Gimpel – south-east buttress (Gimpelvorbau), Nesselwängle · Tannheimer Tal · Austria
Six short, sustained pitches of steep pocket climbing on the best rock of the Gimpelvorbau, almost all at UIAA VI+. Big pockets let you clip comfortably, so it is less fierce than it looks. One of the most popular sport routes above the Gimpelhaus.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point about 2100 m above sea level (estimate: terrain height at the mapped point plus the height of the route).
6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches · 170 mEasy to bail
A six-pitch sport route on the right-hand side of the Gimpel's south-east buttress, above the Gimpelhaus in the Tannheimer Tal. Every pitch is steep wall climbing on pockets and small edges in excellent limestone, and the difficulty barely changes: five pitches of UIAA VI+ and a slightly easier last one. The bolting is close and well placed. It combines well with a second route on the same buttress or on the Zwerchwand.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Kletterführer Allgäu, inklusive Tannheimer Berge.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 35 m | Easily up and right along the ramp (IV+), then the bolts leave the ramp for sustained moves on small holds straight up to the belay. Often felt to be the hardest pitch. UIAA VI+. |
| P2 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 25 m | Up and right to a shallow crack and follow it; the crux comes just before the belay in a small cave. UIAA VI+. |
| P3 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 25 m | Left under an imposing roof that goes more easily than it looks, back over the belay, then a chimney-crack straight up. Better not linked with pitch 2 because of the back-and-forth at the roof. UIAA VI+. |
| P4 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 25 m | Left and up onto a fine, improbable-looking slab, helped by a crack, to a belay directly above. UIAA VI+. |
| P5 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 35 m | A steep wall right of the belay on small holds and pockets; for many the best pitch. UIAA VI+. |
| P6 | 6aVI+5.10a | 25 m | A short vertical step, a few tricky moves on a buttress, then easily along a crest to the last belay where the rock gives way to steep grass. UIAA VI. Summitpost gives 20 m. |
Drive into the Tannheimer Tal from Reutte, Pfronten or Bad Hindelang and go to Nesselwängle; the large paid Gimpelhaus car park is at the west end of the village. By public transport take the train to Pfronten or Reutte and the bus on to Nesselwängle. You can also stay at the Gimpelhaus or the Tannheimer Hütte, which cuts out the walk up.
From the paid car park at the west end of Nesselwängle follow the signed path up to the Gimpelhaus (about 1 h). Behind the hut keep on the path towards the Gimpel, then turn left into the Gimpelkar and follow it close under the south-east walls of the Gimpel; climbers' paths lead right to the foot of the south-east buttress (Gimpelvorbau). Allow about 1:30 h from the car park, or 30 to 40 min from the Gimpelhaus or the Tannheimer Hütte. The route is the right-most on the buttress: above steep grass, scramble about 20 m (II) to a ledge with a bolt, the shared start with Kuschelrock. Wirklich oben bist du nie goes up and right along the ramp.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Coordinates · route base
Parking
Paid Gimpelhaus car park at the west end of Nesselwängle (bergsteigen.com marker)
Point from bergsteigen.com start marker (shared first bolt of Kuschelrock and Wirklich oben bist du nie); OpenStreetMap node 2887435999 (Paradies) lies about 70 m away on the same buttress
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 47.50078, 10.61627 (route base) · Parking: 47.48806, 10.60006
From the top of pitch 6, go a few metres up, then left (looking in) and down a steep grassy gully to a fixed rope that leads out to the first abseil anchor. Three long abseils (about 40, 50 and 40 m) bring you back to the start ledge; the second one hangs free for most of its length. Alternatively walk west along the ridge to the col below the Gimpel and descend the Gimpel normal route (II, loose and awkward with fresh snow) into the Gimpelkar.
Easy to bail
Summitpost states you can abseil from any belay without trouble, as the anchors are rigged for abseiling and the pitches are short. A separate equipped abseil line next to the route is the normal descent anyway.
12 quickdraws (Summitpost suggests 12 to 14), a helmet and double ropes. bergsteigen.com and Climbers Paradise list 2×50 m; Summitpost recommends 2×55 m or 2×60 m because with 50 m ropes the free-hanging second abseil only just reaches the next anchor. No nuts or cams.
South-east facing at about 1900 to 2000 m, so it gets the morning sun and dries quickly; climbable from about June to October. Early or late in the season the last belay can be under snow. The steep grass on the way to the fixed rope is dangerous when wet.
Forecast · next 7 days · 2100 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 2100 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 6 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 · SE-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 | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −5 | −4 | −0 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 1 | −4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −14 | −13 | −10 | −7 | −2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | −3 | −9 | −13 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1956 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
Austria · Tannheimer Tal
Short, steep pitches on rough, pocketed rock: a fine layback crack, a traverse on shrinking pockets and a thin slab crux. Sustained at UIAA VI to VI+, with two bolt-ladder sections you can pull through. bergsteigen.com calls it perhaps the finest route of its grade in the area.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c6 pitches135 m
Austria · Tannheimer Tal
Steep, juggy climbing on excellent rock in the left-hand part of the Gimpelvorbau, sustained between UIAA V+ and VI with a short VI+. Short enough to add to another route on the buttress.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches130 m
Around 6a+ · about 6 pitches
Switzerland · Furka
The classic of the Hannibalturm: six short, wandering pitches of slab, quartz veins, cracks and a 6a+ slab crux on perfect high-mountain granite at 2800 m. A bench and a bus-stop sign wait on the summit. Very popular, so expect company.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches180 m
Spain · Costa Blanca (Morro Falquí)
A superb sea-cliff multipitch. P4 makes an impressive exposed exit from a cave with 100 m of air below, and the 6a+ P5 has a chimney and fingery slab. Balancy, airy and great for introducing someone to multipitch.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches170 m
Read the cautions
France · Chamonix valley
The great classic of the Aiguilles Rouges: six varied pitches of gneiss, ten minutes downhill from the Brévent cable car and finishing at its top station, with Mont Blanc opposite. The crux is a short, physical corner crack and the last pitch is a long, clean corner. It is extremely popular.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 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+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches180 m
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.