The Bietschhorn (3,934 m) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in canton Wallis to the south of the

Bernese Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=BerneseAlps.jpg , photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau , country= Switzerland , subdivision1_type=Cantons , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_on= , l ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The northeast and southern slopes of the mountain are part of the

Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area (officially Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch) is located in south-western Switzerland between the cantons of Berne and Valais. It is a mountainous region in the easternmost side of the Bernese Alps, containing the nor ...

(formerly ''Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn'') listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

that also includes the

Jungfrau The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...

and the

Aletsch Glacier The Aletsch Glacier (german: Aletschgletscher, ) or Great Aletsch Glacier () is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about (2014), has about a volume of (2011), and covers about (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss ca ...

. The Bietschhorn is located on the south side of the

Lötschental The Lötschental is the largest valley on the northern side of the Rhône valley in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies in the Bernese Alps, with the Lonza running down the length of the valley from its source within the Langgletscher ...

valley and form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Region at the north end of the Bietschtal valley and Baltschiedertal valley. Most climbers approach the mountain from either the Bietschhornhütte or the

Baltschiederklause The Baltschieder Hut (german: Baltschiederklause) is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, located north of Baltschieder in the canton of Valais. It lies at a height of 2,783 metres above sea level, at the end of the Baltschiedertal near the Bie ...

. It was first climbed on 13 August 1859 by

Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, and mountaineer, and the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. Life Sir Leslie Stephen came from a distinguished intellectua ...

, with guides Anton Siegen, Johann Siegen and Joseph Ebener. An account of some of Stephen's first ascents was published by Leslie Stephen in his book ''The Playground of Europe'' (1871). The Bietschhorn ascent however is not mentioned in that classic mountaineering book.

References

External links

Bietschhorn on SummitPost

Photographs
Mountains of the Alps Alpine three-thousanders World Heritage Sites in Switzerland Bernese Alps Mountains of Valais Mountains of Switzerland Three-thousanders of Switzerland {{Valais-geo-stub

See also

References

External links