Wiwannihorn – south-west face · Wiwanni (Baltschiedertal) · Switzerland
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A popular eight-pitch line straight up the south-west face to within minutes of the 3001 m summit. Most of it is grade 4 on good gneiss, with two short 5b steps that are closely bolted; the upper one can be avoided on the left. It stays in the shade well into the morning and feels a little more like a mountain route near the top.
The route
Papillon takes the south-west face of the Wiwannihorn left of Gemstritt in eight pitches. The climbing is mostly grade 4 with two short passages of 5b, and the hut gives the obligatory grade as 4b because the upper crux can be turned on the left. It is one of the most travelled routes at Wiwanni and parties consistently describe it as very well bolted where it matters. From the last belay the summit is a few minutes away over scree, and the way down is the west ridge.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4a | Slab. A 2026 party found the bolts far apart for a first pitch climbed cold. |
| P2 | 4b | The belay is out to the right of the line, before a painted arrow telling you to turn right. A 2022 leader missed it and ran into the next pitch with heavy rope drag. |
| P3 | 5b | The first crux, with bolts close together. Extend the third bolt, or the rope can jam in a crack. |
| P4 | 4a | Long but easy. |
| P5 | 4a | Long but easy; camptocamp treats pitches 4 and 5 together. |
| P6 | 5b | A short technical passage with well-placed bolts. It can be avoided on the left, but a 2020 report says that variant has no bolts. |
| P7 | 4b | Easier ground, more mountain in character. |
| P8 | 4b | To the last belay; the summit is a few minutes up the scree. |
Getting there
Take the train to Ausserberg on the Lötschberg mountain line, or drive up from Visp. From the station the Wiwannihütte (2470 m) is a 4 h 30 walk. Most parties drive or take a taxi-bus (Taxi Zerzuben in Visp, or Taxi Yvonne in Ausserberg for small groups) up the forest road to Fuxtritt (1851 m), which saves 900 m of ascent and leaves about 1 h 30 on foot to the hut. The road beyond the village needs a permit: 5 CHF for the first day and 3 CHF for each further day, from the village shop, the parking machine in the upper village, or by app. Park on the verge above the timber yard at Fuxtritt and keep the turning place clear; a July 2026 party found the top parking closed for forestry work and parked lower. Camping and sleeping in vehicles are banned throughout the commune.
45 min to 1 h from the Wiwannihütte: follow the path north through the scree (snow early in the season) to the south-west face. Papillon starts a little left of Gemstritt and its name is clearly painted in blue. In June 2019 the start was buried under snow and took time to find.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Fuxtritt, 1851 m, end of the permit road above Ausserberg (camptocamp waypoint 240991)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 39718 (Wiwannihorn summit)
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 46.35495, 7.85620 (crag) · Parking: 46.32941, 7.85531
Getting down
From the top, follow the blue-marked west ridge down to the col: easy but exposed down-climbing at grade II to III with a few bolts on the steeper steps. At the lowest point two bolted stations give two abseils of about 20 m to the scree or snow below the slab, and a cairned path leads back to the hut. Two parties can abseil side by side, as there are two sets of anchors. With two 50 m ropes one abseil reaches the bottom. A 2026 party took 1 h 15 for the ridge and abseils and 35 min more to the hut.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
All belays are linked, so a retreat by abseil from belay to belay looks feasible, but no source describes one and the pitch lengths are not published. Two of the middle pitches are described as long, so a single 50 m rope may not reach. Once high on the face it is quicker to finish and descend the west ridge.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west face topping out near 3000 m; it stays in shade for much of the morning and can be cold at the start even in late July. The start can be under snow into mid-June. Dry and without snow from July in most recent reports. A 2026 party found a few loose stones early in the season.
Sun on the wall · SW-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −8 | −7 | −3 | −0 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | −3 | −8 |
| Mean daily low °C | −15 | −14 | −11 | −7 | −3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −1 | −5 | −10 | −14 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2454 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
8 quickdraws and a single 50 m rope (hut topo and camptocamp). One or two long slings help on pitch 3 and on the ridge. Helmet. Ask the warden about snow early in the season.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Papillon.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Switzerland · Wiwanni (Baltschiedertal)
Eight short pitches of 4b to 5a on compact, grippy gneiss slabs above the Wiwannihütte, finishing on a 2880 m summit. Pitches 3 and 4 climb a big steep slab that is the heart of the route. Chained belays and an abseil descent make it the gentlest introduction to the Wiwanni routes, though the starting pitches feel stiff for 4b.
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A 17-pitch bolted ridge to a 3001 m summit. Three slab and wall pitches of 5a and 5b come first, then a long run of grade 3 and 4 on the crest that many parties climb moving together, with one fine 5a in the middle. A full mountain day: the summit ridge beyond the last bolt and the scrambling descent are part of it.
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Read the cautions
Switzerland · Wiwanni (Baltschiedertal)
The easiest bolted line to a 3001 m summit above the Wiwannihütte: compact slabs for the first half, then two pitches on a small ridge and a short scree walk to the cross. The thin slab move low down is the crux and feels harder than the old 4c grade. The down-climb of the west ridge is part of the day.
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Switzerland · Saas Valley
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Switzerland · Grimsel
The 'flying carpet': nine long pitches of sweeping, immaculate granite slab at the left end of the Gerstenegg, with a superb layback crack on pitch 4 and two short steeper steps. Very popular, quick and never strenuous; the difficulty is all in trusting your feet. The 5b step on pitch 1 goes at 4c with a pull on a bolt.
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Nine pitches up a granite spur and the final tower of the Aiguille d'Orny to a 3150 m summit, on rough, cracked rock with superb friction. Two moves of 5b, the rest 4b and 4c, closely bolted since 2016 and easy enough to climb in boots. The three steep pitches on the summit tower are the highlight.
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.