Ober Gabelhorn, Alpine summit in Valais, Switzerland

Ober Gabelhorn is an alpine summit in the Valais region featuring a pyramid-like form that rises to about 4,063 meters. Its north face is covered in glacier ice, while the remaining flanks are predominantly composed of rock.

The mountain was first climbed in 1865 by A.W. Moore, Horace Walker, and Jakob Anderegg via the east face. A notable alternative route on the southwest ridge, known as Arbengrat, was established later in 1874.

The name Gabelhorn comes from the German Gabel, meaning fork, referring to the forked appearance of the peak and its ridges. The mountain is called Ober Gabelhorn, not Gabelhorn, to distinguish it from the nearby Unter Gabelhorn. Climbers often start from Zermatt or Zinal.

The normal route starts at the Rothorn Hut (3,198 m), crosses the Trift Glacier to the shoulder of the Wellenkuppe (3,898 m), then follows the east-northeast ridge over the Kluckerturm, which has been equipped with fixed ropes since 1918. The Grand Mountet Hut (2,886 m) and the Arben Bivouac (3,224 m) also serve the peak. The Arbengrat is the west-southwest ridge.

On 7 July 1865, one day after the first ascent, Lord Francis Douglas, Peter Taugwalder and Joseph Vianin reached the summit by the north-north-west ridge on their third attempt. An avalanche swept Douglas and Taugwalder off the top, but the rope held and Vianin belayed them. Douglas died a week later on the first ascent of the Matterhorn.