Hockenhorn, Alpine summit in Bernese Alps, Switzerland
Hockenhorn is an Alpine summit in the Bernese Alps that rises 3,293 meters above sea level. It sits between the upper Kandertal and Lotschental valleys and is surrounded by glaciers that shape its landscape.
Arthur Thomas Malkin, an Englishman, made the first recorded ascent in August 1840. The route came from the Lötschental side, and the climb entered the mountain's written record from that date.
The summit marks the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais, crossed by the trail from the Lötschen Pass. The name Hockenhorn is German, and the closest settlement, Lauchernalp above Kippel, lies in the German-speaking Lötschental.
The summit trail starts at the Lötschen Pass; from the south the route comes from the Lötschental, from the north from the Gasterntal via Kandersteg. The final stretch climbs from a point to the northwest, where skiers leave their skis, over easy scree in steps to the top. The southern side lies in a ski area above Lauchernalp, the closest locality, above Kippel.
The first recorded ascent was made on 1 August 1840 by the Englishman Arthur Thomas Malkin. From the northwest, where skiers leave their skis, the final stretch climbs in small gravel steps to the summit, which opens onto much of the Valais Alps as far as Mont Blanc.
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