Last updated: September 2026

The Saas Valley is home to one of the highest concentrations of 4,000ers in the Alps, with 18 4,000m peaks surrounding the valley. These range from Allalinhorn, one of the most popular first 4,000m peaks, to more technical summits such as Lenzspitze. Nadelhorn sits somewhere in between: a step up from the easier 4,000ers, but without becoming overly technical.

At 4,327m, Nadelhorn is also firmly in the big leagues, with the normal route from the Mischabelhütte requiring an alpine start for a glacier crossing before an airy climb up the Northeast Ridge. On paper, the route is a relatively straightforward PD route – but as we found out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s straightforward on the day.

Last updated: September 2026

Allalinhorn isn’t exactly a famous name outside of climbing circles – I hadn’t heard of it before booking a trip to Saas-Fee. It doesn’t have the looks of the Matterhorn or the legendary status of Mont Blanc, but it does have a reputation as one of the more “friendly” 4,000m peaks in the Alps. The Alps have over eighty of these so-called “4,000ers” and, while most require long treks to refuges, tricky ridges or a painfully early alarm clock, Allalinhorn is a little more forgiving for us mortals. Thanks to Saas-Fee’s lift infrastructure, two separate cable cars followed by the MetroAlpin (the highest underground funicular in the world), you can be standing on a glacier with crampons and an ice axe within an hour. All this infrastructure makes it feel almost like cheating, but we weren’t complaining.

That convenience makes it popular, though. The first funicular is usually heaving with climbers. From our hotel in the valley, we’d already seen a winding line of people making their way up the glacier on the Saas-Fee webcam. We ended up taking a later lift, at least partly by design, and while this meant there were fewer people on the mountain, it also meant crossing snow bridges that were softening under the late-morning sun.