Allalinhorn (4,027 m a.s.l.)

The Allalin Pass was crossed by Heinrich Michaelis and a guide as early as 1828, thereby opening up a route to the south-west ridge. The first ascent of the Allalinhorn via the same ridge was only successfully completed 28 years later however, when the pastor Johann Josef Imseng from Saas-Fee and his manservant Franz Josef Andenmatten led the Englishman Edward Levi Ames to the summit on the 28th August 1856.
Today’s normal route, the north-west ridge, was first used on the 1st August 1860 by Franz Josef Andenmatten, together with Sir Leslie Stephen, F. W. Short, Frederick William Jacomb, C. Fisher, Moritz Anthamatten, Peter Taugwalder and Johann Kronig.

The Bernese high school teacher and historian Heinrich Dübi ascended the summit via the difficult north-east ridge on the 27th July 1882 with the guides Alphons and Peter Supersaxo, and then descended via the Hohlaub ridge. Both ridges were thereby crossed for the first time.
The Hohlaub ridge was conquered as an ascent five years later, on the 12th July 1887, by the Englishmen Harold Ward Topham, C. H. Redall and the guide Aloys Supersaxo. A year earlier, Aloys Supersaxo and the Briton C. A. C. Bowlker were the first to climb the south face, which has a climbing difficulty level of the IV grade.

The first solo winter ascent of the Allalinn was carried out by the Swiss R. Bracken in the year 1907, while the first ascent on skis was completed on the 17th April of the same year by A. Hurter und Max Stahel, both from Zurich, together with the locals Othmar and Oskar Supersaxo.

Different hiking tips with a view of the mountain

Weg der Stille (Gornergrat - Kelle - Grünsee)
Kristallweg (Rothorn paradise - Fluhalp - Stellisee - Blauherd)

Mountain railway offers

Prices

Information about the various peaks

Matterhorn glacier paradise
Gornergrat

Valley location

Saas-Fee (1,803 m a.s.l.)

Starting point

Allalin middle station (3,460 m)
Britanniahütte cabin (3,030 m)

Various routes

West flank (normal route)
By making use of the Metro Alpin funicular, it is possible to climb the Allalinhorn as a one-day tour. The ascent over the west flank starts at the Mittelallalin station of the Metro Alpin (3,454 m), and, from there, you first cross the ski area in a westerly direction. The ascent leads along the almost always visible trail under the seracs (ice towers) of the Allalinhorn north face, and several crevices and glacial cracks will have to be bypassed up to the Feejoch col. From here, it leads towards the east over the pleasantly steep snow slope to the back of the ridge, south of the summit. From the ridge, you can reach the summit ridge in a few minutes, and then to the summit, on which there is a cross made from rock. This route takes about two hours, and has difficulty level L.
There is also the possibility of accessing this route from Längfluh (2,870 m). With an overnight stay at the Längfluh mountain cabin, this alternative offers the chance to avoid the larger numbers of people during the operating hours of the mountain railway.

Hohlaubgrat ridge (East Ridge)
The Britanniahütte cabin is the starting point for the ascent via the Hohlaubgrat ridge, which separates the Allalin and the Hohlaub glaciers frm each other. The upper part of the ridge is rather narrow. With the exception of a rocky step about 20 metres high just below the summit, which is the key section of the route, the upper part consists mainly of permanent snow. From the Britanniahütte cabin, a path initially leads down in a south-west direction to the Hohlaub glacier, on which you first keep to the northern edge of the glacier in order to avoid the crevice zone of the glacier. You then turn to the south in the direction of the first clear dip in the Hohlaubgrat ridge. The ridge is ascended at about 3,100 m a.s.l. You then find your way directly onto the ridge via either the block work or to a ridge peak (3'597 m a.s.l.) in the right-hand, northerly glacier flank. After a short but distinctive descent, the ascent leads over a long, steep slope to the eastern shoulder and then to the summit structure. The following, partly cracked rock stage is fitted with drilled hooks and has a difficulty level of the II grade. You can reach the summit snowfield with two lengths of rope, and then the summit itself. This route takes a total of 4 hours. A further possible ascent to the upper part of the ridge is from the Metro Alpin Hohlaub station at 3,300 m a.s.l. Through a pipe, you can reach the Hohlaub glacier directly, and, via this, the Hohlaubgrat ridge.

South-west ridge from the Allalin Pass
The route taken by the first conquerors of the mountain is nowadays used much more rarely than the west flank or the Hohlaub ridge. The Allalin Pass can be reached in about three hours from either the Britanniahütte cabin or from the Täschhütte cabin. The trail first leads over permanent snow, and then over rock up to the shoulder, which has an altitude of 3,752 m a.s.l. You then continue over the snow ridge to the rocky summit uplift. The subsequent, difficult ridge section is bypassed via the south-east flank in order to then return to the ridge. Finally, you can make your way to the summit snow field and onto the summit. The climb from the Allalin Pass takes 1½ hours.

Refreshment areas / mountain cabins

Allalin middle station (3,460 m)
Britanniahütte cabin (3,030 m)