Multipitch Atlas

RWI

Treffauer – south-west face plinth (Multerkarwand) · Wilder Kaiser · Austria

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

With König der Löwen, the most climbed route on the walls above Scheffau. Nine pitches of slabs, steep walls and small pillars at UIAA 5 to 6, with one short squeeze through a cleft and a walking pitch across a big ledge. It faces south-west and suits spring and autumn days.

The Treffauer seen from the west, with the Wegscheid pastures below; the Multerkar plinth routes are on the lower rock band of this sidePhoto: Stefan.straub · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo

The Treffauer seen from the west, with the Wegscheid pastures below; the Multerkar plinth routes are on the lower rock band of this sidePhoto: Stefan.straub · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hardest pitch
6a
Pitches
9
Length
295 m
Approach
90 min
Aspect
SW
South-west-facing
Rope
2×50 m

The route

Overview

RWI climbs the right-hand part of the Multerkarwand, the south-west plinth of the Treffauer above Scheffau. It was put up in 2008 by Marcus Sappl, Hans Zott, Sandra Obermoser and Sonja Trenkwalder and given a new start in 2010 after a large rockfall. The climbing is varied and mostly on compact, slabby rock, broken by short scrambling sections and one pitch of walking across a ledge. Most of it is UIAA 5 to 6-, with one harder pitch that bergsteigen.com puts at 6/6+ and Climbers Paradise at 6. You abseil down a marked piste at the end.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P15+30 mUIAA 5+. The start pitch, re-routed in 2010; a wooden sign hangs at the start.
P25+50 mUIAA 5+. A long pitch: 50 m according to Climbers Paradise.
P34c40 mUIAA 5-.
P45c+35 mUIAA 6 according to Climbers Paradise. This is the hardest pitch in its table; bergsteigen.com grades the route 6/6+ (about 6a) with 6 obligatory but its topo is behind a login, so the exact place of the 6/6+ move is not confirmed.
P55+30 mUIAA 5+.
P65c40 mUIAA 6-.
P7130 mWalking and easy scrambling (UIAA 1) across the big ledge. Move carefully: loose stones lie on the ledge above other parties.
P85a25 mUIAA 5. bergsteigen.com shows a slab passage on the second-to-last pitch.
P95c30 mUIAA 6- to the end of the route.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser is on the B178 between Wörgl, Kufstein and St. Johann in Tirol. In the village turn off at Gasthof Maikircher towards the Jägerwirt and follow the road to the pay car park Wegscheid (883 m), just below the restaurant. By public transport, take the KaiserJet or the post bus to the stop Scheffau Dorf and walk about 30 minutes to the car park. Climbers Paradise also describes an e-bike approach from the free car park by the Scheffau council offices to the end of the forest road below the Wegscheid-Hochalm (4.4 km, 560 m of ascent), which leaves about 30 minutes on foot.

On foot · about 90 min

From the Wegscheid car park follow path 826 towards the Treffauer, past the Wegscheid-Niederalm and up to the Wegscheid-Hochalm. Below the slabby wall you reach the junction with the Wilder-Kaiser-Steig. Follow that path to the right for a very short way and, where it enters the scree, turn straight up left to the foot of the wall. Allow 1 h 15 to 1 h 30. For RWI keep right under the wall and aim for the obvious gully in the right-hand part of the face. The last part steepens and you scramble up short broken steps to a bolted belay; Climbers Paradise describes a small shoulder with a wooden sign at the start.

Map of the walk-in

  • Route base
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the base of the route.

Coordinates · route base

47.55323, 12.27985

Parking

47.53610, 12.26540

Pay car park Wegscheid below Gasthof Jägerwirt, Scheffau

Point from bergsteigen.com map marker (route base)

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

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

Abseil from the top: first down the route, then from the big ledge a little to one side of it. The stations are partly marked with red dots, and bergsteigen.com warns that you must take care not to abseil round the wrong corner. Climbers Paradise places the piste between Entdeckungsreise and RWI. You do not land exactly at the start, so carry your shoes. The alternative is a walk-off: from the exit go through a lane in the dwarf pines into the Multerkar, then left across a steep meadow below a dark, cave-like hole to a small saddle and traverse horizontally to the Treffauer normal path, about 1 h back to the start.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling is the normal descent, down the route and, below the big ledge, down a marked piste just beside it. The belays are bolted, so you can turn round from any of them with two ropes. Watch for other parties below and for loose stones on the ledge.

Retreat from
Any belay; the marked piste (red dots) runs down the route above the big ledge and slightly beside it below.
Point of no return
None documented.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes. Pitch 2 is 50 m long, so a single rope will not get you down from its top in one abseil.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredBoth sources give abseiling as the descent; that every belay on the climbing line itself is rigged for abseiling is inferred from the piste description, since the topo is behind a login.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • Stonefall when the wall is busy, especially while abseiling. Loose stones lie on the big ledge and a rope can sweep them off.
  • Chamois move about above the wall and can send stones down; put your helmet on at the foot of the wall.
  • The abseil line is not obvious in places. Follow the red dots and check each station before you commit.
  • Wet-snow avalanche danger on the plinth in spring while snow lies in the Multerkar above.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-west and west facing, with the start at about 1470 m and the top at about 1750 m (Climbers Paradise). The Multerkarwand is in shade until the afternoon, so it also works in midsummer. Climbers Paradise gives June to November as the season. In spring the slabs lie in an avalanche zone while snow remains above (stated by bergsteigen.com for the neighbouring routes on the same wall).

Usual season · Jun to Nov

Sun on the wall · SW-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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−4−315101415151171−4
Mean daily low °C−14−13−9−6−13551−3−9−13
Rain days 1 mm or more131317162121211816141314

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1717 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

50 m double ropes and 15 quickdraws (bergsteigen.com); Climbers Paradise gives a 60 m rope and 12 quickdraws. Pitch 2 is 50 m, so do not bring anything shorter. Helmet. Neither source lists nuts or cams.

Checklist

Quickdraws
15
Rope
2×50 m
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 RWI.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Carry approach shoes up the route: the abseils do not bring you back to your sacks.
  • If you plan the walk-off, leave your sacks at the Wilder-Kaiser-Steig instead of at the start.
  • Entdeckungsreise, which starts at the gully nearby, ends close to the RWI exit and uses the same abseil piste.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Grade: 6/6+ with 6 obligatory (bergsteigen.com) against 6 with 6- obligatory (Climbers Paradise). The card uses 6a, the harder reading; the pitch grades are those of Climbers Paradise, whose hardest pitch is UIAA 6.
  • Length: 295 m (bergsteigen.com) against 350 m of route for 280 m of wall (Climbers Paradise); the Climbers Paradise pitch lengths add up to 310 m.
  • Start altitude: bergsteigen.com gives 1925 m, which cannot be right for this plinth; Climbers Paradise gives 1470 m for the start and 1750 m for the top, and those figures are used.
  • Rope and quickdraws: 2×50 m and 15 (bergsteigen.com) against a 60 m rope and 12 (Climbers Paradise).
  • Protection wording: 'good' in the bergsteigen.com header (page dated 2010), 'plaisir' and 'completely bolted' on Climbers Paradise.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

More in Wilder Kaiser

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Austria · Wilder Kaiser

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Nine pitches of easy slabs and water runnels beside the Treffauer normal route, UIAA 5 at most if you take the easy variant on pitch 4. Lots of bolts and friendly ground make it one of the most popular routes in the Schneekar. The rock is not solid everywhere and the walk-in is two hours.

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Via Max

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Around 6a · about 9 pitches

Similar elsewhere

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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.