Gross Furkahorn – Wandfussplatten (Kristall sector) · Furka · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: medium
The most popular route on the lowest tier of slabs under the Gross Furkahorn, the quickest climbing to reach from the Furka Pass. A corner and slabs lead to a fine thin crack at 6a and a short steep step. It is often used as the first part of the Kombination link-up towards the summit.
The route
The south side of the Gross Furkahorn starts with several tiers of granite walls separated by big terraces, each with a dense set of short multipitch routes. Kristall is on the lowest tier, in the middle of the main bowl, just left of an orange rectangular plate fixed to the rock. The lower walls are mostly slabs with a few very good cracks, and the fourth pitch of Kristall is one of them. With belays everywhere, the routes can be mixed and extended upwards by other lines as far as the summit ridge.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | 45 m | – | The corner left of the orange plate, then slabs with a crack. It is often wet from snowmelt; an alternative start climbs the face just left of the plate and traverses into the corner. One source gives 5c/6a and another 5c+. |
| P2 | 5c | 30 m | – | A slab where you climb between the bolts. Trend right and take the right-hand fork where the line splits; the left fork is the neighbouring route Jedem Tierchen sein. |
| P3 | 4a | 25 m | 1 bolts | An easy linking pitch, slightly rightwards, to below the crack. Only one intermediate bolt. |
| P4 | 6a | 33 m | – | The crux: a thin, nearly vertical jamming crack straight up the wall, well protected. The hardest moves are low down, where the rock is slippery and the crack flared. Go left at the top to the belay. |
| P5 | 5c | 30 m | – | A short pitch over a step with a left-facing corner to the top of the tier. |
Getting there
The Furka Pass road links Andermatt (Uri) and the upper Rhône valley (Valais) and is open in summer only. Park at the Hotel Furkablick, a little east of the pass.
From the Furkablick car park take the Sidelenhütte path and leave it just before the bridge. Follow the stream (tracks, cairns) and go up the snowfield to the foot of the wall. The snow is gentle here, but its lip against the rock can be undercut. One 2024 party allowed about 1 h 20 including gearing up; other sources give no time.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Hotel Furkablick on the Furka Pass road (camptocamp access waypoint 569751)
Point from Mountain Project sector point for Gross Furkahorn – Wandfussplatten
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: 46.59480, 8.41500 (crag) · Parking: 46.57639, 8.42146
Getting down
Abseil the route. Mountain Project says pitches 5, 4 and 3 go in one abseil with 2×60 m, followed by two more for pitches 2 and 1. With many routes side by side there are belays everywhere.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent, and Mountain Project notes that the density of routes puts belays everywhere on this wall. You can go down from any stance.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing at roughly 2600 to 2800 m, in the sun from fairly early until late afternoon. Snowfields stay at the foot and on the terraces through much of the summer, and meltwater often wets the first pitch. A 2016 party found the quartz-rich rock of the first tier polished where it is most climbed. The Furka road is open in summer only.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −10 | −8 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 2 | −5 | −9 |
| Mean daily low °C | −15 | −15 | −12 | −9 | −5 | −1 | 2 | 2 | −2 | −6 | −11 | −14 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2839 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
Quickdraws and a helmet; no source gives a number of quickdraws. Mountain Project uses 2×60 m ropes for the abseils. Depending on the snow, mountain boots and poles or an ice axe for the snowfield; camptocamp flags crampons in spring.
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 Kristall.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Read the cautions
Around 6a · about 5 pitches
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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.