The first ascent of the Aletschhorn dates from 18 June 1859 and was mastered by the Englishman Francis F. Tuckett and the mountain guides Johann Josef Benet, Peter Bohren and V. Tairraz.
Glacier feeds
After the Finsteraarhorn, the Aletschhorn is the second highest peak in the Bernese Alps massif. On its northern flank is the Grosser Aletschfirn. It is also the starting point of the Oberaletsch Glacier and the Mittelaletsch Glacier. The Aletschhorn is considered the coldest mountain in the Alps, as it is exposed and susceptible to wind.
A mountain is upside down
Geologically speaking, the world is upside down on the Aletschhorn: The significantly older summit section of old crystalline stands on the younger Central Aare granite. While the southern slate shell of old crystalline is between 1.2 and 2 billion years old, the young Aare granite is about 300 million years old.
Ascent to the Aletschhorn
Although the normal climbs are relatively easy from an alpine technical point of view, the tour is very long and also tricky in poor visibility at the summit. The shortest and technically easiest route leads from the Mittelaletsch bivouac via the NE ridge. In summer, however, the SW ridge from the Oberaletsch hut is the most frequented. It is more difficult than the NE ridge and considerably longer.
Guided tour of the Aletschhorn
The challenging high-altitude tour in the heart of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site can of course also be done in the company of an experienced mountain guide.
Information on the offers of the BelalpAlpinCenter can be found here:
BelalpAlpinCenter
3914 Blatten bei Naters
Tel.: +41 77 423 08 08
www.belalpalpincenter.ch
info@belalpalpincenter.ch