Multipitch Atlas

Alchemist

Gelbeck north-east face (Drusenfluh) · Rätikon (Montafon) · Austria

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

Starts up an inclined slab at the lowest point of the Gelbeck, climbs three long, easier pitches through the front spur to a sloping ledge, then finishes with two very steep wall pitches on sharp solution pockets that most parties climb with a few aid moves.

The Drusenfluh massif from the north, seen from Rellseck above Bartholomäberg. The Gelbeck is a buttress low on this side of the mountain above the Gauertal; the wall and the line are not identified in this view.Photo: Reinhard Müller · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo

The Drusenfluh massif from the north, seen from Rellseck above Bartholomäberg. The Gelbeck is a buttress low on this side of the mountain above the Gauertal; the wall and the line are not identified in this view.Photo: Reinhard Müller · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hardest pitch
6c
Pitches
5
Length
200 m
Approach
195 min
Aspect
NE
North-east-facing
Rope
2×55 m

The route

Overview

A 2020 route on the north-east face of the Gelbeck, right of Sorgafresser. The first three pitches are generous and moderate (UIAA 5 to 6+) on good rock, leading to the diagonal ledge in the middle of the wall. The final wall gives two very steep pitches on sharp drip pockets, graded 7 with aid points on the topo; climbed free there is a move of UIAA 8. It fits the atlas as a route where the crux goes at A0. A two-pitch extension was planned for 2021, and its status is not documented.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P15a/5bUIAA 5+. Up the inclined slab at the lowest point of the wall.
P26a/6a+UIAA 6+ through the front spur.
P35aUIAA 5, trending left then back right to the sloping ledge in the middle of the wall.
P46b/6b+UIAA 7 with four points of aid on the topo. Very steep wall on sharp solution pockets.
P56b/6b+UIAA 7 with three points of aid on the topo. More steep wall climbing to the top belay.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Turn off towards the Montafon at Bludenz and drive to Tschagguns, then right up to Latschau and the car park at the Lünerseewerk power station by the Golmerbahn valley station (about 990 m). By public transport, take bus line 1 from Tschagguns railway station to Latschau Golmerbahn Talstation. From there walk up the Gauertal to the Lindauer Hütte (1744 m), about 2.5 hours; most parties stay at the hut.

On foot · about 195 min

From the Lindauer Hütte take the path towards the Öfapass. After the first steep step turn left towards the Eistobel and follow faint tracks, partly cairned, to the foot of the Gelbeck. The start is at the lowest point of the north-east face, left of the water-streaked north side that adjoins the Blodigrinne gully, at about 2050 m. The starts of Hornhaut Ade and Sorgafresser are to the left. About 45 minutes from the hut.

Map of the walk-in

  • Route base
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the base of the route.

Coordinates · route base

47.03399, 9.80891

Parking

47.07256, 9.87418

Car park at the Lünerseewerk, Latschau

Point from Start coordinates published on the Lindauer Hütte route page

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.

Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

Abseil the route following the topo: 20, 40, 50, 55 and 55 m.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling the route is the normal descent and the topo marks an abseil point at every belay, with rope lengths of 20, 40, 50, 55 and 55 m.

Retreat from
Any belay.
Point of no return
None documented. Pitch 3 wanders left and back, so follow the topo's abseil arrows and not the climbing line.
Carry
Two 55 m ropes.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesAbseil descent and lengths are from the Lindauer Hütte page and topo.

Safety

Hazards

  • Aid moves on the two top pitches unless you climb UIAA 8.
  • Sharp rock on the steep final wall.
  • Alpine setting at over 2000 m, about three hours from the road: weather changes, storms and a long way down if something goes wrong.
  • Only one detailed source exists for this route, written by a partner of the first ascensionists; no independent trip reports were found.

Sun and weather

Conditions

An east to north-east facing limestone wall starting at about 2100 m, so a high-summer route with morning sun (season inferred from altitude and aspect; the sources give no months). The hut pages note that water runs down parts of the Gelbeck after rain and suggest combining pitches of neighbouring routes when one line is wet. Expect snow at the foot of the wall early in the season and afternoon thunderstorms in summer (inferred).

Usual season · Jul to Sep

Sun on the wall · NE-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season

Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−6−4−137111414106−0−5
Mean daily low °C−15−14−10−7−31340−4−9−14
Rain days 1 mm or more131316162121201816131314

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2092 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.

What to carry

Gear

12 quickdraws, extendable slings, two 55 m ropes, helmet. A sling to stand in helps on the aid moves (inferred).

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
2×55 m
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Alchemist.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Allow 3 to 5 hours on the route.
  • The rock on the top pitches is sharp; tape or thin gloves for the second can save skin (inferred from the description of sharp pockets).

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Grade: the page text says UIAA 7+ with seven points of aid (obligatory 7-), and a move of UIAA 8 if climbed free. The topo labels the two top pitches '7, 4pa' and '7, 3pa'. The card uses 6c, the conversion of 7+; fully free the route is about 7a to 7a+.
  • Individual pitch lengths are not published; the page says five pitches of up to 55 m and about 200 m of wall. The five abseils on the topo total 220 m.
  • A two-pitch extension was announced for 2021; the page has not been updated to say whether it exists.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

More in Rätikon (Montafon)

All routes in Rätikon (Montafon)
The Lindauer Hütte in winter beneath the Drei Türme; the sunlit yellow buttress on the right, north of the towers, is where the route coordinates place the Gelbeck. The exact line is not marked.

Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)

Sorgafresser

Seven long pitches of varied climbing on mostly very good Rätikon limestone above the Lindauer Hütte, UIAA 7 with 7- obligatory. The last two pitches are very athletic and exposed. Well bolted, but the setting is high and remote.

6b+7 pitches300 m

The Drusenfluh massif from the north, seen from Rellseck above Bartholomäberg. The Gelbeck is a buttress low on this side of the mountain above the Gauertal; the wall and the line are not identified in this view.

Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)

Kabarett Drusenfluh

One of the first modern routes on the front, lower part of the Gelbeck east face: five long pitches of varied, often athletic and exposed limestone climbing. The last two pitches are on heavily water-eroded rock full of drip features.

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The Drusenfluh massif from the north, seen from Rellseck above Bartholomäberg. The Gelbeck is a buttress low on this side of the mountain above the Gauertal; the wall and the line are not identified in this view.

Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)

Skandal um Rosi

Five homogeneous pitches of fine, varied limestone climbing on the Gelbeck east face, almost always between UIAA 6 and 7 and hardly ever easier. An overhanging arête on the last pitch is the tricky bit.

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The Drusenfluh massif from the north, seen from Rellseck above Bartholomäberg. The Gelbeck is a buttress low on this side of the mountain above the Gauertal; the wall and the line are not identified in this view.

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Rätikon Lyrics

A sporty 2020 line of cracks, corners, pillars and water-eroded slabs up to mid-height, then spectacular, steep and airy climbing to the top belay it shares with Kabarett Drusenfluh. Two pitches of UIAA 7+, with a few aid points on the last.

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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.