Gimpel – south-east buttress (Gimpelvorbau), Nesselwängle · Tannheimer Tal · Austria
Steep, juggy climbing on excellent rock in the left-hand part of the Gimpelvorbau, sustained between UIAA V+ and VI with a short VI+. Short enough to add to another route on the buttress.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point about 2050 m above sea level (estimate: terrain height at the mapped point plus the height of the route).
6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches · 130 mEasy to bail
Paradies takes the steep left-hand part of the Gimpel's south-east buttress on big holds in excellent limestone. Apart from the exit it is steep jug-pulling, sustained between UIAA V+ and VI with one short VI+ move. It is quick to reach and quick to get down, so it makes a good second route of the day.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Kletterführer Allgäu, inklusive Tannheimer Berge.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6aVI+5.10a | 25 m | Steep climbing on good holds. UIAA VI. |
| P2 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 25 m | The short VI+ crux. Stays damp for a while after rain. |
| P3 | 5bVI-5.8 | 35 m | UIAA V+. |
| P4 | 6aVI+5.10a | 5 m | A very short link of UIAA VI (5 m on the Climbers Paradise topo). |
| P5 | 6aVI+5.10a | 35 m | UIAA VI, easing at the exit, where the bolts are a little further apart. |
Drive into the Tannheimer Tal from Reutte, Pfronten or Bad Hindelang and go to Nesselwängle; the large paid Gimpelhaus car park is at the west end of the village. By public transport take the train to Pfronten or Reutte and the bus on to Nesselwängle. You can also stay at the Gimpelhaus or the Tannheimer Hütte, which cuts out the walk up.
From the paid car park at the west end of Nesselwängle follow the signed path up to the Gimpelhaus (about 1 h). Behind the hut keep on the path towards the Gimpel, then turn left into the Gimpelkar and follow it close under the south-east walls of the Gimpel; climbers' paths lead right to the foot of the south-east buttress (Gimpelvorbau). Allow about 1:30 h from the car park, or 30 to 40 min from the Gimpelhaus or the Tannheimer Hütte. The start is at about 1880 m. If you plan to walk down, leave your sacks on the path about 15 m below the start so you do not have to climb back up for them.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Coordinates · route base
Parking
Paid Gimpelhaus car park at the west end of Nesselwängle (bergsteigen.com marker)
Point from bergsteigen.com start marker, confirmed by OpenStreetMap climbing node 2887435999 (Paradies) about 60 m away
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 47.50040, 10.61616 (route base) · Parking: 47.48806, 10.60006
Abseil: the quickest way down is the line of Zeit zum Fädeln, one 35 m and one 60 m abseil (bergsteigen.com). Check first that nobody is climbing below. Or traverse right to Jedem Tierchen sein Plaisirchen, climb its last pitch, cross left to the Gimpel normal route and descend it (sure-footedness needed, moves of II) into the Gimpelkar.
Easy to bail
Abseiling is the normal way down and is only two abseils from the top via Zeit zum Fädeln, so retreating from part-way up the five short pitches should be simple from the bolted belays.
12 quickdraws, 2×60 m ropes, helmet. No nuts or cams (bergsteigen.com).
South-east facing at about 1900 m; morning sun. Pitch 2 stays wet for a while after rain. Season roughly June to October.
Forecast · next 7 days · 2050 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 2050 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 5 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 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 | −5 | −4 | −0 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 1 | −4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −14 | −13 | −10 | −7 | −2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | −3 | −9 | −13 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1956 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
Austria · Tannheimer Tal
Six short, sustained pitches of steep pocket climbing on the best rock of the Gimpelvorbau, almost all at UIAA VI+. Big pockets let you clip comfortably, so it is less fierce than it looks. One of the most popular sport routes above the Gimpelhaus.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches170 m
Austria · Tannheimer Tal
Short, steep pitches on rough, pocketed rock: a fine layback crack, a traverse on shrinking pockets and a thin slab crux. Sustained at UIAA VI to VI+, with two bolt-ladder sections you can pull through. bergsteigen.com calls it perhaps the finest route of its grade in the area.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c6 pitches135 m
Around 6a+ · about 5 pitches
Switzerland · Furka
Five sustained pitches on the left side of the Hannibalturm, never easier than 5c+ and never much harder than 6a+. A smooth friction slab leads to steep wall climbing, a pillar, a flake and a corner, and the route finishes up a ladder of huge quartz knobs. Many parties rate it the best line on the tower and find the second pitch the hardest.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches170 m
Spain · Montserrat
A modern linkup over two pinnacles on excellent conglomerate. Overhanging 6a and 6a+ walls alternate with easy 'potato-field' slabs. The new bolting makes it one of the most reassuring long lines in the massif.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches185 m
France · Verdon
A 1985 classic of the Escalès, a grade harder and noticeably bolder than Les Dalles Grises next door. Five pitches on pockets and slabs, starting with polished rising traverses and finishing up a sculpted wall of vertical flutings, an overhanging crack and a bulge at 6a+. You need to be solid at 6a to enjoy it.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches150 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Germany · Ammergauer Alpen
The popular sport line of the Geiselstein south face, straight up to the summit cross. Long, steep pitches on excellent rough limestone, sustained at UIAA 6- to 6 with two short passages of 6+ and one easier pitch on less reliable rock. Never easy and never crowded with bolts: you climb between them.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches210 m
Read the cautions
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.