Schärtenspitze north-west slabs (above the Blaueishütte, Ramsau) · Berchtesgaden & Bad Reichenhall · Germany
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
The shortest and easiest line on the slabs above the Blaueishütte: eight pitches of water-worn limestone slab, ramps and one water runnel, mostly UIAA III with a single IV+ step. It is closely bolted and often used as a first alpine multipitch. You finish next to the normal route and can carry on to the 2153 m summit.
The route
Logic Line is the easiest of the bolted slab routes on the north-west side of the Schärtenspitze, a quarter of an hour above the Blaueishütte in the Hochkalter group. Eight pitches of 20 to 40 m follow slabs, a ramp, a grassy bulge and a water runnel, almost all at UIAA II to III+, with one IV+ passage on the runnel slab of pitch 5. Belays and protection are bolted and both the hut and bergsteigen.com describe it as a plaisir route that needs no extra gear. The setting is alpine: the start is at about 1780 m and the hut is a two-hour walk from the valley, so most parties stay a night.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3 | 25 m | UIAA III. Straight up water-worn slabs to the belay. |
| P2 | 3+ | 35 m | UIAA III+. A short vertical step at first, then rightwards through a small corner to a belay on a knob. |
| P3 | 3 | 40 m | UIAA III. Follow the ramp straight on to the next belay. The variant start joins here. |
| P4 | 3 | 35 m | UIAA III. Trend left across a grassy bulge, then follow a gully to a belay on the slab. There is an alternative belay before the gully, at about 30 m. |
| P5 | 4c | 20 m | UIAA IV+, the crux. Climb the water runnel in the slab, and at its end move left along a step to the belay. |
| P6 | 3+ | 35 m | UIAA III+. Slightly right at first, then follow a corner on the left to its end, and finally back right to the belay. |
| P7 | 3 | 35 m | UIAA III. Straight up a pillar, cross a grass ledge, go round the corner and sharp right over a step to a belay in a hollow. |
| P8 | 2 | 35 m | UIAA II. Straight up easy slabs to a rock knob and the last belay, close to the normal route. |
Getting there
From Berchtesgaden drive about 7.5 km west to Ramsau, go through the village following signs for Hintersee, pass Gasthof Datzmann and after about 500 m park at the 'Staatsstraße' car park on the right. The marked path via the Schärtenalm reaches the Blaueishütte (about 1700 m) in roughly 2 hours. The pay car parks at Hintersee and at the end of Ramsau also work, at 2.5 to 3 hours to the hut.
About 15 min from the Blaueishütte (bergsteigen.com; the Bergsteigerdörfer page allows around 30 min for the slabs in general). Take the path towards the Hochkalter and Blaueis glacier, turn off at the signpost towards the Steinberg, and after about 100 m leave that path to the right towards the obvious slab wall. Cross scree between big boulders to the point where the low-angled slabs reach furthest down in a tongue: the route starts there. A two-pitch variant start begins 20 m further right.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Car park on the Ramsau to Hintersee road, start of the Blaueishütte path (bergsteigen.com marker)
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker 'Einstieg (ungefähr)' for Logic Line
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: 47.58210, 12.86990 (crag) · Parking: 47.60580, 12.86160
Getting down
From the last belay join the marked normal route of the Schärtenspitze, which has short cabled passages (via ferrata grade A/B) and grade I scrambling, and follow it down to the Blaueishütte in about 45 min. The summit is a short detour up the same path.
Retreat
Bail not documented
Retreat is not described by any source; the route is always finished onto the normal route. Every belay is bolted, but whether the belays are rigged for abseiling is not stated. Pitches 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 are 35 to 40 m long, so the single 50 m rope the route is climbed on would not reach the belay below in one abseil.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
North-west facing with the start at about 1780 m, so the slabs are in shade in the morning; the Bergsteigerdörfer page says the sun arrives around noon. bergsteigen.com gives May to October, but the hut's opening dates and old snow at the foot of the slabs decide the real start of the season. Slabs and the water runnel need to be dry.
Sun on the wall · NW-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 (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 4 | −1 |
| Mean daily low °C | −10 | −9 | −6 | −3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | −5 | −9 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 14 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1337 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
A 50 m single rope, 8 quickdraws, a few slings for the threads, helmet. No nuts or cams are needed according to the hut topo.
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 Logic Line.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Germany · Berchtesgaden & Bad Reichenhall
Six pitches on excellent grippy limestone with views to the Watzmann, established 2012. Pitch grades are converted from the UIAA topo (6-, 6, 6, 5+, 5+, 6); 5 is obligatory.
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A steep, athletic line up the pillar right of the Schönheitskönigin von Schneizlreuth, reached by one pitch of that route and one of Alpinmodel. Four independent pitches of UIAA 6 to 7+ on very good rock, then the last pitches of the Schönheitskönigin.
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Read the cautions
Germany · Berchtesgaden & Bad Reichenhall
Eight pitches of easy climbing on rough, water-eaten limestone in the lower wall right of the Hochthron south face, mostly UIAA IV with one short V+ move near the top. The line wanders a little, with a walking traverse in the middle and a memorable water runnel on pitch 5. It ends on the Grubenpfad ledge well below the summit.
5+8 pitches200 m
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France · Briançonnais
A beginner's multipitch on a limestone spur above the Fonts de Cervières road, five minutes from the car. The first four pitches give real climbing at 3c to 4c on slabs and short walls; above that the route is mostly walking and scrambling on earthy, stony ground to the crest. Follow the expansion bolts, not the army glue-ins, for the better rock and less rope drag.
4c8 pitches250 m
France · Verdon
The easiest way to climb out of the Verdon gorge: a long, wandering ridge of short pitches at grade 3 and 4 that starts close to the river and finishes near the rim road. The climbing is modest but the setting is the full Verdon. You walk down a steep path with fixed ropes to reach the start, so the route is your way back up.
4c9 pitches180 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Bolzano & South Tyrol
The easy classic of the Noafer Bichl: slabs, a neat corner and two pitches up a pocketed pillar edge, with Bolzano below and the Dolomites on the horizon. Grade 4 climbing throughout, but with some long gaps between bolts on the easy ground.
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Read the cautions
Switzerland · Grimsel
Seven pitches of smooth, low-angle Grimsel granite, almost all pure friction, with two short steeper steps. Technically easy, but you have to trust your feet. A gentle introduction to Grimsel slab and to multipitch rope work.
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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.
