Waterfall slabs below the Plattkopf, Zillergrund (above Bärenbad) · Zillertal · Austria
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
A granite slab route beside a washed-out stream bed and a small waterfall, described as the new slab classic of the Zillertal. Mostly around UIAA 5 on fine slabs, with short harder passages and a 6/6+ exit. Never very exposed, with a view of the 3000 m peaks.
The route
Maria Huber and Heinz Neumeyer bolted this route in 2015 on the slabs below the Plattkopf (2594 m), high in the Zillergrund above Gasthof Bärenbad. The first pitch is a good slab, an easier pitch and a grassy pitch follow, and then a headwall gives four pitches of slabs, corners and featured rock. The hard passages are short: 6- and 6 here and there, and 6/6+ at the exit, which is often wet but can be aided. The route needs a long dry spell and no snow above it. You walk off.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | – | Good slab climbing. |
| P2 | – | An easier pitch. |
| P3 | – | A grassy pitch leading to the headwall. |
| P4 | – | First headwall pitch: slabs, corners and featured slabs alternate on the four headwall pitches. |
| P5 | – | Headwall; fine slabs in the middle part of the route. |
| P6 | – | Headwall, the second-to-last pitch. |
| P7 | 6a | The last pitch, with the 6/6+ crux at the exit on the edge. It is often wet; bergsteigen.com says it is easy to aid. |
Getting there
Leave the A12 at the Zillertal exit and follow the B169 towards Mayrhofen. Just before the town turn left towards Brandberg; after the tunnel turn left onto the toll road into the Zillergrund. By public transport take the train to Mayrhofen and the bus into the Zillergrund. Continue to Gasthof Bärenbad (1450 m) below the dam and park before the barrier. The bus stop for this route is the Steinbockwelt (ibex enclosure).
From the car park before the barrier take the track on the right to the Bärenbadalm and follow the hiking path up left towards the Plauener Hütte. You cross the road, zigzag on, and meet the road again at the level of the tunnel, which starts as a gallery, left of the ibex enclosure. Go left to the gallery, pass it on the outside and traverse level on a grassy forest track to the rocks. Then climb along the small stream bed to the start at about 1850 m. Allow 1 hour. With a mountain bike or e-bike you can ride almost to the start; you need a light for a long tunnel.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
Car park at Gasthof Bärenbad below the Zillergründl dam (toll road)
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker 'Einstieg'
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.
Coordinates: 47.12610, 12.05560 (route base) · Parking: 47.12170, 12.03900
Getting down
From the exit on the edge go left through a lane in the dwarf pines to a group of trees. Continue a little and descend through the pines, watching for cut branches, which show the way. You reach a grass gully and descend it steeply for some time. Where the gully narrows, go left through another lane in the pines towards the start, descend briefly in the forest and traverse to the forest track below the start. Do not abseil the route because of stonefall danger.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
bergsteigen.com says abseiling is possible but not advisable when other parties are on the route, because of stonefall, and that the normal descent is on foot. If you are alone on the route, a retreat down the bolted belays with two ropes should work.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west facing, start at about 1850 m. The route needs a longer dry period and no snow above it; early in the year there is meltwater and avalanche danger from above. The neighbouring Pink 2015 page advises a late start so the slabs can dry. A good choice for hot days.
Sun on the wall · SW-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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 4 | −0 |
| Mean daily low °C | −9 | −8 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 1 | −4 | −8 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1432 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
60 m double ropes, 12 quickdraws and a helmet. No nuts.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
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 Alpiner Spätaufsteher.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Austria · Zillertal
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Austria · Zillertal
bergsteigen.com counts it among the best easier multipitch routes in the Zillertal and one of the few true plaisir lines there. Six pitches of featured slabs, steep walls studded with quartz crystals and fine flakes, with very little smooth rock. Three pitches reach UIAA 6-.
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Austria · Zillertal
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Austria · Zillertal
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Read the cautions
Around 6a · about 7 pitches
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Italy · Aosta Valley
A pretty plaisir route on edgy, quartz-studded granite slabs beneath the Mont Blanc massif. The crux is a short bulge and steep juggy wall on P4. Camptocamp rates it 'great'.
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France · Briançonnais
The gentlest way up the big limestone wall of Le Ponteil: short walls and slabs that slant leftwards across the south-west facet, with a ledge walk in the middle. Most of it is 4b to 5c on very featured rock; one well-bolted move round a block gives the 6a. It gets better as it goes, and pitches 4 and 6 are the ones people remember.
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Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
A mountain-style outing high above Masouri, with a delicate traversing 6a on P4 and a lovely final corner. Most pitches feel easy for their grade, but the route is loose in places, so wear a helmet.
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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.
