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Swiss/Austrian Boulder recommendations (Read 3089 times)

MischaHY

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Swiss/Austrian Boulder recommendations
November 06, 2022, 12:40:19 pm
Despite living in southern Germany for over half a decade I've somehow still got an incredibly poor oversight of the bouldering areas just over the border in Austria and Switzerland.

This is mainly due to primarily being a route climber up to this point - I've decided I want to put some more time into bouldering and so was looking for some recommendations of areas and specific boulders to build a good psyche list and direct training motivation.

I'm mainly looking for stuff within a 3-5hr drive from Böblingen (my nearest big town) in the 7B-8A+ range. There is an almost overwhelming list of areas with these categories so I'm hoping to filter somewhat!

Would really appreciate some recommendations/psyche/knowledge on seasonality.

jwi

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Despite living in southern Germany for over half a decade I've somehow still got an incredibly poor oversight of the bouldering areas just over the border in Austria and Switzerland.
übersicht = overview. You are living in Germany alright 😉

Sorry, I have nothing constructive to add.

MischaHY

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Despite living in southern Germany for over half a decade I've somehow still got an incredibly poor oversight of the bouldering areas just over the border in Austria and Switzerland.
übersicht = overview. You are living in Germany alright 😉

Sorry, I have nothing constructive to add.

Naja eigentlich scho'

Swabia has ruined my english and my enjoyment of british bread, amongst other things.

Come on, I thought there'd be some good wisdom on here!? Especially considering how many brits I see heading out to Magic Wood or Cresciano etc.

teestub

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Quick google maps scout suggests that Cresc, Chironico and Brione are all within 5hrs for you with Magic the closest of the lot.

The guidebook I had for Chironico did a good job of pointing out classics with the star rating and the new Brione guide was good too.

I feel like these areas are established enough now that there’s loads of vids to have a look at and see what you fancy the look of.

Snow turns up at Magic at some point around now I think, Bodhi who runs the guesthouse up there posts pretty regularly and would prob let you know what the snow situation is
https://instagram.com/bodhi_climbing?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Paul B

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Likewise, it's under 4H according to GMaps to get to Zillertal.

MischaHY

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Fair enough, sounds like I just need to get on it!

mrjonathanr

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Well Magic Wood has tons of 3* boulders in your grade range, you’ll be falling over them everywhere you turn. The others I haven’t been to.

teestub

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Well Magic Wood has tons of 3* boulders in your grade range, you’ll be falling over them everywhere you turn. The others I haven’t been to.

Likewise with Chironico and Brione amazing problems on impeccable rock in beautiful settings, you can’t really go wrong.

Helge

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On mobile currently so forgive the spelling. As others have said, you can’t really go wrong with Magic Wood, Chironico or Brione.

For Magic Wood, the tip regarding Bodhi Climbing‘s posts about conditions is great. There’s also a webcam. Now is the time to go there, most of the climbing gym crowd will have left. Once it gets colder in the fall, it’s mostly locals and the more serious crowd. The place is still nice but I think has lost a lot of its original unspoiled forest atmosphere. I cannot recommend going there in summer. 

For Ticino, the season is only just beginning. Chironico is much higher altitude than Cresciano, which is lower down in the Leventina valley. There’s a greater choice of problems, and at least imo on average higher quality problems. The road to Cresciano was closed last year due to people not following basic parking etiquette and reaching the first boulders now involves an additional 30 min walk uphill. Other areas in Ticino like Brione and Avegno offer quality problems as well.

Driving from Magic Wood to Ticino you pass Val Calanca in the Italian part of Grison. I haven’t been but the area has boulders at every altitude and is less known. If you enjoy bouldering in solitude, this could be worth a visit. There’s a relatively thick dedicated guide book.

I don’t really boulder in summer, only when it gets too cold to rope climb. But according to friends the mountain passes (Grimsel, Susten, Gotthard) also offer great bouldering. I’ve only been to Gottardo, and while the problems were great they were also quite spread out.   

Even though the parking is crowded with German campervans in summer ever since the guide was published, Murgtal isn’t really worth a visit unless you’re local or have a specific problem in my mind. The rock is sharp and bouldering for more than a day there can be grim. If your passing by, the classic problems in the lower sectors can be entertaining for a day if the conditions are sufficiently cold. I’ve never found found a good time of year for the problems higher up, unless you’re looking for a family picnic in the meadow type of place and bouldering isn’t your primary interest.

