Aletschhorn
4,194 m
Switzerland
Also known as Алецчхорн, ალეჩჰორნი, +1Also known as
Алецчхорн · ალეჩჰორნი · Алечхорн
- Elevation
- 4,194 m
- Prominence
- 1,043 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 6 Oct 2026
The Oberaletsch Hut reports that crossing the Beichpass to descend into the Lötschental is no longer possible and that the bridge between Blatten (Lötschental) and Wiler is closed, following the 2025 destruction of Blatten.
oberaletsch.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: AD (Camptocamp; Oberaletsch Hut (ZS)) · SAC rock 2a (SAC route portal)
Today's normal route: a long walk from Belalp to the Oberaletsch Hut, then the Oberaletschgletscher, a cairned block ridge, a short crevassed glacier and about 500 m of broken rock and snow ridge (II) marked by metal posts every 30 m to the summit. About 1,700 m of ascent from the hut; a remote, serious day.
About 39% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- danger scan: Oberaletschhütte → Aletschhorn: DEM line 861 m off the straight axis
- ascent 2768 m vs net gain 2101 m (+32%)
- Oberaletschhütte → Aletschhorn: glacier (snap_failed, 6.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Oberaletschgletscher, Point 2838, Point 3396, Point 3736
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 16.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,768 m
- −667 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,194 m
- Time Up
- 12h 36m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 9h 48m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Blatten above Naters take the cable car to Belalp (2,094 m) and walk to the Oberaletsch Hut (2,640 m) in 4–5 hours (T3, 960 m up and 400 m down). The path drops past the Hotel Belalp into the gorge of the Oberaletsch glacier stream, climbs the Lochegga moraine and finishes on the chain-protected Panoramaweg built in 2005. Day two: descend from the hut to the Oberaletschgletscher by ladders and cables (about 20 minutes), go north-east along the glacier and its eastern moraine, following reflectors and poles, then traverse four gullies (the third is exposed and unprotected) to a ridge of blocks around point 2,838 m, which is followed on a cairned path to point 3,396 m (about 3.5 hours). The step back onto the glacier here can be tricky; cross it east, weaving between crevasses, then arc north-east to the crest of the upper south-west rib near point 3,736 m (ski depot in spring). The rib leads over solid rock past a blocky tower, then over increasingly loose ground, short snow slopes and a gully (II); from about 3,900 m metal posts every 30–35 m mark the line and serve as belay points. SAC gives 6–7 hours from the hut. Descent is by the same route, followed by the long return to Belalp, including about 250 m of re-ascent to the Hotel Belalp. Many parties spend a second night at the hut. Recent reports describe the rock as loose in places, particularly on the lower part of the summit ridge, and a fragile bergschrund in hot weather.
Start
Belalp2,093 m
- Blatten–Belalp cable car
- Train to Brig, PostBus to Blatten bei Naters, cable car to Belalp.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belalp → Oberaletschhütte | 9.9 | 925 | 380 | 5h 05m |
| 2 | Oberaletschhütte → Aletschhorn | 6.4 | 1,844 | 287 | 7h 31m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Belalp2,093 m
Top station of the Blatten–Belalp cable car
- Waypoint: Hotel Belalp2,130 m
Path descends the Steigglen from here
- Hut: Oberaletschhütte2,640 m
- Summit: Aletschhorn4,194 m
Key Passages
- Ladders and cables from the hut down to the Oberaletschgletscher
- Traverse of four gullies (the third exposed, unprotected)
- Step from the block ridge onto the glacier at point 3,396 m
- Crevassed glacier and bergschrund below point 3,736 m
- Upper south-west rib (II) with metal posts from 3,900 m
Equipment
0/11 packedDownloads
Route confidence 77%Overview
The second-highest peak of the Bernese Alps (4,194 m), standing alone above the Aletsch glaciers in the Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site. It has no lift-assisted approach: the normal route is a two-day outing via the Oberaletsch Hut with a long glacier approach and 500 m of loose rock ridge.
The Aletschhorn rises between the Great Aletsch Glacier and the Oberaletsch Glacier, with the Aletschfirn to the north and the Mittelaletsch Glacier to the east. Only the Finsteraarhorn is higher in the Bernese Alps, but because no railway or cable car comes near it, the Aletschhorn sees a fraction of the traffic of the Jungfrau or the Mönch. Its broad north face, seen from the Jungfraujoch side, is a classic steep ski line; the south and west sides are rock ribs and small glaciers.
