Multipitch Atlas

Hühnerleiter

Rote Wand · Grazer Bergland · Austria

Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: medium

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.

The Rote Wand above Tyrnau in the Grazer Bergland; Hühnerleiter follows the ridge at the left-hand end of the wallPhoto: IKAl · CC BY-SA 2.5

Photo

The Rote Wand above Tyrnau in the Grazer Bergland; Hühnerleiter follows the ridge at the left-hand end of the wallPhoto: IKAl · CC BY-SA 2.5
Hardest pitch
5a
Pitches
7
Length
225 m
Approach
40 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
1×50 m
walk-off
Read before you go

Single source with an information date of 2004, and run-out on the easy ground; the bolting itself is rated very good.

The route

Overview

Hühnerleiter follows the ridge that bounds the Rote Wand on the left. It is one of the easiest bolted multipitch routes in the Grazer Bergland: seven pitches, mostly around UIAA 4, with short steps of 4+ and a crux of 5 (about 5a) on the sixth pitch. bergsteigen.com praises the bombproof rock and the hand-traverse near the top, and notes that the route is already rather polished. You finish on the plateau and walk down. Bolts are close where it is hard and spaced where it is easy, so it suits a confident leader at the grade more than a complete beginner.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P1–A crack and corner with a move of UIAA 5-.
P2–A short wall of 4+ just above the belay.
P3–Not described.
P4–A short wall to start, then easier climbing on the ridge.
P5–Another move of 4+.
P6–The crux of the route, UIAA 5, with the hand-traverse that the description singles out as the best part of the climb and not as hard as it looks.
P7–Easy last metres to the top.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

From the S35 expressway between Graz and Bruck an der Mur leave at Frohnleiten and take the road towards Tyrnau. Beyond Tyrnau turn left and drive up to the Rote Wand car park at about 870 m. bergsteigen.com notes that a parking fee is charged.

On foot · about 40 min

About 40 min. From the Rote Wand car park follow the forest road towards the Buchebensattel. At the first hairpin take the obvious path up to the right to the 'Rucksackplatzl', a rock with a wooden board where sacks are left. From there go left, without sacks, past the prominent red corner in the rock bay to the start on the obvious arête, at about 1300 m.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

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

Coordinates · crag

47.32790, 15.40040

Parking

47.32050, 15.40900

Rote Wand car park above Tyrnau (bergsteigen.com marker 'Parkplatz')

Point from bergsteigen.com map marker 'Einstieg (ungefähr)', marked 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 follow the clear path along the edge of the wall, on its right-hand side looking down, back to the Rucksackplatzl, then return down the approach path. bergsteigen.com allows 45 min.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail not documented

Retreat is not documented. The source describes only the walk-off from the top. The belays are double-bolted and the route is a ridge with a 50 m rope recommended, so abseiling from a belay should be possible, but nothing is said about abseil hardware or about escaping sideways.

Retreat from
Not documented.
Point of no return
Not documented.
Carry
Maillons or karabiners to leave on the double-bolt belays.
Basis
Inferred from the route factsbergsteigen.com states double-bolt belays and a walk-off; the abseil option is inferred.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • On the very easy ground the bolts are well spaced and you climb some way above them.
  • The rock is polished in places.
  • The published description dates from 2004; check the hardware as you go.
  • 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, base about 1300 m. bergsteigen.com shows a season of March to June and September to November; the south faces of the Grazer Bergland are hot in midsummer.

Usual season · Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

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

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

Checklist

Quickdraws
7
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 Hühnerleiter.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Leave rucksacks at the Rucksackplatzl: the descent path returns there.
  • bergsteigen.com gives UIAA 4+ as the obligatory grade and 2.5 h for the climbing.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Number of pitches: not stated in the text. Seven is taken from the photo captions, which number the pitches from 1 to 7 and describe the seventh as the last metres to the top.
  • The character text says the hand-traverse is on the penultimate pitch and a caption puts the crux on pitch 6; they are treated here as the same pitch.

Provenance

Sources

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.