Multipitch Atlas

Jugendweg

Sustenpass – South Slabs (Steingletscher) · Susten · Switzerland

Easy to bailBolting confidence: medium

Seven easy, unsustained pitches of edged slab on the left side of the Steingletscher slabs, never harder than 4b. The line is obvious and the glacier scenery is the main event. A good first multipitch, and easy to pair with a neighbouring route the same day.

Left side of the Sustenpass south slabs with the starts of Plattenweg, Hörnligödel and Jugendweg markedPhoto: Fabien Pierre · CC BY-SA 3.0

Topo

Left side of the Sustenpass south slabs with the starts of Plattenweg, Hörnligödel and Jugendweg markedPhoto: Fabien Pierre · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
4b
Pitches
7
Length
200 m
Approach
–
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
2×50 m

The route

Overview

Jugendweg takes the left (west) part of the big south-facing slabs above the Steingletscher, on the Bernese side of the Susten Pass. It is seven pitches of 4a and 4b on slab with small edges, a crack to start and one short steeper step. The line is obvious and the route is well bolted, so it works as a first multipitch or a relaxed half day. It shares the slab with Plattenweg, Hörnligödel and Sven Glückspilz, and parties often climb two of them in a day.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P14bA crack.
P24aSlab.
P34aClimb over a short steep step on the right.
P44bA short slab.
P54aSlab.
P64bSlab, trending up and left.
P74aSlab to the top.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

The slabs are above the Susten Pass road on the Bernese side, near the Steingletscher hotel. Drive from Innertkirchen through Gadmen, or from Wassen over the pass. The crag page on camptocamp gives a lay-by in a hairpin about 3 km west of the pass, at the point marked 1946 m; a 2023 party parked at the bend just after the Hotel Steingletscher. A seasonal postbus serves Steingletscher. The road is normally open as far as Steingletscher from mid-April, and the pass itself opens later.

On foot

From the parking a small path leads towards the slabs and soon splits in two. A 2023 party reports that the lower branch brings you almost directly to the route. The start is on the left (west) part of the slabs and is marked 'JW' on the rock. No source gives an approach time.

Finding the route · 2 photos

Approach photo

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 hairpin lay-by at 1946 m is a little further up the pass road

Point from camptocamp waypoint 187365

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. Camptocamp gives 50 m abseils, so take two ropes. Parties report about an hour for the descent.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling the route is the normal descent, so you can turn round at any belay and go down the way you came. You need two 50 m ropes, as on the normal descent.

Retreat from
Any belay.
Point of no return
None documented.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp gives abseiling the route with 50 m abseils as the descent; how individual belays are rigged is not described.

Safety

Hazards

  • Other parties abseil the same line you climb, and the slabs are popular. Wear a helmet and expect ropes coming down.
  • Snow can lie at the foot of the slabs early in the season.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South facing between about 1950 and 2150 m. Reports run from mid-June to early October. In mid-June 2023 the snow had already gone from the foot of the routes. The approach can be wet after rain while the slab itself is dry. Fog and drizzle are common at the pass; the rock is reported to stay climbable in light intermittent rain, but friction slab is no place to be in a real shower.

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
Sunshine hours a day6.17.18.610.110.511.111.510.49.07.76.05.4

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2008 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis (about 10 km grid): the wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

10 quickdraws and two 50 m ropes for the abseils. Helmet. No cams or nuts are mentioned by any source.

Checklist

Quickdraws
10
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 Jugendweg.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Allow about 2 hours for the climb and 1 hour for the abseils (2009 report); a 2016 party took 2.5 hours in total.
  • Sven Glückspilz next door carries a similar grade on paper but is reported to be clearly steeper and more sustained. Plattenweg and Hörnligödel are closer in style to Jugendweg.
  • The Berghotel Steingletscher has dormitories if you want to stay at the pass.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Rock type: the camptocamp route page says granite, while the crag page describes the slabs as gneiss. Gneiss is used here.
  • Parking: the crag page gives a hairpin lay-by at 1946 m, 3 km west of the pass; the linked access point is Steingletscher at 1865 m. They are close to each other on the same road.

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.