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Allalinhorn
The Allalinhorn covered in snow
General
Elevation	4,027 m13,211.942 ft 2.502 miles
Prominence	245 m0.152 miles 803.806 ft
Location	Valais, Switzerland
Range	Pennine Alps
Massif	Mischabel
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Coordinates
DMS Coor.	46°2´50"N, 7°53´50"E
Swiss Coor.	635497 / 99624
Links	Topographic Detail Coordinates Information
Nearby Features
Allalinpass, Alphubel, Alphubeljoch, Britannia Hut, Fee Glacier, Feechopf, Feejoch, Fluchthorn, Kleines Allalin, Mittelallalin, Mittelallalin Station, Rimpfischhorn
Alpinist's Info
Base(s)	Saas Fee, Täsch, Zermatt
Hut(s)	Britannia Hut, Längflue Hotel, Mittelallalin Station, Täsch Hut
Topo. Map	SLK 1328: Randa
Easiest Route	F
Map
Allalinhorn

General information

The Allalinhorn (4,027 m13,211.942 ft
2.502 miles) is a mountain in the Mischabel group of the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies west of Saas Fee in the canton of Valais. The mountain is situated between the Strahlhorn and the Rimpfischhorn in the south and Alphubel and Dom in the north.

It was first climbed by London barrister Edward Levi Ames, the clergyman Johann Joseph Imseng, another member of the Imseng family and Johann's manservant Franz-Josef Andenmatten on 28 August 1856.

The N flank is predominantly of snow and ice, rising above the Fee and Hohlaub glaciers which are separated by the peak's NE ridge. The long ENE or Hohlaubgrat bounds the S side of the glacier of that name and presents one of the finer ascent routes of the mountain. The S side of the mountain is of little interest, the rock being of poor quality, but this is terminated in the W side by the SW ridge which provides an easy means of access to the summit from the Allalinpass. A short ridge connects the Feejoch to the summit and forms the final section of the normal route.

It is the easiest and most popular 4000-meter peak in the area. Climbers can ride up to the Mittelallalin at 3,500m; from here there are only about 500 vertical metres to tackle. From the underground railway station at Mittelallalin, the Allalinhorn can be an easy 4000 meter summit, but there is still objective danger from crevasses and the weather, and the temptation to bag it without proper preparation or acclimatization makes it particularly risky for inexperienced parties.

The many lifts and noisy piste-making vehicles have turned this beautiful mountain into an undesirable alpinism mountain. For this reason many people prefer to climb the mountain via the Hohlaub Glacier requiring an overnight stay.

Routes

West-North-West Ridge

From Mittelallalin (F)

Allalinhorn: West-North-West Ridge from Mittelallalin (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Snow (2 h)	Hut	Mittelallalin Station (3,456 m2.147 miles 11,338.583 ft)
Difficulty	F	Difficulty	lift
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 571 m0.355 miles 1,873.36 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1656 m1.029 miles 5,433.071 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa (Maps)

#1: WNW Ridge routes

This easy route has only one objective danger: skiers... watch out for descending skiers on your ascent! No overnight stop is required if you start your ascent from Mittelallalin.

Starting in Saas Fee, you can reach Mittelallalin via a series of lifts and railways. From Mittelallalin, cross the pistes heading SW of the prominent spur on the initially steep glacier and then head up to Feejoch (3,826m). Do NOT take a direct line because you will cross a severely crevassed section of the glacier. Be sure to curb around this crevassed area by heading SW instead of heading S. It takes only 1h to reach this point.

Follow the ridge in the direction of the summit (ESE) up easy snow slopes to a point just S of the summit. Reach the summit itself by passing beyond it on the S side and approaching it from the E up a short snow/ice rib. This route should 'circle' you around the summit to avoid steep and crevassed passages (see photo #1 and #2). From Feejoch it takes 45 minutes to reach the summit.

From Britannia Hut (PD)

Allalinhorn: West-North-West Ridge from Britannia Hut (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Snow (4 - 5 h)	Hut	Britannia Hut (3,030 m1.883 miles 9,940.945 ft)
Difficulty	PD	Difficulty	F
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 997 m0.62 miles 3,270.997 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1230 m0.764 miles 4,035.433 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa, SLK 1329: Saas (Maps)

#2: Topography of the WNW Ridge routes

From the Britannia Hut descend the path on to the Hohlaub Glacier. Climb the bank of the glacier close to the Hinter Allalingrat, passing below Pt.3,249m (Hinter Allalinpass). Continue SW, passing below Mittelallalin, until you see a small snow saddle on the right side. Climb to this saddle (3,597m) via a narrow couloir (2-3h). From this saddle traverse on to the Fee Glacier and join the track from Mittelallalin.

