Gross Bigerhorn: Switzerland’s Highest Hiking Summit

Gross Bigerhorn: Switzerland’s Highest Hiking Summit

3,626 metres, three days, two hut nights. No rope, no crampons, no summit fever.

A varied hike to the hut with impressive views of the surrounding glaciers
With a little luck, we might spot some ibexes
Stunning moraine landscape
The final ascent is a barren high-mountain landscape
View of the other side of the Mattertal Valley
+4

You have probably never heard of the Gross Bigerhorn. Yet it is the highest peak in Switzerland that you can reach on a marked hiking trail. We take three days for it, with two nights at the Bordier Hut and a summit day with a light pack.

Your benefits

  • You stand at 3,626 metres and need neither rope nor crampons, just good boots and some stamina.
  • Two nights at the Bordier Hut: you start the summit day rested and with a light pack, and your body has time to get used to the altitude.
  • No day with more than five hours of walking. The long descent only comes once your legs are fresh again.
  • Two evenings and two mornings facing the Nadelgrat: you spend the best hours of the day up high and not on the bus.
  • Small group of six people at most. The pace follows the group and not the stopwatch.
  • Accompanied by Falko Burghausen, mountain leader in training and internationally awarded photographer. Pictures of you on the summit are included.

fromCHF 590

per person
CHF

Dates

3 days

July per September

Date of your choice

Hardly anyone knows the name, nobody forgets the view. A marked trail has led all the way to the summit since 2024, and yet you often have the place almost to yourself.

Falko BurghausenFalko Burghausen

Personal advice

Do you have any questions? I will be happy to advise you on this travel offer.

Falko Burghausen

Falko Burghausen

+41 76 586 67 87hello@beanywhere.ch

Requirements

Fitness
Technique
Distance18 km
Duration5h
Ascent1350 m
Descent1350 m

Demanding mountain hike (T3+) for sure-footed hikers with good stamina. Up to 1,350 metres of ascent and five hours of walking per day, scree and boulder terrain, a night at just under 2,900 metres and a summit at 3,626 metres. No mountaineering experience needed.

Day 1: Gasenried to the Bordier Hut

We meet at 10 am in Gasenried. After a quick gear check we set off: first through larch forest, then across the old glacier plain and up through moraines to the Bordier Hut at 2,886 metres. 7.5 kilometres, 1,350 metres of ascent, around five hours of walking with plenty of breaks. At the top you get what huts are made for: boots off, something warm to drink, a view of the Nadelgrat.

Day 2: Summit day on the Gross Bigerhorn

We start at first light with a light pack. Over the saddle between Klein and Gross Bigerhorn and up the west ridge, we reach the summit cross in around two and a half hours, the last metres over boulders and scree. Up there the Dom, the Weisshorn and the entire Nadelgrat line up in front of you, and you are higher than on any other hiking trail in Switzerland.

After a descent of about two hours we are back at the hut in the early afternoon. The rest of the day belongs to the terrace. If you still have energy in the evening, join me on the Klein Bigerhorn for sunset.

Day 3: Bordier Hut to Gasenried

A lie-in by hut standards, breakfast, then the descent to Gasenried in around three and a half hours. We are down by midday, and anyone who fancies it can raise a glass in the village.

The two-day option

As a private tour, the route also works with just one hut night. The summit is then followed directly by the descent to the valley: 740 metres up, 2,050 down, around eight hours of walking. It is doable, but a long day for well-trained hikers.

If conditions are uncertain, the Klein Bigerhorn (3,182 m) is the alternative. We decide on the mountain, together with the group and without any pressure to summit.

CHF 590 per person in a small group, from three people.

The price includes guiding on all days, the reservation at the Bordier Hut and your pictures. You pay for accommodation and half board directly at the hut, where SAC members benefit from the member rate.

Travelling alone or as a pair? Send me your preferred dates and I will bring you together with others. The tour runs as soon as three people have signed up for the same date.

Prefer to keep it to yourselves? As a private tour it costs a flat CHF 1,690 for up to four people. If you are well trained, you can also do it in two days, for CHF 1,190.

Variants

Pure Flex tours don't come with a fixed date, they come with yours. Tell me when you'd like to go, I'll check availability and usually get back to you within a day. If you have wishes for how the days should run, we'll build them in.

Small group, 3 days

Price per person. Three to six participants, two nights at the Bordier Hut. You pay for accommodation and half board directly at the hut.

CHF 590

Private, 3 days

Flat rate for one to four people. Date, pace and breaks are entirely up to you, two nights at the Bordier Hut. You pay for accommodation and half board directly at the hut.