The usual summer route today is the south-west rib from the Oberaletsch Hut, graded AD- by the SAC (AD by Camptocamp and the hut). After a long glacier and moraine approach, the last 500 m follow a broken rib with short UIAA II steps, snow slopes and loose blocks, with metal posts every 30–35 m above 3,900 m. The north-east ridge from the Mittelaletsch side is technically easier (PD) and was the line of the first ascent, but its bivouac hut was destroyed by an avalanche in 2019 and has not been rebuilt.
The mountain is equally popular as a spring ski tour from the Oberaletsch Hut, where it is regarded as one of the finest ski 4000ers. Glacier retreat has lengthened and roughened every approach: the hut warns that routes in the Oberaletsch area have become longer and more demanding. Expect long days, few other parties and self-reliance.
Climbing Notes
Plan two or three days: Belalp to the Oberaletsch Hut (4–5 hours), then a 03:00 start for a 6–8 hour ascent and a long descent, either back to the hut for a second night or all the way to Belalp the same day. You need to be fit for about 1,700 m of ascent above 2,600 m and comfortable moving together on loose UIAA II rock, snow slopes and a crevassed glacier, with crevasse-rescue skills. A guide is advisable for parties without experience of remote glacier terrain. Acclimatise beforehand, for example on a 3,000–3,500 m peak or another 4000er.
Bring a few quickdraws to clip the metal posts on the upper rib, and small cams if the rock is snowy. Reflectors and poles mark the route across the Oberaletschgletscher, but scout the first part in daylight the day before if you can. In spring, the ski ascent from the hut is graded about AD by Camptocamp; the hut is staffed from about mid-March to mid-May.
History
Francis Fox Tuckett made the first ascent on 18 June 1859 with the guides Johann Joseph Bennen, Peter Bohren and Victor Tairraz, from the Mittelaletsch side by the north-east ridge. Emma Winkworth was the first woman on the summit in 1863. The south-west rib, now the normal route, was first climbed on 6 August 1879 by Anton Kummer and Louis Liechti with a porter. The first Oberaletsch Hut was built by the SAC Chasseral section in 1890; the present building dates from the rebuild after a fire in the early 1970s. Metal posts were placed on the upper rib in 2001, and the Panoramaweg approach to the hut was opened in 2005 because glacier retreat had made the old route up from the glacier very difficult.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Best
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut unstaffed (winter room only)
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Hut opens for ski touring around mid-March, conditions permitting
- Apr
- Best ski-touring month
- May
- Ski season ends; hut closes about mid-May
- Jun
- Hut reopens late June; snow still on the rib
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Main season; bergschrund and glacier fragile in heat waves
- Sep
- Hut closes mid to late September
- Oct
- Hut closed; winter room only; early snow
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Oberaletsch Hut: online reservation via oberaletsch.ch (until 18:00 the day before) or +41 27 927 17 67 when staffed; free cancellation until 12:00 the day before (08:00 for groups over 7). Email info@oberaletsch.ch outside the season.
- Fees
- Oberaletsch Hut: CHF 80 (SAC and reciprocal-rights members) or CHF 96 (adults) per night with half board and 1 litre of trail tea; mountain guides with a paying client CHF 48
- Oberaletsch Hut: CHF 8 per person infrastructure fee for camping or bivouacking near the hut while it is open; CHF 8 wood fee in the winter room
- Blatten–Belalp cable car ticket
- Rules
- The Mittelaletsch bivouac (3,013 m) on the north-east ridge approach was destroyed by an avalanche in January 2019; the rebuilding project is on hold indefinitely
- Oberaletsch Hut: online reservation required, including for the 10-place winter room; no mobile reception at the hut
- The area lies within the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Getting There
Brig (Naters / Blatten bei Naters)
Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH), Bern (BRN) or Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Train to Brig, PostBus to Blatten bei Naters, cable car to Belalp, then 4–5 hours on foot to the Oberaletsch Hut
- By car: park at the Rischinu car park at the entrance to Blatten bei Naters
- Alternative hut approach from Riederalp over the Riederfurka and the Aletsch suspension bridge (6–7 hours, T3)
- North-east ridge: train to Fiesch and gondola to Fiescheralp, or train to Betten and cable cars to Bettmeralp and the Bettmerhorn
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Remoteness
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,640 m
OberaletschhütteHutStaffedBooking required
58 beds · Staffed about mid-March to mid-May and late June to mid-September; 10-place winter room year-round (booking required). A renovation and extension ('Aile d'épervier') is planned.
- 3,013 m
MittelaletschbiwakBivouacUnstaffed
Destroyed by avalanche in 2019; not usable