Multipitch Atlas

Don Kamille und Pepperone

Röthelstein – Ratengrat and Breite Wand · Grazer Bergland · Austria

Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high

Possibly the longest route in the Grazer Bergland: sixteen pitches that start up the Ratengrat (Don Kamille) and continue up the Breite Wand (Pepperone). The lower half is among the best climbing on the Ratengrat; the upper half begins gently over slabby steps in the forest and then steepens. Two passages of UIAA 7- and several of 6+.

The rock towers of the Ratengrat on the Röthelstein above Mixnitz, where the first half of the route climbsPhoto: Sylvius · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo

The rock towers of the Ratengrat on the Röthelstein above Mixnitz, where the first half of the route climbsPhoto: Sylvius · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
6b
Pitches
16
Length
440 m
Approach
45 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
1×50 m
walk-off

The route

Overview

Don Kamille und Pepperone links two 2021 routes into a 440 m outing on the Mixnitz side of the Röthelstein. Don Kamille climbs the Ratengrat and is described by bergsteigen.com as one of the best routes there; Pepperone continues up the Breite Wand, first over slabby steps in the forest and then on steeper and harder ground. The highlights are the 'Fakirplatte' slab on pitch 3 and a hard crack on pitch 14. The hardest moves are UIAA 7- (about 6b) with 6 (about 5c+) obligatory. Several marked escapes lead off right in the middle of the route, which makes the length less committing than it sounds.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P1–Starts at the black thread sling.
P2–A smooth corner.
P3–The 'Fakirplatte', a slab that is one of the two highlights of the route.
P4–Not described.
P5–A crack that is steep at first and then chimney-like.
P6–Not described. Escape possible to the right (looking down) through the Fuchsloch.
P7–Not described. After this pitch you can leave the route over the Gamswiese.
P8–Not described. After this pitch you can traverse off right to the Gamswiese.
P9–Shown in a photo but not described. Escape right to the Gamswiese afterwards.
P10–Not described. Last of the pitches with an escape right to the Gamswiese.
P11–A fine slab.
P12–Includes some brittle metres. Can be linked with pitch 13.
P13–A short slab pillar.
P14–The second highlight: a difficult crack.
P15–Some brittle metres at the end.
P16–Not described; the last pitch, to the exit.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Drive to Mixnitz from Graz or Bruck an der Mur. In the village do not turn left for the Bärenschützklamm but continue straight on beside the railway to the car park signed 'Drachenhöhle', by the tennis court at the southern end of the village (about 450 m). Trains between Graz and Bruck an der Mur stop at Mixnitz.

On foot · about 45 min

About 45 min. From the Drachenhöhle car park follow the road briefly, then turn left onto the waymarked trail towards the Drachenhöhle. Follow it for about 30 min, crossing two forest roads, until a path turns off right in the forest between two boulders, the upper one with a white arrow and the lower one with 'KS' in red. Take it through bushes and open beech wood to the foot of the rock (the Gösserwand). The path leads right and, shortly after the Gösserwand, a track branches left to the start of the Ratengrat Normalweg. From there follow the wall, descending briefly in places, past single-pitch routes on a steep smooth slab, until the path rises again and moves about 20 m away from the rock. At a large fallen tree (as of 2018) go left to the wall, where a black thread sling is clearly visible. Start at about 800 m.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

47.32191, 15.37834

Parking

47.32258, 15.36916

Drachenhöhle car park by the tennis court, Mixnitz (bergsteigen.com marker)

Point from bergsteigen.com map marker for the start, labelled 'ungefähr!' (approximate)

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

From the exit keep right (looking down), descending slightly, to a faint path. It traverses at first, then follows blue dots and, above rock steps, makes a marked traverse right to the Drachenhöhle. From the cave take the waymarked hiking trail back down to the tennis court in Mixnitz. bergsteigen.com allows 1 h.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

The source lists several 'emergency exits' on foot in the middle of the route: right (looking down) through the Fuchsloch on pitch 6, over the Gamswiese after pitch 7, and by traversing right to the Gamswiese after pitches 8, 9 and 10. The Gamswiese is the normal descent from the Ratengrat. Retreat from the first five pitches or from the last six is not described.

Retreat from
Pitch 6 and the belays after pitches 7, 8, 9 and 10, all on foot to the right.
Point of no return
After pitch 10 no further escape is described; from there the way out is the top.
Carry
Nothing special for the walk-off escapes. Abseiling would need maillons and probably a second rope; it is not described.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesbergsteigen.com lists the escapes under 'Notausstiege'.

Safety

Hazards

  • Length: 16 pitches, 5 h of climbing and 6 h 45 car to car according to bergsteigen.com.
  • Brittle rock on pitch 12 and at the end of pitch 15.
  • Access to these crags depends on goodwill: bergsteigen.com asks climbers to behave considerately and to respect the parking restrictions.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South facing, starting at about 800 m. bergsteigen.com shows a season from April to October; July and August are left out here because the south faces of the Grazer Bergland are hot in midsummer and the route takes about five hours of climbing.