CHF 1,690

Private, 2 days

Flat rate for one to four people. The sporty option with one hut night: summit and descent to the valley on the same day, around eight hours of walking. You pay for accommodation and half board directly at the hut.

CHF 1,190

The Gross Bigerhorn stands in the Matter Valley, high above Grächen and Gasenried, at the northern end of the Mischabel range. While everyone further up the valley is looking at the Matterhorn, it is surprisingly quiet up here. And the neighbours are distinguished: the Nadelgrat with its four-thousanders lies directly opposite, the Ried Glacier flows below, and from the summit the view stretches from the Dom across the Weisshorn to the Bernese Alps.

The trail leads through three worlds: larch forest and historic irrigation channels at the bottom, the glacier forefield with its rushing streams in the middle, and rock, scree and a great deal of sky at the top.

The starting point is the small mountain village of Gasenried at 1,659 metres. You get there by train to St. Niklaus and then by PostBus, around three hours from Zurich or Bern. You do not need a car. You will receive the exact meeting point after booking.

Dinner and breakfast are served at the hut (half board, paid on site). Bring a packed lunch and snacks for the trail. On days two and three you can stock up at the hut.

Ausrüstung

  • Ankle-high hiking boots with a good tread
  • Trekking poles (your knees will thank you on day two)
  • Warm layer, wind and rain jacket, hat and gloves. At 3,600 metres winter is possible even in August
  • Head torch with fully charged batteries
  • Sleeping bag liner, earplugs, small wash bag
  • Sunglasses, sun cream, sun hat
  • 1 to 1.5 litres of drinks and food for the trail
  • Cash for the hut, SAC membership card if you have one
  • Travel to and from Gasenried
  • Two nights with half board at the Bordier Hut
  • Drinks and food on the trail
  • Personal expenses
  • Cancellation insurance

Minimum group size: The small group runs from three people. I will let you know as soon as a date is confirmed. If it does not come together, I will suggest another date or you receive a full refund.

Weather and conditions: A summit at 3,626 metres needs stable weather. If there is a risk of thunderstorms, fresh snow or ice, we postpone or switch to an alternative. The summit is not going anywhere.

Insurance: Insurance is the responsibility of the participants (accident, health and liability insurance). We recommend a Rega patronage and cancellation insurance.

Non-binding request

Your non-binding request will bring you one step closer to your experience. I will get back to you shortly with further information on dates and the exact procedure and discuss the next steps together.

Questions? Answers!

Still have questions about the offer? I have compiled the most important information for you.

You are in good company. The peak stands above Grächen and Gasenried in the Matter Valley, right next to the Nadelgrat. Since 2024 the trail has been marked white-red-white all the way to the summit. That makes it Switzerland’s highest hiking summit, a title it took from the Barrhorn.

Fit, but not race fit. Day one is 1,350 metres up, day two a good 700 up and back down, day three 1,350 down. If you handle day hikes with 1,200 metres of ascent well and still feel like walking the next day, you are fine.

Yes, and you are in good company: there are often more women than men on my tours, and many come on their own. The group is small, the pace suits everyone and not just the fastest, and nobody has anything to prove here. At the hut we sleep in a mixed dormitory, as is usual in SAC huts. If you have questions about that or anything else beforehand, just drop me a line.

T3+ on the SAC hiking scale. That means a mountain trail with scree, boulder fields, a few exposed sections and short ladders. You will occasionally use your hands for balance, but there is no climbing. Sure-footedness is a must.

No. No rope, no ice axe, no crampons. The new hut trail bypasses the glacier.

Probably, at least in your breathing. That is exactly why we sleep at just under 2,900 metres and keep a steady pace on summit day. Drinking plenty helps, ambition rather less.

Then it is about time. You sleep in a dormitory, eat at a long table and will know everyone by dessert at the latest. I will explain how it all works beforehand, from sleeping bag liners to boot room etiquette.

No, that is the norm. After four hours of walking uphill together you know each other anyway.

Then there is the Klein Bigerhorn, the hut night and a good reason to come back. Turning around is not a defeat with me, it is a decision.

Yes. I carry my camera, and after the tour you receive edited pictures of you and the group. If you would rather have the Valais large on your wall, you will find limited fine art prints in the shop.

Three days if you want to enjoy the tour: no day has more than five hours of walking, you go to the summit with a light pack and only descend the next morning on fresh legs. Two days if you are well trained and only have a weekend. The summit is then followed directly by 2,050 metres of descent, around eight hours of walking on day two. Doable, but your knees will have an opinion about it. The two-day option is only available as a private tour, so the pace really suits you. If you are unsure, send me a quick note about what you usually do and I will tell you honestly what I recommend.