Switzerland · Grimsel
Sagittarius
A Grimsel granite classic: low-angle slabs lead to the famous 6a+ crack pitches and a thin 6b traverse, then steeper, sculpted ground. Sustained at 5c/6a throughout.
6b13 pitches400 m
Foxie
Gerstenegg – Foxie slab (Räterichsbodensee) · Grimsel · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
The classic easy introduction to Grimsel granite: nine pitches of smooth, low-angle slab that follow a long, stair-like corner and a line of cracks, with a short steeper wall on pitch 7. Clean rock with no grass ledges, a short approach and an easy walk down.
- Hardest pitch
- 5a
- Pitches
- 9
- Length
- 270 m
- Approach
- 25 min
- Aspect
- E
- East-facing
- Rope
- 1×50 m to walk off, 2×50 m to abseil
The route
Overview
Foxie climbs the slab north-west of the Räterichsbodensee dam, starting beside a big block at the foot of a long, gently angled corner. It is the right-hand of two similar lines (Alpiner Abstieg, all slab, is on the left) and gives nine or ten pitches with no route-finding problems. Most of it is friction padding at grade 3 to 4, relieved by the corner, some cracks and a short steep wall near the top. The SAC calls the rock impeccable, rare for an easy route of this length. It is often combined with Fliegender Teppich for an 18-pitch day.
The climbing
Pitch by pitch
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| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4 | Slab; camptocamp gives only 'grade 4'. |
| P2 | 5a | A good move at the start. A 2024 party took easier variants of about 4b on this pitch and the next. |
| P3 | 5a | Entertaining slab that arrives in the corner. Slippery when damp: a 2026 leader slid here on wet rock. |
| P4 | 3c | The corner, climbed like a staircase. |
| P5 | 3b | More of the corner. |
| P6 | 3c | Slab. |
| P7 | 4c | An almost vertical wall with real holds at the start, the best moves of the route, then slab. The third bolt was missing its hanger in September 2023. |
| P8 | 3c | Slab. |
| P9 | 2c | Easy slab to the top, though one party thought 2c undersold it. One hard, well-bolted move is reported on the last pitch. |
Getting there
Approach
To the parking
The Gerstenegg and Räterichsbodensee slabs lie beside the Grimsel pass road, between Guttannen and the pass, reached from Meiringen and Innertkirchen on the Bernese side or over the pass from the Valais. The road is open roughly from May or June to October or November, depending on snow. There are car parks at Chüenzentennlen (1596 m), about 1 km below the Räterichsbodensee dam between the hairpins and the tunnel, and at the dam itself (1767 m). A PostBus runs from June to October and stops at both. Hotel Handeck, a few kilometres down the valley, has rooms and a dormitory; discreet bivouacs are tolerated at best.
On foot · about 25 min
Two options. From the car park below the Räterichsbodensee dam take the path, then the grass slope, north-west for about 400 m, passing below big low-angle slabs to a distinctive corner. Or come from the Gerstenegg side: a track descends south for about 200 m from the top of the Krümel sector routes to the same point. The start is on the left (south) side of a big block at the foot of the long corner. The SAC grades the approach T3- and gives 20 to 30 minutes with 80 m of ascent and 100 m of descent; a 2024 party took 15 to 20 minutes from the dam.
Map of the walk-in
- Crag
- Parking
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
46.59062, 8.32794
Räterichsbodensee dam (camptocamp waypoint 133701)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 475867 (Grimsel, Gerstenegg, Foxie)
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.
Coordinates: 46.59347, 8.31642 (crag) · Parking: 46.59062, 8.32794
Getting down
Descent
Either abseil the route from the equipped belays, which parties find trouble-free on the smooth slabs, or walk down: a track descends south and then south-east beside a small stream, passes below the Donald Duck and Azalée Beach sectors where the stream is channelled, and reaches the car park by the dam. The SAC grades the foot descent T4-, but a 2024 party found it short and not exposed, about 30 minutes.
Retreat
Bailing off the route
Easy to bail
The belays are equipped for abseiling and both camptocamp and the SAC give abseiling the route as a normal descent. Parties report no snagging on the smooth slabs.
- Retreat from
- Any belay.
- Point of no return
- None.
- Carry
- 2×50 m ropes to abseil; with a single 50 m rope you are limited to 25 m abseils and pitch lengths are not published.
- Basis
- Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp, the SAC portal and several trip reports describe the abseil descent.
Safety
Hazards
- Pure friction passages can be disconcerting, and falls on low-angle granite take skin.
- Bolts are spaced on the easiest ground.
- A missing hanger was reported on pitch 7 in 2023; a spare 10 mm hanger and nut weigh little.
- The pass road is close and loud with motorbikes at weekends, which makes rope calls hard to hear.
Sun and weather
Conditions
East facing between about 1750 m and 1950 m. In hot weather climb in the afternoon when the slab goes into shade, in cool weather take the morning sun. Friction slab needs to be completely dry: after rain the night before, a 2026 party waited until mid-afternoon on a neighbouring route and still found wet streaks. Summer storms build quickly on the Grimsel.
Usual season · Jun to Oct
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Sun on the wall · E-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
- January: not yet worked out
- February: not yet worked out
- March: not yet worked out
- April: not yet worked out
- May: not yet worked out
- June (usual season): not yet worked out
- July (usual season): not yet worked out
- August (usual season): not yet worked out
- September (usual season): not yet worked out
- October (usual season): not yet worked out
- November: not yet worked out
- December: not yet worked out
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 (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −3 | −1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 2 | −2 |
| Mean daily low °C | −8 | −8 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1 | −4 | −8 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1777 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
8 quickdraws on camptocamp, 12 on the SAC portal; a 50 m rope if you walk down, 2×50 m to abseil, and a sling. No nuts or cams are required. Helmet.
Checklist
- Quickdraws
- 12
- Rope
- 1×50 m to walk off, 2×50 m to abseil
- 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 Foxie.
Worth knowing
Tips
- Climbing time is 2 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes for most parties.
- Grimsel grades are stiff: several parties say to treat the numbers with respect.
- Fliegender Teppich followed by Foxie gives 18 pitches of similar difficulty in a day.
- The PostBus stop is close to the start.
Open questions
Where sources disagree
- Grade: camptocamp's header gives 5b with 4c obligatory, its pitch list tops out at 5a, and the SAC portal gives 4c (4b obligatory). The 5a of the pitch list is used here.
- Pitches and length: 9 pitches and 270 m on camptocamp; 10 pitches, 200 m of height and 3 hours 30 minutes on the SAC portal.
- Quickdraws: 8 (camptocamp) against 12 (SAC).
- The SAC's short protection note also says the line suits anyone who likes placing nuts and cams, while marking them as not required.
Provenance
Sources
- Camptocamp – Grimsel, Gerstenegg: FoxieUsed for: pitch grades, approach, descent, gear, orientation advice, history
- SAC route portal – Gerstenegg: FoxieUsed for: protection rating, grade, pitch count, rope and quickdraws, rebolting year, descent
- Camptocamp – trip reports 2021–2026 (outings 1949626, 1942525, 1689322, 1682930, 1575341, 1332831)Used for: missing hanger, easier variants, timings, abseil and foot descent, wet-rock warning
- SAC route portal – Approach to Foxie (search summary)Used for: approach grade, time and height gain
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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.