Les Montons – Pas Perdus and Fantasio sector · Sanetsch · Switzerland
Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
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.
Re-equipped in 2014 and bolted throughout, but recent parties report a run-out after the pitch 2 crux and awkward protection at the pitch 4 groove, where some add a cam.
The route
Pas Perdus is one of the best-known moderate routes at Sanetsch, in the sector fifteen minutes above the road that also holds Fantasio, Encore toujours and Orphée Grüne Elle. The Remy brothers opened it in 1985 and re-equipped it in 2014 with a modified line and an extra opening pitch. It gives four proper pitches and two easy ones, with an obligatory grade of 5c. Parties take two to three hours.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b+ | – | The pitch added in 2014: a slab, then grassy steps to a belay on three bolts, the start of the route before 2014. Some parties skip it. Shared with Fantasio. |
| P2 | 6a | 40 m | Straight up a fine wall. The hard moves are very well protected; after the crux a 2026 party found a stretch with no bolts, where you climb straight up past a jammed nut to the belay. The belay is chained; do not use the belay on the left, which belongs to Encore toujours. |
| P3 | 5c+ | 30 m | Straight above the belay for 25 m, then a definite 5 m traverse right to the belay, which sits just above the traverse of Fantasio. Do not go left (another route) or right too early (Fantasio). The bolt after the junction is a little further away, which tempts people left. A 2025 party's favourite pitch. |
| P4 | 6a | 30 m | Follow the bolts straight above the belay: a wall, a big water groove, a step left and a final corner, reaching the belay by a rising move right. The crux in the groove is awkward to protect: the first bolt is low and the second hard to clip, and a 2021 leader added two medium cams. The groove is often damp. |
| P5 | 5a | 40 m | A pitch of runnels, starting on the right. |
| P6 | 3c | 30 m | A pleasant easy pitch to finish. |
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.
Park directly below the sector, at the second parking place after the big bend, and follow the small track up the scree, marked in red. The name is written at the start. 15 to 20 minutes.
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
From the last belay walk up for 30 m and join the descent path, marked with red dots. Follow the marks carefully: the red dots also lead up towards routes on the other side, and a 2021 party lost the way twice.
Retreat
Bail not documented
The normal descent is on foot from the top and no source describes abseiling the route, although one 2025 party mentions abseils. Belay 2 is chained. The line traverses at the end of pitch 3.
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. The big groove on pitch 4 was damp or wet in June 2021 and August 2020 without stopping either party. The rock is so abrasive that it is hard on the skin, and the wall is very hot in a heatwave.
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 with two long slings are quoted for Fantasio next door) and a helmet. Fully bolted, but a couple of medium cams are worth carrying if 6a is near your limit, for the groove on pitch 4.
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 Pas Perdus.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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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.