Head up to Feejoch (3,826m). Do NOT take a direct line because you will cross a severely crevassed section of the glacier. Be sure to curb around this crevassed area by heading SW instead of heading S. Calculate 1h to for the piece between the saddle and Feejoch.

Starting at Feejoch, follow the ridge in the direction of the summit (ESE) up easy snow slopes to a point just S of the summit. Reach the summit itself by passing beyond it on the S side and approaching it from the E up a short snow/ice rib. This route should 'circle' you around the summit to avoid steep and crevassed passages (photo #1 and #2). From Feejoch it takes 45 minutes to reach the summit.

From Längflue (PD)

Allalinhorn: West-North-West Ridge from Längflue (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Snow (5 h)	Hut	Längflue (2,867 m1.781 miles 9,406.168 ft)
Difficulty	PD	Difficulty	W1
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 1160 m0.721 miles 3,805.774 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1067 m0.663 miles 3,500.656 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa (Maps)

From Längflue climb S up the Fee Glacier (ski pistes and machine tracks) keeping well E of Pt.3,179m. Eventually join the track coming from Mittelallalin to reach Feejoch. Crossing the distance on the glacier takes about 3h.

Head up to Feejoch (3,826m). Do NOT take a direct line because you will cross a severely crevassed section of the glacier. Be sure to curb around this crevassed area by heading SW instead of heading S. Calculate 1h for the piece between the saddle and Feejoch.

Starting at Feejoch, follow the ridge in the direction of the summit (ESE) up easy snow slopes to a point just S of the summit. Reach the summit itself by passing beyond it on the S side and approaching it from the E up a short snow/ice rib. This route should 'circle' you around the summit to avoid steep and crevassed passages (see photo #1 and #2). From Feejoch it takes 45 minutes to reach the summit.

From Täsch Hut (PD)

Allalinhorn: West-North-West Ridge from Täsch Hut (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Täsch, Zermatt
Route Type	Snow and Rock, II (5 h)	Hut	Täsch Hut (2,702 m1.679 miles 8,864.829 ft)
Difficulty	PD	Difficulty	W1
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 1325 m0.823 miles 4,347.113 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa (Maps)

#3: Approach of Feechopf coming from the Täsch Hut. Follow the river upstream, continue on the glacier and turn to the summit just before Alphubeljoch.

From the Täsch Hut follow the route to the Alphubeljoch. Follow the river upstream until you meet the S branch of the Alphubel Glacier at an altitude of 3,200m. Climb SE up the glacier then, at a height of 3,400m, turn E to pass Pt.3,510m on your left side and reach the pass via easy angled slopes (see photo #3).

From Alphubeljoch, climb easy snow slopes SE to the summit of the Feechopf (3,888m), passing on the N side of the snow dome of Pt.3,846m. From the summit climb down the ESE Ridge over rock (II) and snow to the Feejoch. This approach takes 4h.

Starting at Feejoch, follow the ridge in the direction of the summit (ESE) up easy snow slopes to a point just S of the summit. Reach the summit itself by passing beyond it on the S side and approaching it from the E up a short snow/ice rib. This route should 'circle' you around the summit to avoid steep and crevassed passages (see photo #1 and #2). From Feejoch it takes 45 minutes to reach the summit.

Your cranuim must be protecting some very valuable brains.

East-North-East Ridge - Hohlaubgrat (AD)

Allalinhorn: East-North-East Ridge - Hohlaubgrat (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Mostly Snow (4 - 5 h)	Hut	Britannia Hut (3,030 m1.883 miles 9,940.945 ft)
Difficulty	AD	Difficulty	F
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 997 m0.62 miles 3,270.997 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1230 m0.764 miles 4,035.433 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa, SLK 1329: Saas (Maps)

#6: Final section of the Hohlaubgrat route leading to the summit

From the Britannia Hut descend the path on to the Hohlaub Glacier. Climb the N bank of the glacier to a height of 3,050m. Once you reach this point, cross the glacier, heading SW to gain the broad, lower part of the ridge. Climb this, crossing a few crevasses to a snow dome at an altitude of 3,530m. Make a short descend to a snow saddle and then continue up the ridge to pass N of Pt.3,837m (see photo #7). The ridge levels off for a while and then steepens to the rock barrier barring access to the summit slopes. Climb the broken (loose) rocks by a line slanting up right to reach the final easy snow slope leading to the summit (see photo #6).

