Multipitch Atlas

Goldregen

Sustenpass – South Slabs (Steingletscher) · Susten · Switzerland

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

The second-to-last line on the right side of the Platten and one of the harder ones here. A corner and crack lead to a slab with a single 6a move, then the route follows cracks up the middle of clean slabs, with a long last pitch that steepens at the top. The two upper pitches are the best.

The right-hand part of the Platten slabs above the Susten Pass road, where Goldregen climbsPhoto: Patrick Vuilleumier · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

The right-hand part of the Platten slabs above the Susten Pass road, where Goldregen climbsPhoto: Patrick Vuilleumier · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
6a
Pitches
5
Length
165 m
Approach
20 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
2×50 m

The route

Overview

Goldregen is the harder neighbour of the popular beginner routes on the Platten, the grey-green gneiss slabs above the Susten Pass road. Five pitches take a corner and slab start with one 6a move, then cracks running up the centre of open slabs. Bolts are recent and the belays are rigged for abseiling, so the descent is quick. Recent parties found the lower part less easy than the setting suggests and the last two pitches the highlight.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P16a25 mA corner and crack on the left lead to the slab below the belay. About 5c with one 6a move on the slab. A June 2021 party started up the neighbouring 'Nagelschuh' variant by mistake and joined the route at the first belay.
P25b+30 mClimb a crack, make a short traverse right, then go straight up.
P34a30 mAn easy-angled cracked slab, given 3c/4a.
P45b35 mA crack up the middle of a slab.
P55c45 mFollow another crack up the middle of the slab. It steepens at the end with one move of 5c; the rest is about 5b.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

The slabs are above the Susten Pass road on the Bernese side, just above Steingletscher. Drive from Innertkirchen through Gadmen, or from Wassen over the pass. Park at the hairpin marked 1946 m (Himmelrank), about 3 km west of the pass. A seasonal postbus from Meiringen serves Steingletscher. The road is normally open as far as Steingletscher from mid-April and the pass itself opens later; when the road is still closed at Steingletscher you walk up it to the hairpin.

On foot · about 20 min

From the parking at point 1946 m a path leads to the foot of the slabs. It drops a little at first and passes two short rock steps fitted with chains (SAC grade T3). The SAC portal gives 20 minutes, or 35 minutes if the road is closed and you start from Steingletscher. Goldregen is on the right side of the sector, the last route but one. A meltwater stream can run across the start early in the season, which makes it harder to identify the true first pitch.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

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

Coordinates · crag

46.73555, 8.41077

Parking

46.73089, 8.42769

Steingletscher access point (camptocamp waypoint 117538); the lay-bys used for the crags are a little further up the pass road

Point from camptocamp waypoint 187365 (Sustenpass – Dalles S – Platten)

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 with two 50 m ropes. Camptocamp notes that the final abseil is made from the second belay straight to the ground. A July 2024 party called the descent quick.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling the route is the normal descent and every belay has a ring and a maillon, so you can turn round from any stance with two 50 m ropes. Nobody reports trouble on this line.

Retreat from
Any belay. The final abseil is normally made from the second belay to the ground.
Point of no return
None documented.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes: the last pitch is 45 m.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp states the abseil descent and describes the belay hardware; a 2024 party confirms a quick abseil.

Safety

Hazards

  • The start can be wet from snowmelt in June and the first pitch is easy to confuse with the neighbouring variant.
  • Early season you may have to cross a snow patch on the approach.
  • The Platten are busy and other parties abseil the same lines, so watch for ropes and dropped gear.
  • Afternoon thunderstorms are common at the pass in summer.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-facing slabs at about 1950 to 2150 m beside the pass road. The season follows the road: roughly June to October. In mid-June 2021 the approach path was wet, a soft snow patch had to be crossed and the base of the wall was damp; the party warned about keeping the ropes dry. Seepage streaks can remain after rain but in July 2024 they did not affect the route. It gets hot in full sun; both recent parties were glad of wind.

Usual season · Jun 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 °C−4−31381215151171−3
Mean daily low °C−10−10−7−404774−0−6−9
Rain days 1 mm or more141315151821222016141515

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2008 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

Two 50 m ropes and 12 quickdraws. Nothing else is listed by any source. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
2×50 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 Goldregen.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • A July 2024 party took four hours car to car from a 13:00 start, so it works as a half day.
  • The first pitch can be repeated on a top rope from the ground at the end, as one party did.
  • The terrace of the Steingletscher hotel is five minutes down the road.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Length: camptocamp gives 200 m of height gain in its header, but its pitch lengths add up to 165 m. The pitch total is used here.
  • Pitch 3 is given as 3c/4a; it is listed as 4a here.
  • The SAC route portal entry is behind a login, so only its headline grade (6a) could be checked against camptocamp.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

More in Susten

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Read the cautions

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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.