South of Rosenheim: Sport climbing in Flintsbach, Ruhpolding and Zellerwand
Besides ticking off some cool alpine climbs in the Chiemgau alps we also took the chance to check out a few of the local sport crags that offer single and short multi pitch lines with very short approaches.
Old quarries, blank slabs and questionable grading
The day after setting up camp close to Rosenheim in the very south of Germany we decided on visiting an old quarry called Flintsbach. The crag is located in the Inn river valley and consists of several sectors with the „Steinbruch“ being the center piece that also has some three pitch lines on offer. Perfect for us to rehearse our rope teams before heading into the real mountains.
The climbing in the sectors we visited is mostly slabby with the odd dihedral and corner thrown in. In my opinion the climbs are fairly graded and well protected and the „Steinbruch“ does provide good multi pitch fun with its 70 meter high slab and the ability to climb right to the top for a good view of the Inn valley. The approach is maybe 5 minutes - perfect for a half or full day out!
You can find pretty good info on the climbs on theCrag Flintsbach.
After our Kampenwand traverse adventure another alpine epic was no option and so we went to the Zellerwand crag close to the Austrian border. With more than 200 documented routes covering all grades (3a to 8b) on one continuous wall there would be something to do for everybody and for as long as our arms would allow. There are no real multipitch lines here but many long (up to 40 meter) pump fest - of which I had the pleasure to onsight one… uff…
Again fair grading and good protection and high quality rock make this a very good area to visit. The approach is a 10 to 20 minute (depending on the sector) hike through a campground and up to the wall. Find more info on theCrag Zellerwand.
The third and final valley crag we sampled on this trip was Ruhpolding. Separated into one large sector with two and three pitch routes through slabby rock structured by some steeper steps and a smaller one with steeper and overhanging single pitch lines. Again this is an old unused quarry. Climbing on the multi pitch lines is good fun but the area seems to get quite busy - at least it was on the Sunday we were there. There are very easy pitches and some up to UIAA grade 7.
In the smaller single pitch sector the routes felt significantly harder given the grades. Stil maybe fair but a bit of an adjustment. I totally destroyed myself on a UIAA 7 that seemed to be bolted by a sadist (closely bolted for the first three and then nothing on the crux section).
The approach is a quick 5 minutes walk from the parking lot of the local archery club. Topos and route info: theCrag Ruhpolding.
In summary the valley crags south of Rosenheim have quite a bit to offer on their own and are a very good alternative for those so so weather days if you are in the area for alpine climbing targets.
Adventurers: Julia, Jochen, Buddel and Bengt