Buchstein, 20th March 2010

The Roßstein and Buchstein are two little mountains, or even one mountain with two summits, above the Tegernsee to the south of Munich. They are easy to get to, even early in the year, and have got short sunny south faces with scores of climbs of all difficulties. Michael Stanton and I wanted to take advantage of the warm spring weather to start the climbing season early.

The Roßstein (left) and Buchstein (right)

First of all we climbed the Südverschneidung or Südwandschmankerl on the Buchstein. This is an old climb which follows a corner. It has solid rock, although it gets more vegetated in the upper pitches, and has been re-bolted almost to climbing wall standards. The hardest pitch was graded VI-, although this was generously graded - a V in the Wilder Kaiser is harder.

Michael Stanton on Sahnestückchen

After this climb we abseiled back down again and climbed Sahnestückchen. This is a totally different style of climb, a modern eliminate up the compact slabs to the right of the Südverschneidung and the sort of climb only made possible by bolts. The first pitch, graded VI, is wonderful - tricky technical slab climbing on rough compact rock. The second pitch, graded VII-, is the crux. This turned out to be a one-move wonder, with a desperately hard move which neither of us managed free. At the top we continued up a slippery snow gully to the summit of the Buchstein, which certainly was not pleasant in rock shoes, but gave us a wonderful view out over the Wetterstein to the south, the Karwendel to the southeast and the Rofangebirge to the east.

Bayerische Alpen Nordtirol

Selected climbs guide with 100 of the best-known classics in grades IV - VII from the Oberreintal, the Schüsselkarspitze, the Wilder Kaiser, the Karwendel, the Berchtesgadener and the Salzburger Alps, and some less well-known mountains. Each route receives a hand-drawn topo and a black and white crag photo with the line of the route. Approach and descent are described in German. For the publication date of 2004 the guide does not seem very modern. It has no climbing photos, and even the cover photo is a less than inspiring bum shot. Set against that, it is probably the quickest way to get to know the classic routes in this area.

A second slightly revised edition was published in 2009.

Author: Richard Goedeke
Published: Rother (2004)
ISBN: 3-7633-3016-X

Wilder Kaiser, Band 1 and Band 2

Topo-based guides to climbs in the Wilder Kaiser. Minimal text in German describes approach, how many bolts and pegs a climb has, and descent. Seriousness rating given on a scale of E1 - E6. This has nothing to do with British E-grades, and is better compared with the P-rating in the Yorkshire gritstone guide. Climbs in the lower grades are described in Band 1 and those in the upper grades in Band 2. As with all Panico guides in this series the topos are also reproduced on pocket-sized pull-out cards. Topos are clear and accurate.

Author: Markus Stadler
Publisher: Panico (2004)
ISBN: 978-3-936740-06-6 and 978-3-936740-13-4

Best of Genuss, Band 1

Selected climbs guide covering the Salzburger and Berchtesgadener Alps. The guide covers climbs in the range from IV to VII, although the emphasis is more on climbs at the upper end of this range. Furthermore the guide concentrates on the many new bolted climbs which have been established in this area in the last two decades. For example, the Hinterstoisser/Kurz and the Barth Chimney, two well-known classics on the Berchtesgadener Hochthron from the start of the 20th century, are ignored in favour of newer but less well-known climbs. On the other hand, the guide contains many routes currently (2010) not described anywhere else. The authors are prolific new-routers in this region and include many of their own climbs.

The guidebook has many colour photographs for inspiration as well as colour crag photos with the lines of the routes. Each climb recieves a well-drawn topo as well as notes on approach and descent in German. Some climbs also receive a pitch by pitch description.

Of greatest interest to visiting climbers is likely to be the Hochkönig massif. A great number of the climbs in this massif are equipped with the controversial home-made Sigi-bolts. These have been linked to at least one fatal accident and subsequently shown in tests by the German Alpine Club (DAV) to show a large spread in failure loads. The authors have consequently decided not to describe any of the routes protected by Sigi-bolts, but still manage to include a large selection of other routes in the Hochkönig.(The DAV has also issue a warning concerning the use of these bolts.)

Authors: Rudolf Kühberger, Gerald Forchthammer
Published: Panico (2008)
ISBN: 978-3-936740-37-0

Wilder Kaiser, 24th August 2009

Anthony Woodrow had time for a quick trip down to Munich and then the Wilder Kaiser between flights to and from Frankfurt, and the Via Classica on the Fleischbank seemed like a good opportunity to get up something long-ish with hopefully minimal potential for surprises. It is a sport route of 15 pitches (including two walks over grassy ledges), bolted in 2002. Due to its bolt protection, its good rock, its easy climbing and its position directly opposite the balcony of the Stripsenjochhaus it has quickly become very popular, and even on a Monday we were not the only party on the route.

