Hintisberg · Bernese Oberland · Switzerland
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The most popular route at Hintisberg: six pitches from the lowest point of the wall, with slabs, a technical wall and small overhangs to turn. It gets better as it rises and ends on a superb wall of pockets, where the obligatory 6a crux lies. Expect a queue on fine weekends.
The route
Reisefieber, 'travel fever', is the classic moderate line of the wall and appears in the Plaisir selection guidebook. It was opened in 1992 by Christian and Rosemarie Bleuer and starts at the lowest point of the cliff on its right-hand side. The first two pitches give little hint of what follows: the rock becomes more compact and more featured with every pitch. Several parties think 6a is generous for the crux, and one would put the whole route at 5c or 5c+.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | Start with Escalera for two bolts, then go right. Parties call the first two pitches unremarkable compared with the rest. |
| P2 | 5b | No description published. |
| P3 | 5c | No description published. |
| P4 | 5c+ | Mountain Project's author found pitches 4 and 5 the crux of the route, though never very demanding. |
| P5 | 5c | No description published. |
| P6 | 6a | The finest pitch: a wall of pockets on perfect rock. The crux is obligatory but goes well. |
Getting there
Leave the Interlaken to Grindelwald road at the Restaurant Stalden, go under the small railway tunnel and follow the toll road all the way up to Alp Hintisberg (1650 m). The toll was 10 CHF, paid at the restaurant, in older reports; camptocamp now mentions a ticket machine about 2 km up the road that takes coins or an app. Continue on the gravel track round a hairpin to the hamlet with the alp restaurant and dormitory, pass it and park 100 to 200 m further on at the marked space with a toilet. Park only there: the alp is farmed.
Walk back down the track about 60 m to a small water tank and take the marked path towards the cliff, leaving the Faulhorn path at a cairn. About 35 minutes; one party took 30. The route starts at the lowest point of the wall on its right-hand side, with a bolt and the name marked at the foot. The first metres (two bolts) are shared with Escalera, which then goes left; Reisefieber goes right. Schöne Aussichten is the next route to the right.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
camptocamp access waypoint 241976 (Unterläger, 1795 m), the trailhead camptocamp links to the Hintisberg routes; park in the marked space just past the alp restaurant
Point from camptocamp waypoint 241971 (Hintisberg, top of the wall); Mountain Project places the crag at 46.6586, 7.9465
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: 46.66126, 7.95266 (crag) · Parking: 46.65450, 7.95256
Getting down
Abseil down Schöne Aussichten, immediately to the right, which camptocamp describes as four long abseils with 2×50 m. A 2015 party describes equipped abseil stations about every 30 to 40 m. With two parties together the abseils took 2 hours in 2020.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The normal descent is by abseil down Schöne Aussichten next door, and a 2015 party describes equipped abseil stations about every 30 to 40 m. A retreat from part-way up should therefore work with two ropes, but no source says which Reisefieber belays are rigged for abseiling.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The wall faces south to south-east between about 1900 and 2100 m and dries fast: parties report routes climbable an hour or two after a shower, though seepage lingers in places after heavy storms. It is hot in midsummer even at this height, so some parties wait for the afternoon shade. The season runs from late spring to autumn, and the toll road is kept in good condition.
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.
Climate figures for Bernese Oberland are not available yet
What to carry
Two ropes for the abseils, quickdraws and a helmet. Camptocamp gives no number of quickdraws; it lists 10 for Schöne Aussichten alongside. Mountain Project's author took a light rack of nuts and cams and used it occasionally; camptocamp lists none.
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 Reisefieber.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Four pitches of steep, compact limestone opposite the Eiger: a stiff 6a+ warm-up, a short bouldery 7a crux on small edges, a 6b through little roofs on good holds, and a superb, sustained 7a wall of pockets to finish. Short enough to climb without a pack, and the 7a grades are reckoned friendly.
7a4 pitches120 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
The easiest long route at Hintisberg, seven pitches on the right side of the wall with the Eiger north face directly behind you. Varied limestone that improves with height: the last two pitches, both 5c, are the best and the hardest. Often quieter than Reisefieber next door.
5c7 pitches180 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Six fairly short pitches on the left-hand sector of Hintisberg, left of the big overhangs. The first three are moderate and on less good rock; the upper three are steeper, with the 6a+ crux on small edges on pitch 4, and finish on a grassy top with the whole Bernese Oberland in view. Grades are on the stiff side.
6a+6 pitches180 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Four pitches of steep, banded limestone left of Zick-Zack. A long opening pitch with big moves leads to the 6b+ crux, which packs a few fierce moves into its start; then come an athletic line through small roofs and a fine wall on small holds. Stiff grading in the Swiss manner.
6b+4 pitches120 m
Around 6a · about 6 pitches
Croatia · Omiš
Omiš's signature moderate: long, slabby pitches on knobbly grey limestone with big views over the Cetina mouth and the Adriatic. The crux is a short crack on the final pitch.
6a6 pitches230 m
Germany · Berchtesgaden & Bad Reichenhall
Six pitches on excellent grippy limestone with views to the Watzmann, established 2012. Pitch grades are converted from the UIAA topo (6-, 6, 6, 5+, 5+, 6); 5 is obligatory.
6a6 pitches165 m
Switzerland · Gastlosen
Six pitches of water-worn runnels and compact slab on the south face of the Pfadflue, ending on a ledge at mid-height. Pitch 4 pulls over a small overhang and pitch 5 is a delicate, holdless friction slab. You can carry on up the last five pitches of Salü Jan to the summit.
6a6 pitches250 m
Austria · Karwendel (Innsbruck Nordkette)
Easy slab climbing straight up the plate zone below the 'Ostrisswald' on the Martinswand plinth, broken by a few ledges. Mostly UIAA 4 to 5, with an overhang on pitch 2 and the 6a crux on the long last pitch.
6a6 pitches200 m
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.