Multipitch Atlas

Sunset Boulevard

Geierwand, Haiming · Inntal (Haiming Geierwand) · Austria

Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

Billed as probably the best mid-grade multipitch at the Geierwand (UIAA 6/6+, 5 obligatory). It starts with steep, juggy climbing, and the upper pitches are rough pocketed slabs. It can be combined with Alhambra's upper pitches.

View west along the Inn valley from the top of the Geierwand near Haiming, with part of the wall on the rightPhoto: Hermann Hammer · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo

View west along the Inn valley from the top of the Geierwand near Haiming, with part of the wall on the rightPhoto: Hermann Hammer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hardest pitch
6a+
Pitches
12
Length
345 m
Approach
15 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
2×60 m or 1×70 m

The route

Overview

Sunset Boulevard climbs the middle of the Geierwand, the roughly 400 m south-facing limestone wall above the Inn at Haiming. The lower half is steep and juggy on mostly excellent rock; above the big ledge it turns into rough pocketed slabs with a lot of air below you. The route itself is 8 pitches (about 211 m) and ends where it meets Alhambra; most parties add Alhambra's last four pitches to top out, which gives the 345 m usually quoted. bergsteigen.com rates it the best mid-grade multipitch on the wall, very well bolted, with only a few brittle passages. Expect one move of UIAA 6/6+, one of 6-/6 and the rest around 5 (5 obligatory).

In pictures

Photos

Approach photo

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P15c28 mSteep, well-featured climbing off the ground. Grade from the Climbers Paradise topo.
P26a25 mMore steep, juggy wall.
P33a28 mEasy ground across the first small ledge.
P46a25 mPicture-book rock; bergsteigen.com singles this pitch out as the best of the lower half.
P56a30 mLast pitch below the big ledge that cuts across the wall.
P66a20 mFirst pitch above the big ledge: rough pocketed slabs.
P76a27 mSteep climbing on well-featured slabs. Length read from the topo image.
P86a28 mLast pitch before the junction with Alhambra. Sunset Boulevard ends here.
P95c23 mAlhambra finish (optional), its pitch 9.
P106a+35 mAlhambra pitch 10. Grade read from the topo image (the route list leaves it blank); bergsteigen.com describes a key traverse to the belay on this pitch.
P11325 mAlhambra pitch 11. Easy but a lot of loose rubble.
P12150 mAlhambra pitch 12. Walking and scrambling over scree to the top of the wall.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Haiming is in the Inn valley at the mouth of the Ötztal, Tyrol. Leave the A12 (Mötz or Ötztal exit), drive to Haiming and follow the 'Rafting-Center' signs; turn right immediately after the Inn bridge and continue about 1 km to the car park after the rafting centre/Raftingalm (about 660 m). By public transport: train to Haiming, then bus to the Innbrücke stop.

On foot · about 15 min

15 to 20 min. From the car park follow the signs for the Geierwand Klettersteig across a meadow and over the motorway bridge. After the bridge go a few steps left on the access track to a rockfall net, then take the path uphill to the rock. Sunset Boulevard starts far to the right along the base; the name is written at the start. Put your helmet on as soon as you are under the wall.

Finding the route · 1 photo

  • ParkingLooking south from the Geierwand via ferrata across the Inn to Haiming. The Inn bridge is at the right-hand edge; the road at the bottom of the picture, on the near bank directly below the wall, is the one you drive along from the bridge to the car park.Photo: Bauer Alfons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Approach photo

Map of the walk-in

  • Route base
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the base of the route.

Coordinates · route base

47.26240, 10.87750

Parking

47.26020, 10.87790

Parking marked on bergsteigen.com

Point from bergsteigen.com touren/klettern/sunset-boulevard-geierwand

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

From the top (after the Alhambra finish): follow faint path traces uphill, keeping left at the rock band, to a picnic/barbecue spot. Take the path down to the broad Klettersteig descent trail and follow it to the foot of the wall, then back right to the car park. About 1 h. Alternative: abseil. The abseil line runs down Sunset Boulevard to the big ledge; bergsteigen.com suggests climbing one more Alhambra pitch past the junction and abseiling from there to reach the line. From the big ledge follow path traces along it to a second abseil line (for example the one on Nebraska) to reach the ground. No abseil lengths are published in the free sources; carry the topo.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

You can abseil off, but it takes two separate lines and the abseil lengths are not published in the free sources. The abseil line runs down Sunset Boulevard to the big ledge at half height. From there you walk along the ledge to a second line, for example on Nebraska, to reach the ground. Loose stones on the ledges are easily knocked off when you pull the ropes.

