Johnny Chicago at Luxembourgish Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mountain massif in central Switzerland
Mount Pilatus is a mountain in the Luzern Prealps (Switzerland). Its summit stands 2,128 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 585 m, and the nearest higher ground is 17 km away.
From the lowest point within 5 km (434 m), it rises 1,694 m. The steepest side is the north face: 38° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 59° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.
The nearest town is Alpnach, 4 km away at 463 m: 1,665 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
8.7/10
Difficulty to the top
Hike
Most path sections around the top are T2 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
6.5/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 1,281 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to April (some years from November to April).
22 lifts · lift stations from 492 to 2,070 m · 53 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 June (some years from October to June). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit2,128 msnow from November to June (some years from October to June) | 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 | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month |
Halfway up1,296 msnow from December to April (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 on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month |
Alpnach463 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 14 °C; on January nights it falls to about -13 °C. In 5 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,210 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (75 mm) and August the wettest (158 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | Alpnach high °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -6 | -13 | 4 | 1,140 | 94 | 13 | 2.5 |
| February | -5 | -13 | 5 | 1,290 | 75 | 12 | 3.8 |
| March | -1 | -9 | 10 | 1,970 | 96 | 14 | 5.3 |
| April | 4 | -5 | 15 | 2,740 | 98 | 15 | 6.5 |
| May | 8 | -1 | 19 | 3,340 | 150 | 18 | 6.7 |
| June | 12 | 4 | 23 | 3,970 | 146 | 18 | 8.0 |
| July | 14 | 5 | 24 | 4,210 | 152 | 18 | 8.1 |
| August | 13 | 5 | 24 | 4,140 | 158 | 17 | 7.3 |
| September | 9 | 1 | 20 | 3,540 | 101 | 14 | 6.0 |
| October | 5 | -3 | 16 | 2,940 | 100 | 13 | 4.2 |
| November | -1 | -8 | 10 | 1,950 | 93 | 14 | 2.4 |
| December | -6 | -12 | 5 | 1,280 | 100 | 14 | 2.0 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 938 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.
A lift reaches Pilatus Kulm (Luftseilbahn) at 2,070 m — just 58 m below the summit.
Egg-Hüttli, Alpgschwänd, Tripolihütte (1,763 m), Mösere Hütte (1,325 m) and 2 more
Luftseilbahn Fräkmüntegg-Pilatus Kulm, Luftseilbahn Kälti-Stanserhorn (CabriO), Standseilbahn Kriens-Sonnenberg, Luftseilbahn Brunni-Alpgschwänd and 15 more
Dallenwil - Wirzweli, Langis - Glaubenberg, Eigenthal, Gfellen-Finsterwald and 5 more
Bruder-Klausen-Weg, Balismatt - Felli, Felli - Widderfeld, Änerstäfeli - Kanapee and 234 more
Telli, City Boulder, Klettergarten Rivella / Telli, Mattalpplatte and 2 more
Stanserhorn, Esel, Seeblick, Adlerhorst and 39 more
Camping Hostetten, Camping Ebnet "Bio Bauernhof", Camping auf dem Bauernhof, TCS Camping Luzern-Horw and 4 more
Flora, Felmis, Radisson Blu Hotel, Backpackers and 117 more
282 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 | -6 | -5 | -1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 5 | -1 | -6 |
| 2020 | +2.9 | +4.2 | +0.6 | +3.3 | +0.8 | −1.7 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +1.3 | −1.9 | +2.6 | −0.4 |
| 2021 | −1.8 | +2.8 | +0.2 | −2.1 | −2.8 | +1.4 | −1.1 | −1.5 | +1.7 | −0.4 | −1.2 | +0.6 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +2.7 | −0.3 | +2.3 | +3.1 | +2.2 | +2.2 | −0.1 | +4.4 | +1.8 | +1.1 |
| 2023 | +0.9 | +3.0 | +2.1 | −1.8 | −0.1 | +2.0 | +1.8 | +1.8 | +4.7 | +3.5 | −0.3 | +1.7 |
| 2024 | +1.7 | +5.4 | +2.2 | −0.2 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +1.4 | +2.7 | −0.4 | +1.6 | +1.4 | +1.0 |
| 2025 | +1.5 | +2.5 | +2.0 | +2.1 | −0.1 | +3.6 | −0.7 | +1.6 | +0.4 | −1.1 | +0.3 | +2.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q15265) · 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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