Anthony Woodrow on the Via Classica on the Fleischbank

The climbing got better the higher we went, the highlight being the 50m V+ pitch near the top, which was sustained at the lower end of VS for almost all of its length. The bolt spacing was such that I didn't place any of my own gear apart from on the last two pitches, and route finding was not a problem either. Without being in a hurry we got up in five and a quarter hours.

Anthony Woodrow finishing the last pitch of the Via Classica

Getting down was more of an event. We had to continue over the summit of the Fleischbank, which involved a couple of bad steps for which we roped up again, before descending to the Christascharte and ab-ing into the Steinerne Rinne. We had taken enough water for the climb only, and by the time we got back to the hut in the perfect August weather our mouths were dry and we were dreaming of Apfelsaftschorle.

Anthony Woodrow climbing onto the summit of the Fleischbank

Wilder Kaiser, 25th / 26th July 2009

The weather forecast delivered on its promise of showers for the northern side of the eastern Alps, and so Ingo Peter, Felix Lütkenherm and I spent much of the Saturday morning sitting in the Stripsenjochhaus eating Apfelstrudel, drinking coffee, and looking out of the window wondering when the rock would dry. Ingo thankfully had topos for some shorter routes not too far from the hut, and was motivated enough to get us out of the door again shortly before lunchtime, but even then we sheltered from another two showers and saw two other parties turn back before we got as far as the start of the Schneiderweg (V+, 5 pitches) on the Totenkirchl.Evening sun on the Fleischbank after a rainy day

The first pitch goes up an unproblematic grade IV corner before traversing right to a stance which, unusually for Austria, had no bolts and just one inconveniently placed rusty old peg. From here a short pitch leads up to a cramped stance jammed between a rock spike and the overhanging wall above. After this is where the fun starts. A rough crack leads diagonally upwards and leftwards around the overhang. Beneath the crack is a compact wall with smears for the feet, while above the crack the overhang pushes out. It is possible to get the right leg into the crack, and hope that the left foot sticks to the sloping toe holds beneath. This was my favourite pitch of the route, and would be worth going back for.

Felix Lütkenherm at the end of pitch 3 on the Schneiderweg on the Totenkirchl

The fourth pitch is a foot traverse with small and sometimes low handholds rightwards out over the overhang turned by the previous pitch. Rain had already been threatening as we finished the second pitch, and now as I came to the end of the rightwards traverse it arrived. The last few meters to the belay were not as difficult, and thankfully the shower was almost over again by the time Felix and Ingo joined me.The Stripsenjoch seen from the Totenkirchl

The last pitch was an unpleasant Wilder Kaiser chimney. This was not my first experience of these, and they are somehow unlike anything I have ever climbed in England or Wales. In its depths it was wet, polished, and not easy to protect, although there were some bolts and pegs in place. After first traversing left, then penduluming right, and first pulling then standing on a peg
before traversing left again, I had the most awful rope drag and for the last few meters could only stand up at all on both legs simultaneously. The pitch was graded V+, which is usually about VS, but this was more like VS for HVS climbers.

Crux pitch of the Christakante

On the Sunday we did the Christakante (V/A0, 10 pitches) on the Christaturm, next to the Ellmauer Tor at the top of the Steinerne Rinne. The weather turned out warm and sunny, the climbing was easy and pleasant, and we got to the top without event. The pitches varied between Diff and the lower end of VS, with three steep and very slippery meters of climbing being overcome by pulling on the bolts.

Ingo Peter and Felix Lütkenherm on the Christakante

On the summit of the Christaturm

Schüsselkarspitze, 11th / 12th July 2009

After several weekends in a row of really wet weather I was all too ready to read a little more into a slightly more optimistic weather forecast for the north side of the eastern Alps than turned out to be justified.

The Hohe Munde seen from the Schüsselkarspitze

Ingo Peter and I stayed in the Wangalm, on the south side of the Wetterstein, but after a cold rainy night we were not in a hurry to get started. By half past ten we were standing at the bottom of the Locker vom Hocker slab on the Schüsselkarspitze wondering at first where the Meßner / Sint route could go, and then, once we had excluded all other possibilities, whether the guidebook grade of VI+ could really be right. It was cold and misty, and after an hour and a half of sitting there shivering we gave up waiting for the weather to get better and went off to do the Leberle on the Scharnitzspitze.

The first three pitches of this were straightforward, but the fourth turned out to be good value for IV. As it was it started to rain and then to hail as Ingo seconded this pitch, and soon the rock was soaking wet. After a while the rain stopped and our friends Mario Senke and Felix Lütkenherm appeared below. However, after an hour of standing shivering at the belay the rock was showing no signs of getting any dryer, so we abbed and that was that.

Ingo Peter on the 4th pitch of the Leberle on the Scharnitzspitze

Sunday went even worse. Ingo and I didn't get anything done at all, although Mario and Felix got up the Leberle on the Scharnitzspitze. We bumped into Arnaud Richel and climbing partner who wanted to do a route called Steiler Zahn just to the right of the Meßner / Sint, although they didn't end up getting up that either.