Frankenjura Rock Climbing

Home to the legend Wolfgang Güllich and his über famous Action Directe (9a). Also the birthplace of the Redpoint (Rotpunkt) by Kurt Albert. Because of this, it's not surprising that this place is best known for hard sport climbing (there are currently 173 routes graded 5.14a or harder here). It's sort of the anti-Elbsandstein; not that that's a bad thing!

There are over 10,000 known routes in this gigantic area, and some crags are very secluded, so you'll want to plan ahead before just cruising over. You have a choice of over 1500 crags to visit spread over an area of 2,723.5 square miles. To clarify, this is not a system of crags but rather a collection of cliffs and free-standing towers spread over a large area.

Also, the type of stone is limestone, and it is characterized as being very pocketed. The rock is anywhere from slabby (though often with sections which could be overhanging), to overhanging. Routes here are typically between 8 and 30 meters (~24-100 ft.), but some can be up to 40m long! The vast majority are 25m or less.

Bouldering is also possible in the Frankenjura (pronounced with long a like in "watch" and the j is said like a "y", thus: Frahnkinyurah) and there are many many boulder problems here. To accomodate (and spur) the growing popularity of bouldering, 3 new bouldering gyms have opened in the past 2 years in just the area around Nürnberg, and one of the gyms has already been expanded to become the largest bouldering gym in Germany. Nevertheless, you won't find a bouldering guidebook for the region because there is a tacit consent not to publish one in any form (Boulderappell).

Beer gardens abound and there is never a shortage of good food to be found in any of the villages or small cities within the Frankenjura. Climbing is very popular here, so expect to meet other climbers at the crag, and don't be too surprised if some of the popular routes at the popular crags are a bit polished. You may even have to stand in line if you're projecting a particularly popular route.

Here's a fantastic website with lots of information: climb.frankenjura.com/deuts… (EDIT: This website is still usefull for some information, but now requires paid membership to access the topos.) Here's the UKClimbing write-up of the area, and of particular interest is the section at the very end titled "Anything else I should know": ukclimbing.com/articles/pag… Here's DMM's write-up of their visit to the Frankenjura in 2012: dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/d… and from 2011: dmmclimbing.com/news/tag/fe…

Finally, please, if you're going to toprope a route here, hang 2 quickdraws or a locking carabiner at the top and let your rope travel through that rather than the fixed protection. Many routes also only have a single bolt at the top and continually wearing this bolt down by top-roping is DANGEROUS!!! Not just for you but also for others who climb after you. Please be mindful and courteous.