Switzerland
Les Montons is a long band of rough, sculpted limestone above the Lac de Sénin, just north of the Col du Sanetsch on the border of Valais and Bern. Dozens of bolted multipitches of 100 to 300 m, many by the Remy brothers, run from 5c to 7a and beyond. You reach it by a long road from Sion via Savièse, by bus from Sion, or by the cable car from Gsteig on the Bernese side, and the walls are 20 to 30 minutes from the road. The south-east faces are in the sun from early morning; the season runs from the opening of the pass road in June into October.
Where and when
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Les Montons, Col du Sanetsch · 2,482 m
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −8 | −6 | −3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 4 | −3 | −8 |
| Mean daily low °C | −17 | −16 | −12 | −9 | −5 | −1 | 2 | 2 | −2 | −6 | −12 | −16 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2482 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
1 route
Switzerland · Sanetsch
The classic introduction to the Sanetsch at 6c: eight varied pitches up a pillar of superb rough limestone, with the hard climbing packed into a few well-bolted metres on each pitch. A steep corner mantel, a balancy wall, a fine slab and an airy exit from a niche. Tops out on grassy slopes with a walk-off.
6c8 pitches250 m
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Switzerland