Martinswand – Vorbau (Zirl) · Karwendel (Innsbruck Nordkette) · Austria
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A popular plaisir route up the slabs of the Martinswand plinth: seven pitches, mostly UIAA 4, with only about three harder metres in a short steep corner on pitch 5. Often combined with a route on the wall above.
The route
The easiest long outing on the Martinswand plinth with reliably close bolts. Seven pitches of cleaned limestone slab lead to the ledge system below the main wall, with one short, steep corner as the crux and a pillar to finish. It is south-facing, close to the road and very popular. bergsteigen.com notes that the hard climbing amounts to roughly three metres.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4a | 35 m | Well-cleaned slab. |
| P2 | 4b | 30 m | No pitch description in the free sources; the grade and length are from the Climbers Paradise table. |
| P3 | 3+ | 30 m | Easy broken ground with some rubble, according to a bergsteigen.com photo caption (pitch position inferred from the grade). |
| P4 | 4c | 40 m | No pitch description in the free sources; the grade and length are from the Climbers Paradise table. |
| P5 | 5b/5c | 30 m | The crux: a short, steep corner. 5b on Climbers Paradise, UIAA 5+/6- on bergsteigen.com. |
| P6 | 4b | 25 m | Pleasant slab climbing. |
| P7 | 4a | 30 m | Up a pillar. The signed turn-off to the abseil line is on the left in the middle of this pitch. |
Getting there
Leave the A12 Inn valley motorway at Zirl-Ost and follow the road to the Kematen (Sellrain) turn-off. After the exit, pass the quarry and drive back towards Innsbruck along the foot of the Martinswand to the parking by a ramp, signed P1 (Alpenverein climbing garden, 615 m). By public transport, take the train to Innsbruck and a bus to the Martinswand/Zirl stop.
From P1 walk towards the Alpenverein climbing garden as far as the toilet block, pass it heading towards Zirl and follow the path gently uphill until you are close to the wall. Take the track to a scree gully, cross it (passing the start of Flying Grass) and continue along the wall. Where the track touches the slab wall before dropping away again, Kaiser Max Spätlese starts on the plinth; Rucola begins about 50 m further left and lower. About 20 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
P1, Alpenverein climbing garden car park below the Martinswand (bergsteigen.com map marker)
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker (route start, approximate)
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: 47.26789, 11.27636 (route base) · Parking: 47.26670, 11.28090
Getting down
Two options. The quick one is the walk-off: from the top go right along ledges, lightly marked, with a fixed steel cable on the steepest bits and short passages of grade 1 to 2 scrambling, to the Martinswand descent path (about 45 minutes). The alternative is the abseil line just left of the route, 4 × 50 m, reached by traversing left in the middle of the last pitch. Do not abseil if parties are climbing below because of stonefall.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
An equipped abseil line runs just left of the route (4 × 50 m), normally joined from the middle of the last pitch. Whether the route's own belays are rigged for abseiling is not stated. Abseiling is discouraged when others are climbing below because of loose stones.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing, with the start at about 800 m. bergsteigen.com says the Vorbau routes can be climbed all year except when there is snow. The low altitude and full sun make midsummer days hot (inferred from aspect and altitude, not stated by the sources).
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 (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 | −7 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 5 | −2 | −6 |
| Mean daily low °C | −17 | −15 | −11 | −8 | −3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −1 | −5 | −11 | −15 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2267 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
11 quickdraws, helmet. Two 50 m ropes if you plan to abseil; a single rope is enough for the walk-off (pitches are up to 40 m). Take approach shoes for the walk-off.
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 Rucola.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Austria · Karwendel (Innsbruck Nordkette)
A plaisir line straight above Innsbruck, reached by cable car. Two pitches are UIAA 6-/6 (5+/A0) and the rest is mostly grade 4–5. The upper pitches are grassy, so avoid it when wet.
6a9 pitches300 m
Austria · Karwendel (Innsbruck Nordkette)
One of the most popular routes on the Martinswand plinth: five short pitches of limestone slab that get better with height. The crux is a traverse right on pitch 3, hard from the first move, followed by a friction slab on pitch 4.
5b5 pitches135 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
Austria · Karwendel (Innsbruck Nordkette)
The original Martinswand plinth classic: six pitches of limestone slab, well bolted but polished by traffic, so the grade feels stiff. The crux comes on pitch 3 and a fine 45 m slab finishes the route.
6a+6 pitches150 m
Around 5c · about 7 pitches
Italy · Bolzano & South Tyrol
A friendly, well-bolted line up the red porphyry below the Gasthof Noafer, just above Bolzano. Three pitches of steep slab and corner lead to a long shoulder, two easy pitches cross it, and two more fine slab pitches finish at the cliff top. Mostly grade 5 with one 5c pitch, the third, which is the best of the route.
5c7 pitches250 m
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
The friendly long route of Kalymnos: seven short pitches that spiral up the face and slabs right of the crest of a buttress above Arginonta bay, never harder than 5c. A good first pitch, an easy second and a scramble lead to three better pitches on the upper wall. Some parties find the rock scrappy in places, so wear a helmet.
5c7 pitches150 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
A mountain-style line on dark, weathered granite twenty-five minutes above the spa of Baños de Panticosa. It links ramps, a short overhanging break, slabs and a rounded boulder, with one well-bolted 5c move and the rest 4b to 5b. The rock between the good sections is earthy and lichenous, but the friction is excellent and the bolting generous.
5c7 pitches260 m
France · Ailefroide
An even 5c on the big wall directly behind the Ailefroide campsite: a steep corner to start, slabs in the middle and a fine layback near the top. It takes the left side of the face that holds the famous Fissure, and is a little quieter than the other classics of the grade.
5c8 pitches230 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.
