Reise durchs gelobte Land

Ewige Wand (Predigstuhl), Bad Goisern · Salzkammergut · Austria

Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

One of the most popular easy multipitch routes on the Ewige Wand. Varied climbing on grippy rock at UIAA 4 to 4+, with a long exposed traverse and one short move of 5-. The Hallstätter See and the Dachstein fill the view.

The Ewige Wand above Bad Goisern, seen along the cliff in autumnPhoto: Gschwandtnerbua · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hardest pitch: 4c
Pitches: 5
Length: 150 m
Approach: 20 min
Aspect: S; South-facing
Rope: 1×60 m; walk-off

The route

Overview

The 'journey through the promised land' takes the easiest line up the main part of the Ewige Wand, the long south-facing limestone cliff below the Predigstuhl above Bad Goisern. It is 150 m long, mostly UIAA 4 and 4+, with one short passage of 5- near the top. The climbing is varied: a knobbly slab, a small overhang on big holds, a long traverse right and a shaded stance under a roof. It is very well bolted and a common first multipitch route, so expect to queue on fine weekends. You walk off by the Radsteig.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

4b4c4c4b4c

Pitches of Reise durchs gelobte Land
Pitch	Grade	Notes
P1	4b	UIAA 4. A slab covered in small rock knobs that make good footholds, then stepped ground with some grass and bushes, and a last grippy slab to the belay. Sport routes cross the start, so make sure you follow the right bolts.
P2	4c	UIAA 4+. Traverse left from the belay on slightly brittle rock, then go straight up over a small overhang, which is easiest on its left side on huge holds. A few metres of easy broken ground lead to the belay.
P3	4c	UIAA 4+. Easy, grippy climbing at first. Where the way on is unclear, go left round the corner and between two small pillars to the belay. A sign at this belay points the way to the 'Gelobtes Land'; a harder variant leaves to the left.
P4	4b	UIAA 4. A long traverse to the right, technically easy but exposed, on excellent holds; then easy climbing to a stance below a roof.
P5	4c	UIAA 5-, the crux: a short traverse high on the pitch on grippy rock. Easy, juggy ground leads to the exit among the trees; some parties split these last metres off as a short sixth pitch.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Bad Goisern is reached from Linz, Wels or Salzburg via Bad Ischl, from Styria via Bad Aussee and the Pötschen pass, or from the Salzburg side via Pass Gschütt and Gosau. At the 'Hofer' roundabout in Bad Goisern turn off towards Lasern, Wurmstein and Predigstuhl and follow the toll-free panorama road up to the hikers' car park at the former Berggasthof Predigstuhl (973 m).

On foot · about 20 min

From the car park take the hiking path signed Radsteig, Höhenweg and Predigstuhl for about 50 m up to a forest road and follow the road left, at first slightly downhill, to its end; the marked Radsteig branches off right before that. From the end of the road a path leads straight to the foot of the wall and the entry plaque of Reise durchs gelobte Land at 975 m. Allow 20 minutes.

Map of the walk-in

Route base
Parking

Loading map

The point marks the base of the route.

Coordinates · route base

47.65900, 13.62850

Parking

47.65410, 13.63940

Hikers' car park at the former Berggasthof Predigstuhl (973 m), above Bad Goisern

Point from bergsteigen.com map marker (route base)

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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.

Getting down

Descent

From the exit go right on the marked Höhenweg and climb for 8 to 10 minutes to the Radsteig. Descend the Radsteig to the right, with one short steep section protected by a wire cable, to the foot of the wall. From there keep left to return to the car park, or go right along the wall to the start. Allow 40 minutes. bergsteigen.com adds that you can also abseil, which it does not recommend; a 2016 trip report mentions an abseil piste from the top of the fifth pitch.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

The route is normally finished and walked off. bergsteigen.com says abseiling is possible but not recommended, and a 2016 report mentions an abseil piste from the top of pitch 5. The traverses on pitches 2 and 4 make abseiling the line awkward.

Retreat from: Bolted belays; an abseil piste from the top of pitch 5 according to one report.
Point of no return: After the long traverse on pitch 4 it is easier to finish: two short pitches remain.
Carry: The climb needs one 60 m rope. For abseiling, check the topo for the piste; rope lengths for it are not published openly.
Basis: Part stated, part inferred'Abseiling possible, not recommended' is stated; the effect of the traverses is inferred.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

The rock on the traverse at the start of pitch 2 is slightly brittle; test holds.
Sport routes share the foot of the wall, and it is easy to stray onto a much harder line on pitch 1.
After pitch 3 take the signed line, not the harder variant to the left.
Heat in summer: the wall is a sun trap and there is no shade until the roof on pitch 4.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South facing with the start at 975 m, and sunny all day. A 2016 report calls the wall climbable almost all year and describes a June ascent as a battle with the heat, with the rock almost too warm to hold. Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons; photo captions on bergsteigen.com record ascents on 27 March and 3 October.

Usual season · Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

JFMAMJJASOND

Sun on the wall · S-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

January: not yet worked out
February: not yet worked out
March (usual season): not yet worked out
April (usual season): not yet worked out
May (usual season): not yet worked out
June (usual season): not yet worked out
July: not yet worked out
August: not yet worked out
September (usual season): not yet worked out
October (usual season): not yet worked out
November (usual season): not yet worked out
December: not yet worked out
060912151821

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.

Monthly climate averages for Salzkammergut, 1991-2020
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar (usual season)	Apr (usual season)	May (usual season)	Jun (usual season)	Jul	Aug	Sep (usual season)	Oct (usual season)	Nov (usual season)	Dec
Mean daily high °C	0	2	5	10	15	18	20	20	16	12	6	1
Mean daily low °C	−8	−7	−4	−1	4	8	10	10	7	3	−2	−7
Rain days 1 mm or more	14	14	17	16	21	21	20	18	16	14	13	15

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1004 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

Gear

A 60 m rope, 14 quickdraws and a helmet (bergsteigen.com). No nuts or cams are mentioned by any source.

Checklist

Quickdraws: 14
Rope: 1×60 m (walk-off)
Helmet: One each
Abseil device and prusik: The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

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 Reise durchs gelobte Land.

Worth knowing

Tips

Go on a weekday or start early: several parties at the start are normal.
Atemlos (6-/6) starts about 30 m to the left and makes a harder second route.
On the way down the Radsteig, a spring-fed fountain stands by the forest road back to the car park.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

Pitches: five according to theCrag (4, 4+, 4+, 4, 5-) and the numbered bergsteigen.com photo captions; six according to a 2016 blog report and a 2021 Alpine Club report, which count the easy exit separately. The record uses five and notes the optional split.
Pitch grades are from theCrag; the bergsteigen.com topo is behind a login. The blog gives IV+ for the overhang on pitch 2 and V- for the traverse on the second-to-last pitch, which agrees.
A web search summary quoted harder figures (pitches of 5 to 6+) from another guide for this wall; they do not match any source opened here and probably refer to a different route.
The bergsteigen.com description dates from August 2016.

Provenance

Sources

bergsteigen.com – Reise durchs gelobte Land, Ewige WandUsed for: grade, protection, approach, descent, gear, variant after pitch 3, history, start marker
theCrag – Reise durchs gelobte LandUsed for: pitch grades, pitch count, first ascent
Berghasen – Hitzeschlacht an der Ewigen Wand (2016)Used for: pitch-by-pitch description, heat, queues, abseil piste, fountain
Alpenverein Liezen – Ewige Wand, September 2021Used for: six-pitch count, timing

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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.