Brüggler – south face · Glarus (Brüggler) · Switzerland
CommittingBolting confidence: medium
Five pitches beside the big corner below the summit, topping out right at the Brüggler's summit cross. The first pitch is the 5c+ crux and the last has a single 5c move; the middle is easier and not very sustained, with a short vegetated traverse.
The route
Tante Ju climbs the wall beside the great corner that splits the Brüggler's south face and finishes exactly at the summit cross. It is the shortest of the routes here, five pitches, and one of the least sustained: a 5c+ first pitch, three pitches around 5a to 5b, and a steeper finish with one 5c move. The bolting is good and no trad gear is needed. It makes a quick outing, 2 hours 15 minutes for a 2015 party, and combines well with a second route the same day.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c+ | Up and rightwards. theCrag describes two starts: the 5c+ crack on the left, or a direct start at 6b. |
| P2 | 5a | Left at first, airy and pleasant, then straight up on easier ground. |
| P3 | 5a | A traverse right that is rather vegetated and not the best, then straight up on better rock. |
| P4 | 5b | About 20 m of steep, good climbing, then some 10 m of easy ground under the trees (grade III). |
| P5 | 5c | Fairly steep and attractive, with a single move of 5c. It tops out level with the summit cross. |
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. Tante Ju starts at the foot of the big corner, on its east side; theCrag places it 5 m left of the corner. The name is on a plate at the first bolt and written on the rock.
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. Abseiling the route is not possible: it traverses, the belays are not rigged for abseiling and shrubs catch the ropes.
Retreat
Committing
Camptocamp states that abseiling the route is not possible: it traverses, the belays are not equipped for abseiling and shrubs get in the way. With only five pitches the practical answer to trouble is to finish, or to lower off the first pitch while you still can.
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
10 quickdraws are enough according to theCrag, which suggests a few extra slings. No nuts or cams needed (camptocamp). No source gives a rope length; the descent is on foot. 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 Tante Ju.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Switzerland · Glarus (Brüggler)
Seven homogeneous pitches of grade 5 up the middle of the Brüggler's big limestone slab, much of it on water runnels, finishing among the pines near the summit cross. Never hard, but it climbs all the way and the bolts are not close. Best if you are solid at 5c.
5b7 pitches200 m
Read the cautions
Switzerland · Glarus (Brüggler)
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.
6a7 pitches200 m
Switzerland · Glarus (Brüggler)
The hardest of the Brüggler plaisir routes: an overhanging start on big holds, then smooth runnelled slabs, with a very blank 6a+ slab on pitch 3 that feels hard for the grade. The hardest moves there can be avoided by weaving left or right while still clipping the bolts. The top three pitches are easier.
6a+7 pitches200 m
Committing
Around 5c+ · about 5 pitches
France · Bavella
An easy friction-slab route up the south arête of a small granite tooth above the Purcaraccia cascades: a slab and corner, a walk, then two pitches of clean, airy slab climbed mostly on your feet, and a scramble to a summit with a huge view. Parties find the grades generous. The approach is a long, beautiful walk past the pools, with a rougher finish through maquis.
5c+5 pitches130 m
Read the cautions
France · Gorges de la Jonte
A recent five-pitch route with unusually generous bolting for the Jonte. A long, fairly vertical 5c+ wall is followed by a traverse, a gully and an optional squeeze through a horizontal slot to a belay in a cave. Shaded in the morning and again from mid-afternoon.
5c+5 pitches110 m
Austria · Ötztal
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.
5c+5 pitches150 m
Austria · Wilder Kaiser
A short climb on good to very good rock on the sunny side of the Kaiser above Ellmau. Rough slabs alternate with short steep passages, and a fine steep pillar provides the finish and the one move of 6-/6. Most of it is around UIAA 5 or easier.
5c+5 pitches135 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.