Jörg Braukmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Highest mountain of the Vosges Mountains in France
Grand Ballon is a mountain in the Higher Vosges (France). Its summit stands 1,424 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,081 m, and the nearest higher ground is 67 km away.
From the lowest point within 5 km (428 m), it rises 996 m. The steepest side is the south face: 24° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 35° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.
The nearest town is Moosch, 6 km away at 386 m: 1,038 m below the summit.
Scores
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
8.2/10
Difficulty to the top
Hike
Most path sections around the top are T1 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
5.7/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 886 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to March (some years from November to April).
24 lifts · 40 km cross-country
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.
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Snow
At the summit, snow from November to April (some years from November to May). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit1,424 msnow from November to April (some years from November to May) | 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 some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month |
Halfway up905 msnow from December to March (some years from November to April) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month |
Moosch386 moccasional snow from December to February | Snow some of the time | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time |
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
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 18 °C; on January nights it falls to about -9 °C. In 3 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,160 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, April is the driest month (60 mm) and May the wettest (94 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | Moosch high °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -3 | -9 | 3 | 910 | 78 | 13 | 1.7 |
| February | -2 | -9 | 5 | 1,110 | 63 | 12 | 2.9 |
| March | 3 | -6 | 10 | 1,860 | 69 | 12 | 4.7 |
| April | 8 | -3 | 15 | 2,630 | 60 | 12 | 6.5 |
| May | 12 | 2 | 18 | 3,220 | 94 | 15 | 6.9 |
| June | 16 | 5 | 23 | 3,860 | 83 | 14 | 8.1 |
| July | 18 | 7 | 24 | 4,160 | 78 | 14 | 7.9 |
| August | 17 | 6 | 24 | 4,100 | 85 | 13 | 7.0 |
| September | 13 | 2 | 20 | 3,480 | 67 | 11 | 6.1 |
| October | 8 | -1 | 15 | 2,660 | 84 | 13 | 3.8 |
| November | 2 | -5 | 8 | 1,660 | 78 | 14 | 1.8 |
| December | -3 | -8 | 4 | 1,020 | 90 | 15 | 1.3 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 496 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
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.
Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.
Around the mountain
Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.
N
5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Refuge du Hahnenbrunnen, Refuge du Storkenkopf, Abri Diemunsch, Refuge du Molkenrain and 13 more
funiculaire de service
Station de ski du Schnepfenried, Station du Markstein, Snowkite Markstein, Thanner Hubel and 2 more
GR 5 Vosges, Le Donon - Ballon d'Alsace, GR 532, Circuit du col Amic, Sentier de la Cascade du Seebach and 180 more
École d'escalade
Rehbrunnel, Rocher d'Ostein, Colline du Bûcher, Colline de la Vierge and 88 more
Aire de Services Murbach, La Sapiniere, Aire de Services Willer-sur-Thur, Aire de camping-car du Grand Ballon and 10 more
Ferme Auberge Landersen, Ferme Auberge Kahlenwasen, Chalet Hôtel Du Grand Ballon, Chalet Saint-Antoine and 60 more
268 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).
OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Photos
Recent years
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 | -3 | -2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 2 | -3 |
| 2020 | +2.2 | +3.7 | +0.4 | +3.7 | +0.4 | −1.6 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +2.7 | −1.7 | +2.0 | +0.4 |
| 2021 | −1.1 | +3.1 | +0.1 | −2.2 | −3.6 | +1.1 | −2.0 | −2.5 | +1.4 | ±0.0 | −2.0 | +0.6 |
| 2022 | +0.3 | +2.6 | +2.8 | −0.8 | +2.7 | +3.0 | +4.2 | +4.7 | ±0.0 | +4.4 | +2.4 | +0.9 |
| 2023 | +1.6 | +2.4 | +1.1 | −1.7 | +1.0 | +4.1 | +2.1 | +1.7 | +6.1 | +3.7 | +0.1 | +2.0 |
| 2024 | +1.3 | +4.3 | +2.5 | −0.7 | −0.2 | −0.6 | +0.2 | +1.7 | −1.1 | +1.5 | +0.7 | +0.1 |
| 2025 | +1.7 | +1.3 | +2.1 | +1.6 | +1.0 | +3.2 | +0.3 | +2.4 | −1.0 | −0.4 | +0.4 | +2.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q1397720) · 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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