerland6 km away

4,049 mGross Fiescherhorn

Switzerland5 km away

4,043 mGrünhorn

Switzerland4 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominence	Wikidata (Q15127) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profiles	Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Climate	NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain	© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Images	EOX 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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