Nösslachwand, Längenfeld (Au) · Ötztal · Austria
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Five pitches of juggy gneiss wall and arêtes on the left side of the Nösslachwand, finishing up a slightly overhanging corner that you bridge. Not very demanding but athletic for the grade, with the crux right at the top.
The route
A short, well-bolted outing on the big gneiss wall at Au, suited to a half-day. The first two pitches are easy; pitches 3 and 4 are steep and juggy, and the last pitch gives the crux in a slightly overhanging corner with a technical exit. Approach and descent are well marked. A French party in 2025 found the pitches athletic for their grades. Climbers Paradise warns that the last pitch is demanding and has some loose rock.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3a | 30 m | From the left side of the small terrace climb up and left to a broad ledge with a big tree; the chain belay is at the far left of the ledge and hard to see. This belay can also be reached by fixed ropes. Camptocamp grades the pitch 4b. |
| P2 | 4a | 27 m | Slightly right, then straight up to a good ledge with some loose stones. Camptocamp gives 4c and 35 m. |
| P3 | 5a | 33 m | Go round the block holding the two belays on its right; the route is the left-hand line. Steep and athletic, with arêtes, to a hanging belay. Camptocamp gives 5b/c. |
| P4 | 5c | 28 m | A hard start left of the belay, then athletic climbing on plenty of holds with a fine view. Camptocamp gives 5b and found it a little easier than pitch 3. |
| P5 | 5c+ | 22 m | The crux. A hard but well-protected start left of the belay, an easy traverse right, then a slightly overhanging corner on big holds that you can bridge, with a technical exit. Climbers Paradise notes some loose rock. |
Getting there
Leave the A12 at the Ötztal exit and drive up the valley through Umhausen. After the village the valley narrows; where it widens again, at Au just before Längenfeld, a small sewage works with a chapel stands on the left. Park on the signed gravel car park on the bank of the Ötztaler Ache, opposite the works; do not park at the chapel or the recycling yard. By public transport, take the train to Ötztal-Bahnhof and the bus to Au (Längenfeld).
From the car park go through the cycle-path underpass to the sewage works on the other side of the road, then left on the hiking path towards Wiesle. About 50 m after a wayside shrine, at a clearing, a clear track marked by a small cairn branches right to the foot of the wall and a rock platform. Climb onto the platform and go past the Sonnenblume start (a stone with a sunflower glued to the rock); the route begins there and is named on a metal plate. Do not take the very first faint track right from the path, which leads awkwardly to the sport crag. About 15 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
Signed car park by the Ötztaler Ache at Au
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker (route start, approximate); camptocamp crag waypoint 1791635 agrees within 40 m
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: 47.10930, 10.95380 (route base) · Parking: 47.10560, 10.95314
Getting down
From the route book at the top follow a ledge left along a fixed rope, continue along ledges and fixed ropes, and finish down a path to the hiking trail. Follow the marked trail in zigzags back to the car park. Climbers Paradise describes the way as marked with orange dots and gives 20 minutes; bergsteigen.com gives 30.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Belays are on chains and pitches are 22 to 33 m, so a 60 m rope reaches each belay below (inferred; no source describes abseiling). A 2025 party retreated in rain after one pitch, and the first belay is linked to the ground by fixed ropes.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
West to south-west facing gneiss between about 1200 and 1370 m. Climbers Paradise gives June to September as the best season. The routes sit beside a water streak, so the lower pitches are often damp: start only after a dry day. Climbers Paradise says the west-facing Roxette sector of the same wall gets the sun from about 15:00 in summer, so expect shade in the morning here too (inferred).
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 1 |
| Mean daily low °C | −10 | −8 | −4 | −1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 1 | −5 | −9 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1267 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
12 quickdraws (Climbers Paradise says about 15), a 60 m single rope or two ropes, 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 Südwind.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Austria · Ötztal
A mix of slabs and steep, juggy passages in the Sonnenblume sector, mostly around 5b to 5c+. The one hard move is a small roof on pitch 4 (6b+), which goes easily on aid.
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Austria · Ötztal
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6c8 pitches195 m
Austria · Ötztal
The multipitch classic of the Nösslachwand and the easiest line on its west face: seven short pitches of gneiss slab beside a water streak, improving with height, with a few steep wall moves and an arête crux. Polished in places.
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Around 5c+ · about 5 pitches
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
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Committing
Italy · Sardinia
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5c+4 pitches90 m
Greece · Cape Maleas (Peloponnese)
An even, well-bolted line with sea views: a short corner and slab, steep walls and a superb final pitch with a juggy steep crux. The last belay is hanging and uncomfortable.
5c+4 pitches135 m
Italy · Gaeta & Sperlonga
The easiest and one of the most repeated long routes on the Gaeta sea cliff. You abseil to a terrace just above the waves, traverse left, pull one polished 5c move and then climb chimneys and clefts beside a huge detached needle to the cliff top. The setting is the attraction: bridging in a chimney hanging over the sea.
5c5 pitches155 m
Committing
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.