The Allalinhorn is a remarkable mountain for a variety of reasons. Shape, height, moderate difficulties, various attractive traverse options, easy access and name contribute to a degree of familiarity that goes far beyond its topographical significance.

From the valley of Saas, it shows itself as a graceful, glacier-armored triangle, while in fact, the Allalinhorn is a quite complicated structure. Four curved ridges meet on the summit. Seen from the Feechopf it is an attractive pyramid. From the south it seems rather threatening due to its large rock face. The Allalinhorn is a four-thousand-meter peak, one of the simplest in the Alps. In addition, since 1984, an underground funicular railway ran through its N flank up to 570 meters below the summit, enormously shortening an ascent. That is why the Allalinhorn enjoys a lively stream of visitors, which only breaks off a few weeks a year. For many alpinists, the Allalinhorn would be a good option for a first four-thousander.

The riddle of the name is the dot on the "i": Allalin ... it sounds strange. It may be a name that the Saracens gave to this mountain over 1000 years ago. In Arabic, ala'i-ain means the source (also "source mountain"). In the Saas Valley you call the mountain "ts Alle'lii". The name remains a mystery.