Brüggler – south face · Glarus (Brüggler) · Switzerland
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
Seven pitches up the runnelled limestone slabs of the Brüggler's south face, with two short 6a cruxes, on pitch 3 and on the final pillar. The pitches in between are 4c to 5c+. From the sixth belay you can escape right onto the easier Kleine Verschneidung.
The route
Sonntagsweg is one of the harder plaisir lines on the Brüggler, the south-facing limestone slab above the Schwändital that is a spring and autumn favourite for climbers from Zürich. It has seven pitches with two short 6a sections and a 5c+ pitch between them; the rest is moderate. The route was re-equipped in 2006 and is listed in the Plaisir Ost guidebook. Documentation online is thin, so take the guidebook topo: pitch lengths and bolt counts are not published on the web.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | No description published. |
| P2 | 4c | No description published. |
| P3 | 6a | Short. The first crux; theCrag notes a traverse left high on the pitch. |
| P4 | 5a | A short traverse pitch, going left then up. It can be linked with pitch 5 on a 50 m rope. |
| P5 | 5c+ | No description published. |
| P6 | 3c | Easy ground. From here you can move right onto Kleine Verschneidung and finish up its 5a exit. |
| P7 | 6a | The final pillar, which faces east and stays wet longest after snow or rain. |
Getting there
The Brüggler stands above the Schwändital in canton Glarus. From Zürich drive towards Glarus, leave at Näfels and follow the road towards the Obersee and into the Schwändital to the pay car park at the end of the road (about 5 CHF a day; camping beside it for a small fee, with toilets and water). Without a car, a 2016 party took the cable car up to Morgenholz (10 to 18 CHF in 2016, last descent 18:30) and walked 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours via the Wänifurggel.
From the car park follow the vehicle track, which is closed to traffic. At the second farm (Stattboden, 1448 m) take the path that climbs along the western edge of the forest to the foot of the big corner directly below the Brüggler summit. About 45 minutes to 1 hour. According to theCrag the start is about 50 m right of the rucksack depot at the foot of the face, with the route name written at the base and the line marked in orange.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Schwändital pay car park at the end of the road (camptocamp waypoint 143353)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 42475 (Brüggler summit; the routes are on the south face directly below)
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: 47.11750, 8.98379 (crag) · Parking: 47.10570, 9.01681
Getting down
On foot. From the top go to the summit cross, descend the path west for about 200 m, cross the ridge heading south then east, and rejoin the approach path in about 15 minutes.
Retreat
Bail not documented
Retreat is not documented for this route. The camptocamp pages for its neighbours on the same face say abseiling is not possible there because of traverses, belays not rigged for abseiling and shrubs that catch the ropes, and Sonntagsweg has a traverse on pitch 4. The documented escape is upwards: from belay 6 an easier exit leads right onto Kleine Verschneidung.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
Due south facing, between about 1550 m and the 1777 m summit. Best in spring and autumn and sometimes possible in winter; hot in summer. After snowfall, melt water runs down the runnels and pockets for days: a late-October 2016 party found a lot of seepage, and in early May 2016 there was still snow on the summit although the walk down was fine.
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 | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −3 | −1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 3 | −2 |
| Mean daily low °C | −10 | −10 | −6 | −4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | −5 | −9 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1711 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
About 12 quickdraws (theCrag). No nuts or cams needed according to camptocamp. No source gives a rope length; the descent is on foot and pitches 4 and 5 together fit on a 50 m rope. Helmet.
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 Sonntagsweg.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Committing
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Committing
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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.