bevfremont

How warmly do we have to dress on Jungfrau, Mt Blanc, Mt Pilatus? Will be up
there, hopefuly, 8-25-09 to 09-06. Temperature in the" lowlands in the 80's!

tod

Gee it's yonks since I was up on Pilatus but I remember it so clearly because I nearly froze my butt off! The sun was out - not a cloud in the sky - it was hot as hell down at the ticket office - up we went.
At the top the wind was chilly and within an hour or so I was ready to go back down.
Take a windbreaker!

kappa1

Layer, layer, layer. It all depends on the weather. Sunny and with no wind, you coulb be fine with t-shirt. With cloud and wind, rain or even snow, you would want a windbreaker - fleece jacket. Usually no need of heavy winter clothes though.

HappyTrvlr

Last September I wore a fleece top under a windbreaker at the top of the Jungfrau and was fine. I took a picture of the thermometer at the top and it was -4 degrees celcius or about 25 F.

Strad

Layers are always a safe bet. Just as important are a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. The sun is really strong at high altitudes.

jdtravelabroad

Wear a t-shirt and take a light fleece, or wear a heavier shirt with a windbreaker. It's quite unlikely you'd need a heavy jacket, gloves, hat, etc. Presumably you'll have a backpack and can put in an extra undershirt in case the temps take a dive. Second the notion of a hat and sunglasses, and do not forget sunblock.

latedaytraveler

Bev, I concur with above posters about layering. When I was atop Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland a few years back, the weather was most temperate in July. Last summer we went to the top of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain bordering Austria. There were about six inches of fresh snow. If fact, climbers had died in a blizzard a day or so before in the immediate area. However, the sun was shining when we visited, the cleaning crew was clearing paths through the fresh snow, and I walked around with sandals (no socks) without a problem because the sun was so warm.

Obviously, conditions can vary so best to be prepared.

TPAYT

I agree with layers. I had a Tshirt, a sweater, with a wind breaker on top and it was good. Hot in the valley and snow on the top in June---go figure!

Passerine

Jungfrau a few days ago was below the freezing mark and it's been well into the 80s down below (and we'll probably hit 90+ later this week). Wear layers and sunscreen--you can get quite a burn up on the mountains, esp. on sunny days! Seriously, don't forget the sunscreen, esp. if you're taking young kids.