Falaise du Dar (Col du Pillon) · Vaud Alps · Switzerland
Read the cautionsEasy to bailBolting confidence: medium
The first route opened on the wall right of the Dar waterfall: an easy pitch, two long pitches of steep technical slab and a fine vertical corner with a few athletic moves. Sustained for its grade on superb grey limestone, in the shade for most of the day.
Fully bolted but with 1990s spacing on steep slab, a torrent to cross and stonefall risk early in the season.
The route
The Falaise du Dar is an amphitheatre of water-worn limestone around the Dar waterfall, 45 minutes above the Col du Pillon, developed by the Remy brothers in the early 1990s. Mérite alpin gave its name to the shadier sector right of the fall and is the most approachable multipitch there: 4c, 6a, 6a and 6a+ in four pitches, with a 50 m third pitch. The climbing is steep slab that needs real footwork, then a corner. It is fully bolted, but in the style of its time, with some distance between bolts on the slabs.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4c | 30 m | An easy pitch to a belay at the foot of a nearly vertical section. At the first belay stay right: another, harder route crosses to the left. |
| P2 | 6a | 30 m | A technical slab climbed diagonally right, with the belay after a small corner. |
| P3 | 6a | 50 m | A long, sustained pitch of technical slab to a belay on a ledge. Nearly 50 m; a 2026 party thought the slab a full 6a+. |
| P4 | 6a+ | 30 m | A very fine vertical corner with a few athletic moves. Sometimes a little damp, but the equipment is good. Belay on a ledge. |
Getting there
Drive from Aigle through Le Sépey and Les Diablerets to the Col du Pillon (1546 m), or come from Gstaad via Gsteig. There is a large car park at the pass by the Glacier 3000 cable-car station and a restaurant. By public transport take the train from Aigle to Les Diablerets, then the postbus or shuttle to the pass.
From the Col du Pillon follow the Prés-Jordan path for about 15 minutes. Shortly before the footbridge over the Dar torrent, at a boulder marked 'Dar' in yellow, turn left up a track to the foot of the cliff; 45 to 50 minutes in all. For this route you cross the torrent on boulders, which can be very difficult when it is high after heavy rain or late in the day on hot days; the route is to the right of the waterfall, with its name marked at the start.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Col du Pillon car park and bus stop (camptocamp access waypoint 120212)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 41762 (Falaise du Dar)
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: 46.34003, 7.20755 (crag) · Parking: 46.35382, 7.20546
Getting down
Abseil the route with two 50 m ropes.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent, so you can turn round at any belay with two 50 m ropes. The third pitch is nearly 50 m, which is why two full ropes are needed.
Safety
Sun and weather
North-facing limestone at about 1900 to 2050 m, out of the sun from morning until about 14:00 in July and noticeably wetter and shadier than the Festival sector left of the waterfall. It is a heat-wave venue. Wait until the snow patches above the waterfall have melted, because until then stones come down with the meltwater; in practice July to September. The torrent swells in the afternoon.
Sun on the wall · N-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 | −6 | −4 | −1 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 6 | −1 | −6 |
| Mean daily low °C | −15 | −14 | −10 | −7 | −3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | −4 | −10 | −15 |
| 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 2182 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
Two 50 m ropes. At least 15 quickdraws for the long third pitch, not counting the belays. Slings for the belays: on the neighbouring routes the two belay bolts are not linked. Helmet.
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 Mérite alpin.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Around 6a+ · about 4 pitches
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Read the cautions
Italy · Monte Argentario
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Spain · Vega Baja (Orihuela & Callosa)
Four pitches up the dome of La Pancha, right above the houses of Redován. A slabby warm-up, a 6a+ pitch through a steep band on big holds, a fine technical wall, and a long last pitch of delicate face climbing that most people rate the best. Excellent rock and an urban outlook.
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Beautiful plates and mini dolomite-style runnels, then a final corner. It makes a neat companion to its neighbours on the same face.
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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.