There‘s loads of smaller areas scattered all over the country, if you have anything in mind or want info about guidebooks just ask. I know very little about the areas in Western Switzerland though.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2022, 09:43:41 am by Helge »

Bradders

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Well Magic Wood has tons of 3* boulders in your grade range, you’ll be falling over them everywhere you turn. The others I haven’t been to.

Likewise with Chironico and Brione amazing problems on impeccable rock in beautiful settings, you can’t really go wrong.

I thought this. Just turn up, wander about a bit, see what looks fun / takes your fancy! Any one of those areas offers world class bouldering.

Helge

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One thing to emphasize is wherever you go, please check the rules regarding parking etc beforehand and make sure you observe them. Almost all of the places mentioned have a history of or ongoing disputes with local authorities.

tc

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The Furka Pass looks good:


Hyomin

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Chironico is super easy to access and has a good range of boulders, and lots of classics. Definately worth a visit, but can get crowded in summer. Rock is really nice granite and grippy when it gets cold. A lot fo the classics are super polished but not as bad as on limestone.

Cresciano is nice but will involve a trek up the side of a very steep hill. The guide says 30 minutes I think, but with pads and bad conditioning (classic boulderer fitness) it will take longer. If youre going alone and just want one pad then its fine, but for a solo trip with multiple pads it would be a pain in the ass. Some people ignore the parking ban on the road up to the bouldering area, please dont do this however tempting it might be. The village is very well aware of climbers and could potentially shut down access. They have made a big carpark in the centre of the village available for climbers, just use it.
The rock is really nice, asctetically probably nicer than Chironio but more spread out.

Murgtal gets a bit of a bad rep, probably because it has been hyped up and therefore when you get there its a bit of a dissapointment. The rock is sharp, and will wear your skin down very quickly, therefore I would just go there to do mileage and attempt boulders that you can flash or just bumble around in the forest. Dry firing off a crimp will probably ruin your day its that bad on the skin. On the positive side it means the holds are grippy. I would go there if the weather in Ticino is bad, but it is much closer to Germany. THere is a new parking meter by the forresters building where you have to pay for parking. CHF5 for parking at the park meter and CHF10 if you want to park up the valley.
In terms of quality, the boulders generally climb really nicely and are better than any limestone choss fest. I rate it.

Basel Jura bouldering......limestone choss fest. Route climbing is much better there. The bouldering is not great and not worth a visit unless you are local or really really really desperate. It makes woodwell in south lakes look like a bouldering paradise in comparison. Really shite.

Blattiswald - not great, and kind of boring. Not worth a visit even though its probably closest to you.

The Bimano App has guides for the whole of switzerland and has a subscription for I think CHF10 a month. This is good value. 27 crags app is ok for famous spots but rubbish for anything else, but GPS is good for finding boulders. Guide books cost a lot but then you are investing in the areas so are worth it, but pricey. They arent however that good when it comes to navigation, the cresciano guide is super confusing. Have fun.

MischaHY

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Wow, never saw the previous updates to this thread so thanks for the bump. Some great beta, exactly what I was hoping for. Re. Cresciano, Cora and I have got e-mtbs so those makes those kind of approaches attractive as it's a piece of piss even with a big pad and you often have the place to yourself. Font in a few weeks so mind is on that right now but looking forward to checking out some nice granite later in the year.

thunderbeest

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I was in Cresciano last autumn and it seemed to me as if this place was dead. Everything was overgrown and you couldn't recognise the boulders. Maybe I'm spoiled living in the Arctic, where a brushing every 20 years keeps things clean, but it was one of the least inspiring places I've been. We did the hike with pads, climbed one 6A, walked around and went home again.

SA Chris

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Maybe I'm spoiled living in the Arctic, where a brushing every 20 years keeps things clean

Right, I'm intrigued, where exactly?

sherlock

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Maybe I'm spoiled living in the Arctic, where a brushing every 20 years keeps things clean

Right, I'm intrigued, where exactly?
Norway maybe?

thunderbeest

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Maybe I'm spoiled living in the Arctic, where a brushing every 20 years keeps things clean

Right, I'm intrigued, where exactly?

Tromsø, Norway
https://buldreforer.tromsoklatring.no/

It makes it some of the best trad climbing around as well, as the mountains are so clean after little traffic.

SA Chris

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Wow, cool place to live. We are thinking of a Norway summer holiday trip soon, not that far North though!

 

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