Usual season · Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C0261115192120161161
Mean daily low °C−8−7−3169111173−1−6
Rain days 1 mm or more881012151615151111109

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 947 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

11 quickdraws, a few slings, helmet and a single 50 m rope.

Checklist

Quickdraws
11
Rope
1×50 m (walk-off)
Helmet
One each
Maillons or spare karabiners
To leave behind if you retreat

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 Don Kamille und Pepperone.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • The walk-off escapes after pitches 7 to 10 let you make a shorter day of it if time or heat is against you.
  • Pitches 12 and 13 link well.
  • bergsteigen.com's entry for the Grazer Bergland Marathon, which starts from the same car park, says parking at the Drachenhöhle car park is limited to 16:00 in spring, autumn and winter. Check the signs before committing to a long route.
  • From Mixnitz railway station it is about 20 min on foot to the car park.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • The approach description still refers to landmarks 'as of 2018' (a clear-felled area and a fallen tree), although the route dates from 2021 and the page from 2022; the text was evidently reused from older Ratengrat entries.
  • Season: the month bar runs from April to October including midsummer; July and August are omitted here as a judgement about heat on a long south-facing route.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

More in Grazer Bergland

All routes in Grazer Bergland
The Röthelstein near Mixnitz from the south-east, with its south-side limestone walls below the summit; the exact line on the Breite Wand is not marked.

Austria · Grazer Bergland

Strauchdieb

A new (2025) nine-pitch outing on the right edge of the Breite Wand that weaves between the bushes. Three spots of UIAA 5-/5, otherwise easier. Still a little earthy in places.

5a9 pitches260 m

The Rote Wand above Tyrnau in the Grazer Bergland; Hühnerleiter follows the ridge at the left-hand end of the wall

Austria · Grazer Bergland

Hühnerleiter

An easy ridge route up the left-hand end of the Rote Wand, first climbed in 1982. The rock is completely solid and the climbing uneven in difficulty, mostly UIAA 4 with a few moves of 4+ and 5. The hand-traverse on the penultimate pitch is the highlight. Somewhat polished.

5a7 pitches225 m

Read the cautions

The Röthelstein from the Mur valley south of Mixnitz, showing its west and south-west side; Roter Drache climbs the south-west face to the summit

Austria · Grazer Bergland

Roter Drache

One of the longest climbs in the Grazer Bergland: thirteen pitches and about 520 m up the south-west face of the Röthelstein above Mixnitz, mostly easy with one passage of UIAA 6- and three of 5+. Varied and well cleaned, on mostly solid rock, with some scrambling and walking sections between the good pitches.

5c13 pitches525 m

The Röthelstein seen from a spur of the Rote Wand, looking west across the Bucheben saddle; the SO-Sporn routes finish at the climbers' summit and descend to this saddle

Austria · Grazer Bergland

Broken Soul

A modern plaisir line on the south-east spur of the Röthelstein, finished in 2018 by linking three old, forgotten pitches with six newly cleaned ones. The fifth and sixth pitches are rated among the best on the Röthelstein. UIAA 6+ at the hardest, with only 5 obligatory.

6a+10 pitches315 m

Around 6b · about 16 pitches

Similar elsewhere

The Säuling (right) and the ridge of the Pilgerschrofen seen from Unterpinswang, to the west

Germany · Ammergauer Alpen

Guat g'flickt in Reutte

The longest route on the Säuling: sixteen pitches up the west face to the summit cross, above Neuschwanstein and the lakes of the Allgäu. The lower part links pillars, traverses and some broken ground at UIAA 3 to 6+; the headwall is steep and compact, with a short aid passage and fine corners. Generously bolted, so a weaker second still has a good day.

6a+16 pitches360 m

The south face of the Tête de la Maye above La Bérarde

France · La Bérarde (Écrins)

Maye Friend

Fifteen pitches up the steeper centre of the face: steep cracks and walls in the first third, then a long sequence of sometimes very thin friction slabs. Mostly 5c to 6a+ with one short 6b+ that goes at A0. Rated among the best on the wall and much quieter than its famous neighbour.

6b+15 pitches400 m

The south-west face of Mont Charvatton above Terrisse with the lines of Tommy (left) and Caterpillar (right)

Italy · Aosta Valley

Tommy

A very long slab route on excellent rough gneiss at the mouth of the Champorcher valley: fifteen pitches, most of them 5c, several close to 50 m. The one steep passage is a roof on pitch 3 that almost everyone aids on the bolts (6b+ free). A band of trees splits the route in two, and the upper half is the more attractive.

6a+15 pitches600 m

The El Cantal wall below Baños de Panticosa with the line of Utopía

Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)

Utopía

Fifteen pitches up a broken granite wall that nobody had climbed on before 2023, probably the longest bolted route at Panticosa. Corners, steps and slabs at around 5b, cut by ledges and terraces, with isolated moves of 6a and a 6a+ corner on the last pitch that are not obligatory. Sun from first thing. The length is the attraction; repeat parties find the climbing pleasant but discontinuous.

6a+15 pitches550 m

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.