Les Montons · Sanetsch · Switzerland
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
A long, homogeneous line up the full height of the Montons on excellent limestone: steep sculpted walls and fine slabs, mostly 6a to 6b, with two short 6c cruxes that can be pulled through on the bolts. The fifth pitch, a steep Verdon-style slab, is the one people remember.
The route
La vita è bella starts just right of Follomi and climbs to the top of the Montons in nine pitches, sharing its penultimate belay with Les Zéros sont fatigués. It was opened in 2000 by Michel and Suzanne Gleser with Boris Kscikwa, and Yves Remy added a new exit in 2014. With the two cruxes aided the route is 6b with 6a+ obligatory, which makes it a logical step up from Follomi. A 2019 party took five hours.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c+ | A delicate mantel to start, then a thin slab. |
| P2 | 2b | A grassy transition pitch. A 2022 party saw no bolts on it; the rock is less compact here. Some parties skip the first two pitches and start at pitch 3. |
| P3 | 6c | A fine 6a wall, then an overhang at 6c, well protected, which goes at 6b with two points of aid. It ends with a physical mantel onto a good hidden hold. |
| P4 | 6a+ | A steep, well-sculpted wall to start, with a move half-way during the slight traverse left. Do not traverse too far left, or you join the neighbouring route. |
| P5 | 6c | A magnificent steep slab with one hard, bouldery move, which goes at 6a with one point of aid. The crux is starting to polish. |
| P6 | 6a | A slab, less steep, with a short traverse right on good undercuts. |
| P7 | 6a | More slab, then flakes on the right, and cross a ledge. |
| P8 | 6b | A steep wall, then through the sandstone band. The belay is shared with Les Zéros sont fatigués. |
| P9 | 5c | Climb 3 m above the belay, traverse 10 m right and climb a last steep wall. |
Getting there
From Sion drive up through Savièse to the Col du Sanetsch (2252 m) and on down towards the Lac de Sénin, about 26 km from Sion; the road is long and narrow and opens in June. A bus runs from Sion in season. From the Bernese side a cable car climbs from Gsteig to the lake. Wild camping near the lake is common, and there is an inn by the dam.
From the parking follow the path that winds up through the boulder field. At the largest boulder head right and pass below Follomi, whose name is painted in red. Go past the niche and the corner beyond and climb about fifteen metres to the foot of a short wall that gives access to a slab, with a single bolt. 20 minutes. A 2020 party found the marked white-and-red hiking path to the big boulder the shortest and least loose way up.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43146 (Sanetsch – Les Montons)
Contains the route point. 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: 46.35343, 7.27946 (crag)
Getting down
Walk off. From the top take the path that descends to the right, then follow the red dots into the descent gully and ledges, which are awkward and dangerous when wet. The path then runs along the foot of the wall back to the start.
Retreat
Bail not documented
The normal way off is on foot from the top, and no source describes abseiling. A 2020 party notes that the belays are not chained, so an abseil retreat would mean leaving maillons or carabiners at each stance, and the pitch lengths are not published.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South to south-east facing limestone between about 2050 m and 2500 m, in the sun from early morning. The season runs from the opening of the pass road in June to October. Seeps under the roofs stay wet for days after heavy rain, and snow can lie in the boulder field in early June.
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 (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −8 | −6 | −3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 4 | −3 | −8 |
| Mean daily low °C | −17 | −16 | −12 | −9 | −5 | −1 | 2 | 2 | −2 | −6 | −12 | −16 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2482 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 (number not published; 14 is quoted for other routes on this wall), slings to link the belay bolts and a helmet. A single rope is enough for the walk-off.
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 La vita è bella.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Switzerland · Sanetsch
The classic introduction to the Sanetsch at 6c: eight varied pitches up a pillar of superb rough limestone, with the hard climbing packed into a few well-bolted metres on each pitch. A steep corner mantel, a balancy wall, a fine slab and an airy exit from a niche. Tops out on grassy slopes with a walk-off.
6c8 pitches250 m
Switzerland · Sanetsch
A varied, approachable route on the sculpted grey limestone of the Montons: a flake and corner first pitch that wakes you up, runnels and a carved wall in the middle, and a short athletic overhang near the top. Well bolted since 2015 and quick, with a walk-off.
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Switzerland · Sanetsch
Two tiers ten minutes from the road: a lower plinth of easier, less memorable pitches, then a splendid compact dome where the route climbs 6a, 6b and a 50 m 5c. Nine routes share the upper wall, so you can pick a different finish. Well bolted since 2016.
6b7 pitches250 m
Switzerland · Sanetsch
A Remy classic from 1985 on very compact, abrasive limestone: a fine straight-up 6a wall, a superb 5c+ pitch and a 6a pitch up a big water groove, followed by two easy pitches of runnels. Every pitch is different. Technical for the grade.
6a6 pitches160 m
Read the cautions
Around 6c · about 9 pitches
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Italy · Sardinia
A 300 m pillar on the 'Dolomite of Sardinia': a hard, smooth first pitch in a north-facing gully, long grey slabs and walls, a demanding technical crux on pitch 6, then exposed climbing on the crest of the pillar on big sculpted holds. Mountain atmosphere with sport protection.
6c9 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
Austria · Gastein (Hohe Tauern)
A long, modern slab and wall route beside the waterfall on the Kleine Himmelwand, with six independent 50 m pitches before it joins the last two pitches of Father and Son. Three pitches have technical, bouldery passages at UIAA 7+ and the obligatory grade is high for the area, but the bolts are close.
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France · Vanoise (Grand Bec)
The classic hard line of the south face of the Petite Aiguille de l'Arcelin, in a high cirque above Pralognan. Nine varied pitches on good grey limestone: corners, slabs, short overhangs and a technical 6c crux pitch with at least one obligatory move of 6b. Every pitch climbs, and the descent is a small mountain trip of its own.
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Read the cautions
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.