Gelbeck east face (Drusenfluh) · Rätikon (Montafon) · Austria
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
A sporty 2020 line of cracks, corners, pillars and water-eroded slabs up to mid-height, then spectacular, steep and airy climbing to the top belay it shares with Kabarett Drusenfluh. Two pitches of UIAA 7+, with a few aid points on the last.
The route
Six pitches right of Kabarett Drusenfluh on the Gelbeck east face. The lower half follows cracks, corners and sculpted slabs; the upper wall is steep and exposed. The second pitch is UIAA 7+ and the last is 7+ with three points of aid, so the route fits the atlas only if you are happy to pull on a few bolts. It ends at the top belay of Kabarett Drusenfluh, which is the abseil line.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a/6a+ | 45 m | UIAA 6+. Cracks and corners. |
| P2 | 6c | 40 m | UIAA 7+, the hardest free pitch. |
| P3 | 6a+/6b | 25 m | UIAA 7-. |
| P4 | 5c+/6a | 30 m | UIAA 6. |
| P5 | 6a/6a+ | 30 m | UIAA 6+, steep and exposed. |
| P6 | 6c | 25 m | UIAA 7+ with three points of aid, steep and airy, to the shared belay with Kabarett Drusenfluh. The free grade without aid is not given. |
Getting there
Turn off towards the Montafon at Bludenz and drive to Tschagguns, then right up to Latschau and the car park at the Lünerseewerk power station by the Golmerbahn valley station (about 990 m). By public transport, take bus line 1 from Tschagguns railway station to Latschau Golmerbahn Talstation. From there walk up the Gauertal to the Lindauer Hütte (1744 m), about 2.5 hours; most parties stay at the hut.
From the Lindauer Hütte take the path towards the Öfapass. After the first steep step turn left towards the Eistobel and follow faint tracks, partly cairned, to the foot of the Gelbeck east face, which rises on your right. The start is a little right of the long grass ridge in the front part of the east face and right of the obvious grey water streak in the right-hand third of the face, at about 2120 m. The topo shows Kabarett Drusenfluh starting from the same point. About 1 hour from the hut.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
Car park at the Lünerseewerk, Latschau
Point from Start coordinates published on the Lindauer Hütte route page
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: 47.03292, 9.80910 (route base) · Parking: 47.07256, 9.87418
Getting down
Abseil the Kabarett Drusenfluh line: 55 m free-hanging, 45 m and 60 m to the ground. Shorter ropes also work because there are enough belays.
Retreat
Easy to bail
The descent is by abseil down the adjacent Kabarett Drusenfluh line, and the hut says the belays of the neighbouring routes are plentiful enough for shorter ropes. The top abseil is 55 m and free-hanging.
Safety
Sun and weather
An east to north-east facing limestone wall starting at about 2100 m, so a high-summer route with morning sun (season inferred from altitude and aspect; the sources give no months). The hut pages note that water runs down parts of the Gelbeck after rain and suggest combining pitches of neighbouring routes when one line is wet. Expect snow at the foot of the wall early in the season and afternoon thunderstorms in summer (inferred).
Sun on the wall · E-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 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | −0 | −5 |
| Mean daily low °C | −15 | −14 | −10 | −7 | −3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | −4 | −9 | −14 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2092 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
14 quickdraws, extendable slings, helmet. Two 60 m ropes are an advantage for abseiling but not essential, as the belays of the neighbouring routes can be used.
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 Rätikon Lyrics.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)
Seven long pitches of varied climbing on mostly very good Rätikon limestone above the Lindauer Hütte, UIAA 7 with 7- obligatory. The last two pitches are very athletic and exposed. Well bolted, but the setting is high and remote.
6b+7 pitches300 m
Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)
One of the first modern routes on the front, lower part of the Gelbeck east face: five long pitches of varied, often athletic and exposed limestone climbing. The last two pitches are on heavily water-eroded rock full of drip features.
6b5 pitches220 m
Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)
Five homogeneous pitches of fine, varied limestone climbing on the Gelbeck east face, almost always between UIAA 6 and 7 and hardly ever easier. An overhanging arête on the last pitch is the tricky bit.
6b+5 pitches220 m
Austria · Rätikon (Montafon)
Starts up an inclined slab at the lowest point of the Gelbeck, climbs three long, easier pitches through the front spur to a sloping ledge, then finishes with two very steep wall pitches on sharp solution pockets that most parties climb with a few aid moves.
6c5 pitches200 m
Around 6c · about 6 pitches
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Six sustained pitches up the red wall above Leonidio, four of them 6c. The climbing is steep and on good holds, with a 3 m boulder problem on the last pitch and a long 6a+ to start. The bolts are close enough to let you concentrate on the moves.
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Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Six pitches of technical wall and corner climbing one minute from the gorge-entrance guesthouses. Easy pitches alternate with three hard ones, and the 6b+ fourth pitch and the 6c last pitch are precise, footwork-heavy climbing on very rough rock. The route stops in the middle of the wall and you abseil off.
6c6 pitches160 m
Germany · Berchtesgaden & Bad Reichenhall
A new, closely bolted line up the left side of the Rabensteinhorn, built for climbers at home in the lower sixth UIAA grade: cracks, slabs, ramps, short corners and juggy bulges on compact, water-eaten rock. The sting is a short, slightly overhanging, small-holded passage on the last pitch, which most parties will aid. It shares its start with Für Gabi and crosses it twice.
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Greece · Manikia (Evia)
A varied route in two tiers: two pitches of pocketed wall and sculpted slab, a walk across a big ledge, then four longer pitches up the main wall. The upper wall holds the 6c and a superb 40 m pitch of continuous vertical climbing. A quiet valley with a gentle walk down through meadow.
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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.
