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A short approach, southern exposure, a stunning landscape and an abundance of easy to moderate routes... it is no mystery why this is one of the more popular crags in central Switzerland.
Melchsee-Frutt, where the crag is located, is a wonderfully humble village / ski resort situated high above the Melchtal valley.
In the village, there are numerous hotels with restaurants, as well as a small convenience store with all the indispensable items for a day on the rocks (i.e., beer, sausage, cheese, and of course butter, for those with a true appreciation for the crown jewel of Swiss dairy products).
The crag is a single band of rock that extends for several kilometers. The rock is a high-quality limestone, with distinct horizontal "layers." As a result, the routes are not always sustained, but particularly in the steeper sections where the upper layers protrude outwards, it can make for some extraordinary and airy climbing.
The rock band is divided into sectors ("sektors"), which are painted on the stone. These sectors make it easy to tell where you are, and to check out beta in the topos the resort publishes online.
The routes are well-protected, primarily single pitch affairs. Most of the routes are between 3-6b (french). There are only a handful of harder routes. At the base of each route, there is a sign with the name, grade and length. It doesn't get much more user-friendly than this.
Tip: On sunny winter days, you can climb here in a t-shirt and take in the views of the ski resort. As icing on the cake, you can ski or sled back down to your car in the evening!
Info, topo and local weather conditions at:
melchsee-frutt.com.
Melchtal is a relatively quiet valley very close to Lucerne, and is accessible by public transport (bus) or car.
In the summer, the Melchsee-Frutt resort is accessible from the valley by car, via a windy, single-lane road that takes off from the valley floor at the end of the proper two-lane street. In both the summer and winter, the area can also be accessed by gondola for a fee (accepts Halbtax if you have one).
Note that the one-way road is open for uphill traffic on even hours, and downhill traffic on odd hours. In the summer, particularly on weekends, you may have to pay a toll to drive up.
From the resort, you walk along a paved road to the east for about 5 minutes that winds down to the small lake. From there, a clearly marked trail takes off left to access the crag. The first routes are just a few minutes away, the furthest 20-25 minutes.
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Billings Montana
Northeast mostly
Sure, don't come to Switzerland for the single-pitch climbing, but it sure is fun if you're already here!
Note the grades on the route name placards are UIAA/German, which takes some mental gymnastics... Jul 17, 2011
The crag itself is huge and has about 150 climbs—all marked with metal placards. But based on the routes available here on MP, we didn't realize just how big this place is.
To get to the crag, park your car and then walk along the north side of the lake on the paved road. Go along the lake until you pass the giant, standalone elevator. Just past this point, you'll see some large signs with climbing info on it and the path that leads up to the base of the crag on the left. Don't do what we did and hike up toward the top of Bonistock. We asked someone where Bonistock was and they sent us on a wild goose chase lol. Wasted about 45 minutes before we realized our error. The approach is literally 5-10 minutes from the parking area. Just head toward the lake.
The crag is broken down into 7 zones. Each zone has 10-15 routes.
It's such a beautiful place to climb. Definitely worth the trip if you're in the area. And worth it as a destination in and of itself if you want to also do some 600-foot multi-pitch nearby as well (Chelesen).
TOPO:
Here's a link to a breakdown of the entire crag: melchsee-frutt.com/files/sw… Oct 31, 2016
New York, NY
Once you make it to the lake you should park at the parking lot you see on your way in. You can technically drive all the way to the approach, but this isn't technically allowed. Just park and walk along the lake until you pass a gigantic ladder decorated as a candle. Past this you should be able to see the crags. Look for an approach trail just off to your left. All the routes are marked with a placard that has the name and the grade. The routes all look like they haven't seen much traffic, as there is little to no chalk on them, and a lot of them involved a good amount of hold finding.
When you're done and ready to come back down be sure to stop by a pay machine, which should be located at the parking lot. You will need to validate your ticket before you can leave. If you forget, there is another pay machine located near the gates at the bottom. When I came I stayed for about 16 hours (came at night, left the next afternoon) which cost 16 CHF. Not sure if the price is per hour or a flat rate, but it isn't all that bad. Jun 21, 2017