NE Grat 5.9
| 574 page views
Good page?   |
| Type: | Trad, Sport, 11 pitches, 1150 feet, Grade III |
| Consensus: | 5.9- [details] |
| FA: | 1960 Ruedi + Werner Vieli |
| Submitted By: | Dan Flynn on Dec 12, 2011 |
| |
The epic wall. Ridge from right to left
Add Photo  Printer View
Description A very fine route up a beckoning ridge of rock. Fantastic granite ridge climbing, with full-value exposure on the upper pitches. Retreat back down the ridge would be very tedious.
This description follows the 'directissima' start from the northern-most tip of the ridge, marked as route 142 in the posted topo. Pitches are also described as they made the most sense to us, linking a few easy traverses on flat ground and building belays at logical spots. Start at 'Grat 5c' carved into the stone!
P1 - 5c. Layback and then across bolted slab. Head up the short chimmney and either belay on top of the chimmney or walk across grassy patch to the obvious corner.
P2 - 5c? - Two options, left and right crack. Right crack is half picture-perfect 5.9 crack climbing, half 5.10 offwidth at the top. I would go left next time!
P3 - 5c - Original route starts at a cairn down and to the left. Direct route (not shown in topo here) goes up right. Scurry up some slabs to large corner, go in and make some traversing moves up to a chimney.
P4 - 4c. Now joins original route. Grovel elegantly up a chimney, walk right, head up corner.
P5 - 4b. More chimney work, and now head around to exposed western side of the ridge.
P4 - 2a. Traverse across a flat table, with nothing but air on both sides! Would for sure be an easy stroll without snow/ice on the table…
P5 - 5b. Sidepull/mantle/thug up some blocky holds.
P6 - 4a. Walk across the ridge, then follow the pitons and bolts up the face. Note: at the ledge, can exit left to reach the abseil stands for Nanouk and Medea.
P7 - 5b - Headwall to the top!
Descent is equipped for a single 50m rope… if you don't mind doing 10 rappels. Quite fast with 2 x 50 or longer. Have to scamper 20 min across talus field at the bottom to return to packs.
Additional information about the route and area over on SummitPost.
Protection All bolted, but also nearly all easily protectable on gear: bring some wide stuff (up to 4").
Pitch 2!
|
P 4 groveling
|
At the base, ready to get off the snow..
|
Around the corner to the exit
|
BETA PHOTO: Originally from chmoser.ch
|
Zervreilahorn as seen from the carpark
|
Zervreilahorn, from the upper stretch of the appro...
|
Fanstastic crack climbing in pitch two
|
Interesting off-width section in the upper third o...
|
BETA PHOTO: One of many alternative intro pitches - the one we...
|
The entertaining final pitch up to the top-out. L...
|
From the top of pitch five.
|
Looking up the bolted handcrack first pitch on the...
|
Looking down from the top of P2 and the offwidth o...
| |
By Colin Winter
Jul 24, 2012
| Can highly recommend the intro pitch that we followed (there are many options) - begins on the wall left of the tin containing the ascent log, with a "6b" etched in stone at the base of a prominent crack. There are two bolted lines taking off at this point, one following a smaller crack straight up, and the other following a somewhat wider crack that veers a bit more to the right. We took the latter, which goes at around 5c and was a jam fest.
With 2x60m ropes, the rap off the east side was a very quick affair (4x, straight down). |
By David A
From: Broomfield, CO
Jan 11, 2013
rating: 5.8+
| This is a really good route, and a fine intro into the longer alpine rock climbs found all over CH. We did it 13 pitches, but could be lead in considerably less, with some simuling. FWIW, the route does not top out on the actual summit of Zerfreilahorn. If you want to get to the actual summit, be prepared to slog over 3rd class for a while once the route tops out. |
|
RSS Feed
7 more...
Slideshow
