Plagne – Face de Plagne · Bernese Jura (Plagne) · Switzerland
A four-pitch classic on Plagne's main face: a slabby corner, a dirty start to pitch 2, then a fine thin crack and a bulging prow. Rebolted in stainless in November 2025 and now 6a obligatory. Expect old-school Jura grades.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point about 800 m above sea level (estimate: terrain height at the mapped point plus the height of the route).
6b+VII+5.10d4 pitchesEasy to bail
The Wall climbs four pitches up the steep west face of Plagne, a huge crag of more than 1,100 routes near Biel/Bienne. The camptocamp topo calls it a classic of the sector not to be missed. The first pitch is a friction corner and a mean little slab, the second has some earth at the start, the third is a fine thin limestone crack and the fourth starts with good moves before swinging right round a bulging prow. It was cleaned and re-equipped in stainless in autumn 2025, after which the equipper rates it 6a obligatory.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Kletterführer Jura bernois / Berner Jura.
| Pitch | Grade | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6bVII5.10c | 16 bolts | Slabby corner on friction, then a tenacious little slab. 15 bolts plus one at the foot of the route. |
| P2 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 11 bolts | Some earth in the first part, then a surprising second half. A 2020 party graded it 6a. |
| P3 | 6b+VII+5.10d | 12 bolts | A beautiful pitch up a thin limestone crack; a few obligatory moves, and remember your feet. |
| P4 | 6bVII5.10c | 12 bolts | Nice moves at the start, then move right round the bulging prow. A 2020 party thought it 6b+. |
Plagne is 10 km from Biel/Bienne. Drive towards Delémont, turn right at Frinvillier for Plagne, go up to the village and park at the football pitch at the top of the village (parking there is required). There are guest rooms in the village.
At Plagne you almost always arrive from the top. From the football pitch walk about 25 minutes on the flat to the top of the cliff, then go down the ladders (Les Échelles) and the paths to the foot of the Face de Plagne; paths are marked red and the route name is painted at the start. A 2020 party instead reached the foot by a 50 m abseil from the top of pitch 2, which they found while walking along the top of the cliff. The access paths are not obvious; carry the CAS topo.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Point from camptocamp waypoint 103761 (Plagne – Face de Plagne)
Contains the route point.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 47.17670, 7.25238 (crag)
From the top the path is very quick: go left via the Les Échelles sector. You can also abseil from every belay (25 m; 30 m from the exit belay). A 2020 party descended in two abseils down the route.
Easy to bail
The topo says you can abseil 25 m from every belay, 30 m from the exit, and a 2020 party descended the route in two abseils. The belays are new stainless anchors.
Switzerland
1414Rega air rescue
Rega air rescue
In Valais call 144.
Position of the crag
47.17670, 7.25238
Marks the crag, not the route: give route and pitch.
Say what happened, how many are hurt, and where you are. Checked October 2026 (sourceofficial sources).
Single 50 m rope and 15 quickdraws (camptocamp). Helmet. A traverse option: from the third belay you can traverse 20 m right and finish up pitch 6 of Nevermore (6b, 30 m).
West facing at about 900 m: shade in the morning, sun in the afternoon and evening. The camptocamp sector page lists April to December as the best months.
Forecast · next 7 days · 800 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 800 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 4 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · W-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 1 | −2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 782 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
No reports yet.
Switzerland · Bernese Jura (Plagne)
The longest route at Plagne, about 180 m of climbing that traverses the whole yellow wall of the Grand Toit sector on its best rock. Big atmosphere on every pitch, with traverses where a fall would leave you hanging. 6c, 6a+ obligatory.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b7 pitches180 m
Around 6b+ · about 4 pitches
Slovenia · Vršič Pass (Julian Alps)
Sustained slab climbing up a striking black streak, clearly visible from the pass, on surprisingly good rock for this face. The crux is a move from slab into a corner on P2.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d4 pitches105 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Vilanova de Meià (Roca dels Arcs)
Four long, steep pitches on the left side of the Roca dels Arcs, sustained at 6a on good holds and not yet polished above the first pitch. The third pitch is the event: a reachy bulge to start, 30 m of gently overhanging strata, and a hard boulder move off a ledge to finish that most people grade 6c. That last move can be avoided by belaying on the neighbouring route.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d4 pitches160 m
Italy · Lecco & Valsassina
Three friendly pitches up a striking arched flake and compact slabs, then a short wall with one hard, reachy move that most people pull through. A 1980 route by the Savonittos and Alessandro Gogna, and the usual first half of a link-up with Gli Schiavi della Pietra on the spur above.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d4 pitches90 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Mallorca (Sa Gubia)
A big line up the full height of the Bomberos wall: a 40 m tufa pitch that is a popular climb in its own right, easy broken ground, a steeper 6a, and a long, steep, technical 6b+ wall to finish. The top pitch cannot be aided past its crux, so this is a route for a solid 6b+ leader.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d4 pitches155 m
Read the cautions
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.