'Horn of the Aletsch' — named for the Great Aletsch Glacier (Aletsch-Gletscher), the largest glacier in the Alps, which descends from the foot of the peak. The Aletsch element is a pre-Romance toponym of disputed origin, possibly from Celtic *al-, 'high'.
Second-highest peak of the Bernese Alps and the only one of the higher Bernese summits lying entirely in Valais. It rises above the Great Aletsch Glacier in the UNESCO Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage area.
Climbed on 18 June 1859 by Francis Fox Tuckett — the prolific English alpinist and member of the original Alpine Club committee — with his three guides. The Aletschhorn presides over the Great Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
Route lines are approximate — drawn from guidebook waypoints, not GPS tracks. Don't navigate by them.