Retreat from
The big ledge after pitch 5 is the main escape point; routes that end there are abseiled from it. Above the ledge, the abseil line follows Sunset Boulevard back down to it. Whether the route's own belays below the ledge (pitches 1 to 5) are rigged for abseil is not stated.
Point of no return
None is documented. By inference, once you are past the traverse on Alhambra's pitch 10 only easy scrambling remains, and walking off the top is the simpler way down.
Carry
2×60 m ropes, as listed for the route; a 70 m single is given as the alternative for climbing but abseil lengths are not published, so do not rely on it for a retreat. Carry the topo that shows the abseil lines.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredbergsteigen.com states the abseil line down Sunset Boulevard to the big ledge and the second line from the ledge, and Climbers Paradise states the stonefall risk when pulling ropes; the rope advice and the point about Alhambra's top pitches are inferred.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • Rockfall: loose stones lie on the ledges and terraces and are easily knocked off when you pull the rope. Climbers Paradise asks for extreme care whenever other parties are on the wall. Helmet essential from the base.
  • The last two easy pitches of the Alhambra finish run over scree and rubble; do not dislodge stones onto parties below.
  • A few brittle passages on Sunset Boulevard itself; the rock on Alhambra is described as not always solid.
  • South wall in full sun: very hot in summer.
  • The abseil alternative uses two separate lines linked by a traverse along the big ledge, and abseil lengths are not published online. Do not commit to it without the topo.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-facing at 740–1050 m, so it is climbable almost all year and gets very hot in summer. Climbers Paradise warns specifically about other parties on the wall, so expect company.

Usual season · Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C3581216212222191594
Mean daily low °C−7−5−12610121295−1−5
Rain days 1 mm or more121215162121211916131313

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 723 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

2×60 m double ropes or a 70 m single, helmet. bergsteigen.com says 12 quickdraws; Climbers Paradise says 15 quickdraws and double rope. No cams or nuts are listed by either source.

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
2×60 m or 1×70 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 Sunset Boulevard.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Add the last four pitches of Alhambra: bergsteigen.com calls the combination the finest longer grade-6 outing on the Geierwand.
  • The big ledge at half height is an escape point: routes ending there (for example Kollerweg) are abseiled from it.
  • Climbers Paradise offers a free overview topo of the whole wall on its page; the detailed topo on bergsteigen.com is for paying members.
  • The Geierwand Klettersteig shares the car park and its descent trail is your way down.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Length and pitch count: Climbers Paradise gives 8 pitches and 211 m to the Alhambra junction. bergsteigen.com gives 345 m and no pitch count. The 345 m matches 211 m plus Alhambra's last four pitches (23+35+25+50 m), so the 345 m listed here is the combination, counted here as 12 pitches (8 plus 4). A count of 10 pitches is not supported by either source. bergsteigen.com does mention an abseil line 'after the 10th pitch', which may be its own pitch numbering.
  • Grade: bergsteigen.com says UIAA 6/6+ with one such passage, one 6-/6 and the rest about 5. Climbers Paradise lists 6a overall and a flat 6a for six of the eight pitches, which looks coarse. Treat 6a/6a+ as the crux and expect several pitches to feel easier than 6a.
  • Quickdraws: 12 (bergsteigen.com) against 15 (Climbers Paradise).
  • Approach: 15 min (bergsteigen.com) against about 20 min (Climbers Paradise).
  • Pitch 7 length: 27 m on the topo image; the page text gave 20 m. 27 m makes the pitches add up to the stated 211 m.

Provenance

Sources

Around 6a+ · about 12 pitches

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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.