Hintisberg · Bernese Oberland · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Four pitches of steep, banded limestone left of Zick-Zack. A long opening pitch with big moves leads to the 6b+ crux, which packs a few fierce moves into its start; then come an athletic line through small roofs and a fine wall on small holds. Stiff grading in the Swiss manner.
The route
Tintangel is one of the older sport lines on the wall, opened in the late 1980s by Felix Maurhofer and Martin Eggler, and a 2010 party used it as a warm-up for Todi. The climbing alternates between horizontal strata and compact slabs, and parties find the first two pitches the hardest. An optional fifth pitch continues to the top of the wall on doubtful rock; most parties abseil from the fourth belay. The route joins Zick-Zack after its third pitch.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 42 m | Start diagonally leftwards. A long pitch, 40 to 45 m, with big, satisfying moves. |
| P2 | 6b+ | – | Right, then left, with two or three fierce moves at the start and a harder section higher up. |
| P3 | 5c | – | An athletic pitch slanting up and right through small roofs; reachy. Zick-Zack joins here. |
| P4 | 6a | – | A good wall on small holds, easier than the pitches below. |
Getting there
Leave the Interlaken to Grindelwald road at the Restaurant Stalden, go under the small railway tunnel and follow the toll road all the way up to Alp Hintisberg (1650 m). The toll was 10 CHF, paid at the restaurant, in older reports; camptocamp now mentions a ticket machine about 2 km up the road that takes coins or an app. Continue on the gravel track round a hairpin to the hamlet with the alp restaurant and dormitory, pass it and park 100 to 200 m further on at the marked space with a toilet. Park only there: the alp is farmed.
Walk back down the track about 60 m to a small water tank and take the marked path towards the cliff, leaving the Faulhorn path at a cairn. About 35 minutes. Tintangel is a little left of Zick-Zack. The name is written at the foot but is hard to see from below.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
camptocamp access waypoint 241976 (Unterläger, 1795 m), the trailhead camptocamp links to the Hintisberg routes; park in the marked space just past the alp restaurant
Point from camptocamp waypoint 241971 (Hintisberg, top of the wall); Mountain Project places the crag at 46.6586, 7.9465
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: 46.66126, 7.95266 (crag) · Parking: 46.65450, 7.95256
Getting down
Abseil the route; parties call the abseils quick. A 2010 party carried 2×50 m.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent, and at four pitches you are never far from the ground. Parties describe the abseils as efficient.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The wall faces south to south-east between about 1900 and 2100 m and dries fast: parties report routes climbable an hour or two after a shower, though seepage lingers in places after heavy storms. It is hot in midsummer even at this height, so some parties wait for the afternoon shade. The season runs from late spring to autumn, and the toll road is kept in good condition. A party arriving on a hot July afternoon in 2022 found the route already in the shade.
Sun on the wall · SE-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.
Climate figures for Bernese Oberland are not available yet
What to carry
12 quickdraws, 2×50 m 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 Tintangel.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Four pitches of steep, compact limestone opposite the Eiger: a stiff 6a+ warm-up, a short bouldery 7a crux on small edges, a 6b through little roofs on good holds, and a superb, sustained 7a wall of pockets to finish. Short enough to climb without a pack, and the 7a grades are reckoned friendly.
7a4 pitches120 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
The easiest long route at Hintisberg, seven pitches on the right side of the wall with the Eiger north face directly behind you. Varied limestone that improves with height: the last two pitches, both 5c, are the best and the hardest. Often quieter than Reisefieber next door.
5c7 pitches180 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
The most popular route at Hintisberg: six pitches from the lowest point of the wall, with slabs, a technical wall and small overhangs to turn. It gets better as it rises and ends on a superb wall of pockets, where the obligatory 6a crux lies. Expect a queue on fine weekends.
6a6 pitches200 m
Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Six fairly short pitches on the left-hand sector of Hintisberg, left of the big overhangs. The first three are moderate and on less good rock; the upper three are steeper, with the 6a+ crux on small edges on pitch 4, and finish on a grassy top with the whole Bernese Oberland in view. Grades are on the stiff side.
6a+6 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+4 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+4 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+4 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+4 pitches155 m
Read the cautions
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.