Hintisberg · Bernese Oberland · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: medium
Six fairly short pitches on the left-hand sector of Hintisberg, left of the big overhangs. The first three are moderate and on less good rock; the upper three are steeper, with the 6a+ crux on small edges on pitch 4, and finish on a grassy top with the whole Bernese Oberland in view. Grades are on the stiff side.
The route
Blüemlipfad, also written Bluemlipfad, is the classic of the left-hand sector, opened in 1992 by Rosemarie and Christian Bleuer. Its name is painted at the foot with a small flower. It shares the sector with Hasta la Vista (6c), which is easy to stray onto on the second pitch, and both routes top out on the same grassy edge. Opinions vary: some parties were underwhelmed by the lower pitches, while all praise the fourth pitch and the view.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | Face climbing to a two-bolt belay. When you see an abseil station to your left, keep going up. Mountain Project and one printed topo give 5c; a 2016 party climbing it wet agreed with camptocamp's 6a. |
| P2 | 5a | An easy slab with long gaps between bolts: a 2016 party reports 6 m to one clip. Stay left; trending right leads onto Hasta la Vista. |
| P3 | 5b | Straightforward face climbing, the least interesting pitch. |
| P4 | 6a+ | The crux. Move up and left from the belay to a first bolt that is a long reach, then up small 'eyebrow' edges into the hard section. The best pitch of the route. |
| P5 | 6a | Up and right from the belay; a strenuous pitch that ends on a grassy ledge. Mountain Project gives 5c+. |
| P6 | 6a | The corner above to the grassy top. |
Getting there
Leave the Interlaken to Grindelwald road at the Restaurant Stalden, go under the small railway tunnel and follow the toll road all the way up to Alp Hintisberg (1650 m). The toll was 10 CHF, paid at the restaurant, in older reports; camptocamp now mentions a ticket machine about 2 km up the road that takes coins or an app. Continue on the gravel track round a hairpin to the hamlet with the alp restaurant and dormitory, pass it and park 100 to 200 m further on at the marked space with a toilet. Park only there: the alp is farmed.
Walk back down the track about 60 m to a small water tank and take the marked path towards the cliff, leaving the Faulhorn path at a cairn. About 30 minutes. The route is on the left-hand part of the wall, left of the overhangs that stay dry in rain; look for the name and a painted flower at the foot.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
camptocamp access waypoint 241976 (Unterläger, 1795 m), the trailhead camptocamp links to the Hintisberg routes; park in the marked space just past the alp restaurant
Point from camptocamp waypoint 241971 (Hintisberg, top of the wall); Mountain Project places the crag at 46.6586, 7.9465
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: 46.66126, 7.95266 (crag) · Parking: 46.65450, 7.95256
Getting down
Abseil the route. There are six abseils, but with 2×50 m you can do it in four by skipping R4 and R1. A 2016 party linked the two bolts of the second abseil station (the fifth belay) themselves, so carry a sling.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent and there is an abseil at every pitch (six in all), so you can go down from any belay. One station had two unlinked bolts in 2016.
Safety
Sun and weather
The wall faces south to south-east between about 1900 and 2100 m and dries fast: parties report routes climbable an hour or two after a shower, though seepage lingers in places after heavy storms. It is hot in midsummer even at this height, so some parties wait for the afternoon shade. The season runs from late spring to autumn, and the toll road is kept in good condition. This sector was slower to dry than expected after an evening thunderstorm in August 2016: still wet at midday, much better by 16:00.
Sun on the wall · S-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.
Climate figures for Bernese Oberland are not available yet
What to carry
2×50 m ropes and a helmet. Mountain Project recommends 14 quickdraws. No extra protection is necessary; Mountain Project's author would not discourage a few pieces for the first bolt of pitch 4 and the slab.
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 Blüemlipfad.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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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.