This route is almost entirely on snow except for the final rock section just below the summit which accounts for the grade. This final rock step takes some time to climb, but starting in the Britannia Hut the route shouldn't take longer than 5h.

North-East Ridge - Hinter Allalingrat (AD+)

Allalinhorn: North-East Ridge - Hinter Allalingrat (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Snow, 50° (5 h)	Hut	Britannia Hut (3,030 m1.883 miles 9,940.945 ft)
Difficulty	AD+	Difficulty	F
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 997 m0.62 miles 3,270.997 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1230 m0.764 miles 4,035.433 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa, SLK 1329: Saas (Maps)

#7: Overview of the more difficult ascents of the Allalinhorn

From the Britannia Hut descend the path on to the Hohlaub Glacier. Climb the bank of the glacier close to the Hinter Allalingrat, passing below Pt.3,249m (Hinter Allalinpass). Continue SW, passing below Mittelallalin, until you see a small snow saddle on the right side. Climb to this saddle (3,597m) via a narrow couloir (2-3h).

From this saddle, go to the foot of the steep slopes. Head for a direct route to the summit via steep slopes (50°). The bergschrund is often wide and impossible to cross directly. To overcome this, make a traverse to the right side across steep and exposed slopes to where it peters out. Now take a direct line to the summit, crossing a second bergschrund in the process, via steep and sometimes icy slopes (see photo #7).

North-East Face (TD)

Allalinhorn: North-East Face Direct (edit infobox)
Summit		Approach
Summit	Allalinhorn (4,027 m2.502 miles 13,211.942 ft)	Valley base(s)	Saas Fee (1,800 m1.118 miles 5,905.512 ft)
Route Type	Snow (8 h)	Hut	Britannia Hut (3,030 m1.883 miles 9,940.945 ft)
Difficulty	TD	Difficulty	F
Height Gains	Hut - Summit: 997 m0.62 miles 3,270.997 ft     -    Valley - Hut: 1230 m0.764 miles 4,035.433 ft     -    Valley - Summit: 2227 m1.384 miles 7,306.43 ft
Useful Maps	SLK 1328: Randa, SLK 1329: Saas (Maps)

From the Britannia Hut descend the path on to the Hohlaub Glacier. Climb the bank of the glacier close to the Hinter Allalingrat, passing below Pt.3,249m (Hinter Allalinpass). Continue SW, passing below Mittelallalin, until you are in front of the steep NE Face (See photo #7).

This face can be climbed directly but is very difficult and is very rarely climbed. The climb in 1971 involved 4h of effort overcoming the serac barrier by aid of climbing on ice screws.

Overview

Hei.:Height, Dif.: Difficulty, Dur.: Duration, S. Gain: Meters from hut to summit
Summit map is always listed first. If a map is used for 2 km and another map for 1 km, the 2 km map will be listed before the 1 km map. Overview of the Swiss maps & Italian maps.

Multiday Suggestions

Both the Täsch Hut and the Britannia Hut have a lot of mountains within a reasonable distance. Ascending the Allalinhorn from one of these huts and descending to the other hut is a good two-day trip. The ascents are rather short, especially from the WNW Ridge (4-5h), so you should arrive rather early in the hut and be able to recharge your batteries for an ascent of another mountain the next day. Arriving in Längflue at the end of the day is not a good solution because no other ascents are in close proximity. Some suggestions:

• Täsch Hut-Allalinhorn-Britannia Hut-Strahlhorn-Berghaus Flue
• Britannia Hut-Allalinhorn-Täsch Hut-Rimpfischhorn-Britannia Hut
• Berghaus Flue-Adlerhorn-Britannia Hut-Allalinhorn-Täsch Hut
• ...

Additional Photos

NE face of the Allalinhorn	Snowy climb to the summit of the Allalinhorn	S side of the Allalinhorn seen from the Allalinpass	Look on the Allalinhorn and Feejoch from the Feechopf
Hohlaubgrat	Hohlaubgrat

Recommended Books

      The Alpine 4000m Peaks by the Classic Routes by Richard Goedeke

      Valais Alps East: Selected Climbs (Alpine Club Guides) by Les Swindin

      Valais Alps West: Selected Climbs (Alpine Club Guides) by Lindsay Griffin

      Valais East: Zermatt - Saas - Fiesch (Rother Walking Guide) by Michael Waeber

      Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert) by Cathy Cosley