Brüggler – south face · Glarus (Brüggler) · Switzerland
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
Seven homogeneous pitches of grade 5 up the middle of the Brüggler's big limestone slab, much of it on water runnels, finishing among the pines near the summit cross. Never hard, but it climbs all the way and the bolts are not close. Best if you are solid at 5c.
Fully bolted, but the bolts are spaced on grade 5 ground and parties short on margin have retreated or added a cam.
The route
Highway climbs the centre of the Brüggler's south face, a limestone slab scattered with pines above the Schwändital in Glarus. It is seven pitches of 4c to 5b, largely on water-worn runnels, and tops out about 200 m right of the summit cross. The grade is consistent and the climbing never lets up, so it suits climbers with a margin at grade 5. The bolting is rated good by camptocamp, but several parties found the bolts far apart on the 5a pitches; treat it as a route where you climb between bolts, not a clip-up. It features in the Plaisir Selection guidebook and is popular.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5a | A short vertical wall, then move slightly left. Do not follow the line of bolts going straight up, marked with a red dot. Reported as very polished. |
| P2 | 5a | A short pitch straight up on runnels. A 2020 party found the bolts too far apart here and retreated. |
| P3 | 5b | A long, fine pitch on runnels, easier in its second half. Watch for rope drag. The best pitch. |
| P4 | 4c | A slightly thin traverse right, then up the corner. |
| P5 | 5a | Straight up on runnels. One move on each of the last three pitches is reported as nearer 5c. |
| P6 | 5a | A steeper little wall to start, then straight up among the pines. You reach a first belay; continue to the ledge 5 m higher on the left for a second, more comfortable one, which also leaves enough rope for the last pitch. |
| P7 | 5a | The last pitch, still among the trees. The exit is not obvious: a 2024 party finished up the neighbouring Direkte Plattenwand instead. |
Getting there
The Brüggler stands above the Schwändital, reached by road from Näfels in canton Glarus. Park at the pay car park in the valley (5 to 6 CHF a day in 2018 to 2024, paid in cash in an envelope); it has toilets and a covered area, and you can sleep or camp there for a further fee (10 CHF per vehicle and 4 CHF per person reported in 2024).
From the car park follow the vehicle track, which is closed to traffic. At the second farm (Stattboden, 1448 m) take the path that climbs along the western edge of the forest to the foot of the big corner directly below the Brüggler summit. The start is roughly in the middle of the big slabs: the route name is painted on the rock with a blue arrow. About 350 m of ascent and 1 hour.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
GPS line: one party's recorded GPS track of the whole day, including the climb and the descent. One party's recorded day on 18 July 2024 from the Schwändital car park: walk-in, climb and walk-off (about 10.7 km in all). Thinned from 641 to 300 points. Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: Vincent Stern, Céline Stern-Kiener · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Point from camptocamp waypoint 42475
Contains the route point and a GPS line. 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: 47.11750, 8.98379 (crag)
Getting down
Walk off. From the exit go to the summit cross, descend the path west for about 200 m, cross the ridge heading south then east, and rejoin the approach path in about 15 minutes. At the col between the two summits keep following the path; a party that left it there ended up descending steep grass.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
You can abseil the route from as high as the fifth belay; above that the ropes are likely to snag in the pines, so from there it is better to finish. A 2020 party retreated from the start of pitch 2 by abseiling off the bolted first belay without difficulty.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing between about 1550 and 1777 m. In late May 2018 everything was dry and the approach and descent were clear of snow. It is hot in summer sun; parties were glad of a breeze. A few water streaks can remain after rain.
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 Glarus (Brüggler) are not available yet
What to carry
Quickdraws for bolted pitches up to a full rope length; no source gives a number or a rope length. Helmet. Camptocamp lists no trad gear, but a 2024 party placed one cam on pitch 6, and anyone at their limit at 5a may want a couple of small to medium 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 Highway.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 5b · about 7 pitches
Italy · Lecco & Valsassina
The first route opened on the Zucco dell'Angelone, following the natural line of the fourth spur by corners, cracks, a chimney and friction slabs. Eight varied pitches at 5a to 5b with an easy crest to finish. Never hard but never trivial either.
5b8 pitches220 m
Spain · Montserrat
A popular first Montserrat multipitch close to the monastery. Steep pebble walls at 5b are split by easy slabs, finishing on an airy summit cap.
5b6 pitches145 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
An easy, relaxing sport route on low-angle Zebrate slabs, trending left to right to join Cane Trippa at the fifth belay. It's an excellent first multipitch. Gulliver gives UIAA III / II–III / IV / IV–IV+ for the first four pitches, converted here.
5b6 pitches240 m
Switzerland · Susten
Relaxed, low-angle granite slab climbing on small edges, 15 minutes from the Sustenpass road. It makes an ideal first alpine-granite multipitch.
5b+7 pitches200 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.