Schafbergkante
An airy multi-pitch in the Alpstein up a fine arête — well bolted, with a polished 5c+ as the crux. An ideal spring tour.
The Schafbergkante in the Alpstein
The Schafbergkante climbs an airy arête in fine pitches — a classic Alpstein route, well bolted and pleasant to climb over long stretches. As one of the first routes to dry out in the year, it makes an excellent spring tour.
Finding the start of the multi-pitch is a little awkward: skirt a small tower on the left and then climb up (GPX from Marcus Dettling).
The grades have shifted quite a bit over the years. The crux is nowadays given as 5c+, and it has real bite: the rock here is distinctly polished, which makes the climbing harder than the grade suggests. In return there are plenty of bolts — you are well protected throughout.
Don’t underestimate the second pitch either: to my mind it is undergraded, and feels considerably tougher in reality than its number lets on.
How it went for me
A fine, climbable route — but the crux made me work. The rock on the decisive moves is polished so smooth that the 5c+ is anything but a gift. The only reassuring thing was the close line of bolts. And the second pitch caught me off guard: harmless on paper, distinctly more demanding in the flesh. All told, exactly the right tour for finding my way back into climbing early in the year.