Säuling – west face (Tirol side, above Pflach) · Ammergauer Alpen · Germany
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
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.
The route
Guat g'flickt in Reutte ('well patched up in Reutte', the slogan on a T-shirt its author was given on leaving the Reutte hospital) climbs 360 m up the west face of the Säuling (2047 m). bergsteigen.com is frank that the climbing itself is nothing special low down, where the line has to traverse several times to find compact rock, but that the package of length, headwall, summit and view is hard to beat. The grade is UIAA 6+ (about 6a+) with 6 obligatory, plus two technical passages on the thirteenth pitch, where a smooth slab that would be UIAA 8 free is passed on the bolts. You can escape after the eleventh pitch and avoid the aid slab after the twelfth. It is a long day: 4 to 5 hours of climbing and about 9 hours car to car.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | UIAA 6-. The first of the buttress pitches; the zone above the first four pitches is a favourite of chamois and exposed to stonefall. |
| P2 | 5a | UIAA 5. |
| P3 | 5a | UIAA 5. A long traverse left on the topo. |
| P4 | 3a | UIAA 3, easy linking ground. |
| P5 | 5c | UIAA 6-, on good holds according to bergsteigen.com's photo caption. |
| P6 | 4a | UIAA 4. A traverse left. |
| P7 | 5a | UIAA 5. |
| P8 | 4a | UIAA 4. Part of the traversing middle section. |
| P9 | 4c | UIAA 5-. |
| P10 | 6a+ | UIAA 6+ on the first ascensionist's topo: the hardest pitch of the lower part. |
| P11 | 5b | UIAA 5+, with a small pillar. From its belay you can traverse left over broken ground to the normal route. |
| P12 | 5b | UIAA 5+. A slab pitch below the headwall. From its belay you can traverse right into the rebolted south-west face (maximum UIAA 6-) to the summit. |
| P13 | 6a+ (A0) | The start of the headwall: a smooth slab climbed on aid for a few metres at two passages (UIAA 8 free), then 6+. The first aid passage is clearly harder than the second, just below the belay. A sling to stand in helps. |
| P14 | 6a+ | UIAA 6+. Steep corners; you need some strength in the arms. |
| P15 | 5a | UIAA 5, as the corners fade into grooves. |
| P16 | 4a | UIAA 4 over broken ground to the top, beside the summit cross. |
Getting there
The Säuling stands on the border between Bavaria and Tirol, and its west and south sides, where this route lies, are in Austria. Drive from Füssen or Reutte to Pflach. South of the village centre cross the small level crossing, signposted 'Säulinghaus', and follow the lane east for about 1 km to the Säulinghaus car park at about 880 m. By public transport: train to Pflach, then on foot to the car park. From the car park the hiking path reaches the Säulinghaus in about 1 h 30 (800 m of ascent); the gravel road can be ridden by mountain bike for 6 km to a turning place, from where the hut is 30 min on foot.
From the Säulinghaus go east through the small wood and up over blocks and scree to the buttress at the foot of the west face, in the fall line of the summit. Just before the hut, bergsteigen.com has you bear right across a meadow to the scree. The start is about 20 m up the left-hand gully, in its left wall, at two bolts on a small grass pedestal between two big gullies. About 15 min from the hut, and about 2 h from the car.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Säulinghaus car park above Pflach near Reutte, Tirol, about 880 m (bergsteigen.com starting-point marker)
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker for the route, on the west side of the Säuling about 150 m from the summit
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: 47.53433, 10.75186 (crag) · Parking: 47.51674, 10.72964
Getting down
On foot. From the end of the climbing follow the ridge to the main summit and its cross, take the well-trodden hiking path north to a flat saddle, then go left down the steep path with wire cables to the Säulinghaus and follow the hut path back to the car park. bergsteigen.com allows 2 h.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Two ways off before the hard part are stated: after the eleventh pitch you can traverse left over broken ground to the normal hiking route, and after the twelfth you can traverse right into the rebolted south-west face and finish at UIAA 6- at most. Abseiling the lower part is not described, and with its repeated traverses it would not follow the line.
Safety
Sun and weather
West and south-west facing, finishing on the 2047 m summit. Wait for a dry day after rain. The first ascensionist was badly injured by a falling block in a gully on this side of the mountain after prolonged early-summer rain. It is a long, exposed route with no shelter, so a settled forecast matters.
Sun on the wall · W-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 (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −3 | −2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 3 | −2 |
| Mean daily low °C | −13 | −12 | −8 | −5 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | −1 | −6 | −11 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 14 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1638 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
2×50 m double ropes (2×60 m if you want to link pitches), 12 quickdraws, slings to extend bolts on the traverses, a sling to stand in for the aid passages, and a helmet. No nuts or cams.
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 Guat g'flickt in Reutte.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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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.
