Treffauer – south-west face plinth (Multerkarwand) · Wilder Kaiser · Austria
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Also listed as Sappl-Zott. The heart of the route is a deep chimney that takes you about 50 m inside the mountain, well bolted and enjoyable where chimneys usually are not. Slab and wall pitches before and after, a traverse and a big flake on the ridge make a varied eight-pitch outing, finished by an airy abseil.
The route
An unusual route up the middle of the Multerkarwand, the south-west plinth of the Treffauer, opened by Marcus Sappl and Hans Zott in August 2010. You can see the chimney from the approach, and it forms the centre of the climb: two pitches deep inside a cleft, protected by bolts at close intervals. The rest is slab and wall climbing at UIAA 4 to 5+, with one pitch of 6 low down and one pitch of walking. Climbers Paradise presents it as a good introduction to longer alpine routes. The descent is by abseil, with some free-hanging sections.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4b | 35 m | UIAA 4. |
| P2 | 5c+ | 45 m | UIAA 6, the hardest pitch in the Climbers Paradise table, and a long one. |
| P3 | 5a | 30 m | UIAA 5. The photo order on bergsteigen.com puts the two chimney pitches after the second pitch; the exact pitch numbers are not stated openly. |
| P4 | 5a | 20 m | UIAA 5. The chimney runs about 50 m inside the mountain in all. |
| P5 | 2 | 40 m | Easy ground (UIAA 2). |
| P6 | 5+ | 30 m | UIAA 5+. |
| P7 | 5a | 35 m | UIAA 5. bergsteigen.com shows a fine traverse after the chimney and a big flake on the ridge in the upper part; which numbered pitch each belongs to is not stated openly. |
| P8 | 5a | 50 m | UIAA 5. A 50 m pitch to the end of the route. |
Getting there
Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser is on the B178 between Wörgl, Kufstein and St. Johann in Tirol. In the village turn off at Gasthof Maikircher towards the Jägerwirt and follow the road to the pay car park Wegscheid (883 m), just below the restaurant. By public transport, take the KaiserJet or the post bus to the stop Scheffau Dorf and walk about 30 minutes to the car park. Climbers Paradise also describes an e-bike approach from the free car park by the Scheffau council offices to the end of the forest road below the Wegscheid-Hochalm (4.4 km, 560 m of ascent), which leaves about 30 minutes on foot.
From the Wegscheid car park follow path 826 towards the Treffauer, past the Wegscheid-Niederalm and up to the Wegscheid-Hochalm. Below the slabby wall you reach the junction with the Wilder-Kaiser-Steig. Follow that path to the right for a very short way and, where it enters the scree, turn straight up left to the foot of the wall. Allow 1 h 15 to 1 h 30. The start is at the lowest point of the plinth, in the fall line of the obvious chimney corner, roughly in the middle of the Multerkarwand.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
Pay car park Wegscheid below Gasthof Jägerwirt, Scheffau
Point from bergsteigen.com map marker (route base)
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: 47.55420, 12.27870 (route base) · Parking: 47.53610, 12.26540
Getting down
Abseil from the end of the route. bergsteigen.com gives three abseils of 50 m and one of 20 m, partly very airy, on a line beside the climb; Climbers Paradise places the piste on the orographic right of the route. Then walk back down the approach path to the car park.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The normal descent is an abseil piste beside the route, not down the pitches themselves, so a retreat from part-way up is not described. The belays are bolted and you carry two ropes, so abseiling from a belay should work, but the chimney pitches and the easy pitch 5 are poor ground for pulling ropes. Plan to retreat from below the chimney or to finish.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west and west facing, start at about 1430 m and top at about 1580 m (Climbers Paradise). The wall stays in shade until the afternoon, which makes it a reasonable choice in high summer as well as in spring and autumn; Climbers Paradise gives June to November. The chimney will hold damp after rain (inferred; not stated).
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 (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −4 | −3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 1 | −4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −14 | −13 | −9 | −6 | −1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | −3 | −9 | −13 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1717 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
60 m double ropes and 15 quickdraws (bergsteigen.com); Climbers Paradise gives 50 m double ropes and 10 quickdraws. The abseils are 50 m and pitch 8 is 50 m, so 60 m ropes give a margin. Helmet. No nuts or cams are listed by either source.
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 Tour für Abenteurer.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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France · Sainte-Victoire
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Austria · Ötztal
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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.
