Alphubel
4,206 m
Switzerland
Also known as Алпхубел, ალფუბელი, +1Also known as
Алпхубел · ალფუბელი · Альпхубель
- Elevation
- 4,206 m
- Prominence
- 359 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: PD+ (SAC route portal)
The Saas-Fee normal route: from the Längfluh lift station (2,870 m) across the heavily crevassed Feegletscher and up the steep east-facing slopes to Alphubel's broad snow summit plateau. About 1,340 m and 4.5–5 hours up; technically easy apart from a 100–150 m steeper slope below the plateau, but the crevasses demand careful roped travel.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,335 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,206 m
- Time Up
- 5h
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 13m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Access: from Saas-Fee take the cable cars via Spielboden to Längfluh (2,870 m), where the mountain restaurant stands at the edge of the Feegletscher. With the first lift you start late for a glacier route, so many parties sleep at Längfluh or go in spring when the snow bridges are solid. From Längfluh follow the moraine south for about 100 m, then bear right onto the Feegletscher. Cross to its middle and head south up the slope; late in the season keep closer to the rock wall on the right to avoid a crevassed central zone, watching for serac fall from the plateau above that wall. Climb south-south-west to a rounded spur at about 3,200 m, avoiding the seracs on the right, then up a big north-east-facing slope, usually quite crevassed, to gentler ground at about 3,600 m. Climb directly up the east-facing slopes to a steeper bowl of about 100 m; at the break of slope cross a crevasse, usually on the left, and walk onto the summit plateau and across it to the highest point. Descend the same way, watching the state of the glacier as the day warms, or traverse: down the SE ridge and the Eisnase (100 m at 45°) to the Alphubeljoch (3,782 m), then either back across to the ascent track, west to the Täschhütte, or over the Feechopf (rock ridge, II) and the Feejoch to the Mittelallalin Metro Alpin station.
Start
Längfluh2,868 m
- Saas-Fee–Spielboden–Längfluh cable cars
- Train to Visp, PostBus to Saas-Fee, then the Saas-Fee–Spielboden–Längfluh cable cars.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Längfluh → Alphubel | 4.4 | 1,335 | 0 | 5h |
Waypoints
- Lift: Längfluh2,868 m
Top station of the Spielboden–Längfluh cable car; mountain restaurant
- Summit: Alphubel4,206 m
Key Passages
- Crevassed central Feegletscher
- Crevassed north-east-facing slope to 3,600 m
- Steeper bowl and crevasse below the summit plateau
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A 4,206 m snow-capped massif between Saas-Fee and Täsch with a broad, flat summit plateau. Its normal route from the Längfluh cable car is a PD glacier climb whose main difficulty is the crevassed Feegletscher; from the Mattertal side it is climbed by the SE ridge and the Eisnase.
The Alphubel sits in the middle of the Mischabel chain, south of the Täschhorn and north of the Allalinhorn, with the Feegletscher spilling down its east side towards Saas-Fee and the Alphubel and Weingarten glaciers on the Mattertal side. Its name means roughly 'alpine hill'; in 1840 it was still called the 'Alpenhügel von Fee', which fits the huge, gently domed summit plateau, unusual among the Valais 4,000ers. In poor visibility that plateau is easy to get lost on.
From Saas-Fee the normal route starts at the Längfluh lift station at 2,870 m and crosses the Feegletscher, one of the more broken glaciers used by a normal route in the Saas valley, then climbs east-facing slopes to the plateau: about 1,340 m and 4.5–5 hours, graded PD (SAC PD+). From the west, the Täschhütte gives the first-ascent route over the Alphubeljoch and the SE ridge, finishing with the Eisnase, a 100 m step of 45° snow or ice. Rock climbers come for the long Rotgrat (W ridge, AD+).
In spring the Alphubel is one of the classic ski 4,000ers of the Saas valley. In summer, warm afternoons weaken snow bridges on the Feegletscher, and the Eisnase can turn to bare ice late in the season.
Climbing Notes
Technically straightforward, but you must be competent at roped glacier travel and crevasse rescue (or go with a guide), comfortable in crampons on slopes up to 35–45°, and fit for 1,300–1,500 m of ascent above 2,700 m. Acclimatise first; the Allalinhorn from the Metro Alpin or a night at a hut above 3,000 m are common preparations.
From Saas-Fee: lifts to Längfluh and the summit in 4.5–5 hours; because the first lift starts late for a glacier route, many people stay overnight at Längfluh or climb in spring with skis. A popular traverse descends the SE ridge to the Alphubeljoch and crosses the Feechopf to the Mittelallalin Metro Alpin station. From the Mattertal: Täschalp (road, bus or taxi from Täsch), 1.5 hours to the Täschhütte, then 4–5 hours by the SE ridge. Local guides in Saas-Fee and Täsch/Zermatt lead both routes.
History
First ascent on 9 August 1860 by Leslie Stephen and T. W. Hinchliff with the guides Melchior Anderegg and Peter Perren, from the Täsch side via the Alphubeljoch and the SE ridge (Bergwelten also lists Franz Andenmatten in the party).
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski-touring season starts; Täschhütte partly staffed
- Apr
- Classic ski ascent; good snow bridges
- May
- Spring ski conditions
- Jun
- Good snow cover; Täschhütte partly staffed
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Feegletscher more broken; Eisnase often icy
- Sep
- Cold mornings; open crevasses; huts close late September
- Oct
- Huts closed; early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Täschhütte: www.taeschhuette.ch, +41 79 316 10 83, info@taeschhuette.ch.
- Fees
- Saas-Fee–Spielboden–Längfluh cable cars (from about CHF 38 return)
- Täschhütte: overnight with half board (see hut website)
- Rules
- Saas-Fee is car-free: park at the village entrance
- Täschalp road: private cars or the seasonal bus from Täsch (mid-June to mid-October)
- Getting There
Saas-Fee (east side); Täsch (west side)
Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH) or Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Saas-Fee: train to Visp, PostBus to Saas-Fee; cable cars Saas-Fee–Spielboden–Längfluh
- Täsch: train on the Visp–Zermatt line to Täsch; by car or seasonal bus (mid-June to mid-October) or alpine taxi to Täschalp (2,185 m), then 1.5 hours to the Täschhütte
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Weather
- Exposure
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,701 m
TäschhütteHutStaffedBooking required
74 beds · Staffed April–May and July–September, partly March, June and October (2026: 23 February – 20 September); emergency shelter year-round