Multi-Pitch climbing in the Swiss Alps
Take your climbing to the next level and learn to Multi-pitch
So you learned to climb and have been practicing indoor and outdoor and are wondering what the next step could be? Multi-pitch climbing of course! In this course, we will learn the skills required to take your outdoor climbing to the next level and allow you to get started on some of the best adventures the alps have to offer. If you are unsure what multi-pitch climbing is, you can read more about it here. Usually, my events are open for anyone to join, with no previous skills required. However, this course is only for people who have completed the basic course and/or have outdoor climbing experience. You are required to have a good command of belaying lead climbers and have your own equipment for outdoor climbing, including quickdraws, slings and carabiners.
Friday, September 23rd to Sunday, September 25th
Itinerary - Overview
The course will take place on Saturday and Sunday, but to make sure we can have an early start, we are meeting on Friday already. As the Bächlitalhütte has tons of climbing gardens around it, we can take the opportunity and get used to climbing on rock again in case you have been spending too much time indoor climbing! This is a great opportunity to warm up and get used to all the climbing gear again. Saturday will be our theory day, where we will learn the new knots and how to build a stand at one of the climbing gardens with an easy route. Each Team will get the opportunity to try at least a two-pitch route. We will also cover how to self-rappel on that occasion. On Sunday, we will put into practice what we have learned and go on a proper multi pitch route in the area. Details will be decided during the event itself.
Itinerary - Friday Arrival
For those wishing to join the group to hike to the hut, we are planning to meet at 10 am at Räterichboden on the Grimselpass. See the attached google maps pin for an exact location. After checking our gear and making sure we all have a rope to carry, we will set off to ascend the approximately 600 meters to get to the Bächlitalhütte. The ascend should take us about two and a half hours, considering we are carrying a lot of gear. Arriving at a reasonable time, we can check in, drop our gear, and either have a quick lunch or choose to go climbing in one of the many gardens immediately. Friday is reserved for personal practice. Check the Bächlitalhütte website here for information on the climbing gardens. There are also loads of Topos on the SAC website in case you are a member. Our mountain guide will join us for dinner, and perhaps we can get some early practice in after dinner.
Saturday - Theory Day
The benefit of arriving on Friday is that we can get an early start on Saturday. Right after breakfast we will be heading out to the climbing garden to start our education. Saturday is theory day, so we will be looking at a couple of new knots, how to build a stand to belay your partner up to you, and of course, how to rappel. Not every multi-pitch climb will top out, allowing you to descend via trail. Most often, you will have to take the same way down that you came up. Once we feel confident in our abilities, we will be able to try out our newly learned skills on some easier multi-pitches. Depending on which climbing garden we decide to go to, there may be a couple of two or three pitch routes that we can try out. We will get some practice in for sure before we head back to the Mountain Hut for a hearty dinner and some drinks.
Sunday - Practice Day
The full day is dedicated to putting into practice what we have learned throughout the weekend. Together with the guide, we will spend the full day multi-pitch climbing. Our goal is to get very comfortable with all aspects. Building a stand and belaying your partner up to you should now be second nature and rappelling yourself back down is part of your genes. Depending on the climbing garden we may have time to do one long multi-pitch route or a couple of short ones. What you will realize quickly is that everything takes time. To climb a single pitch as a rope team will take you a good half hour, or even more in the beginning. We also have to keep in mind that we still have a descend and a drive home ahead of us. We plan to leave from the hut at around two, to arrive back by the car park at around four. This should give us some time to get back home and still have a pizza before falling to bed with an exhausted smile on our face.
Gear List - not exhaustive!
Technical Gear - Per Team
- Two climbing ropes, same length, but different colors – must be certified as half ropes or twin ropes. Ideally from the same manufacturer/model
- One large carabiner and eight normal carabiners
- Four to five slings (two short, two long)
- Twelve quickdraws
- Cord for a prusik knot
Climbing Gear - Per person
- Helmet
- Climbing Harness
- Mega Joule belay device
- Climbing Shoes
Clothes
- Climbing/Hiking pants
- Thermal Underwear
- 3x functional T-shirts
- Mid layer
- Down Jacket
- Soft shell Top layer
Other Gear
- Hygiene sleeping Bag
- Head Lamp (always!)
- Tooth brush/paste
- Personal Medicine
- Camera
- Reeloq for your mobile!
Included
- Two nights at Bächlitalhütte, including two dinners and breakfast
- Two days multi-pitch climbing course lead by a certified mountain guide
Excluded
- Lunch and other snacks and drinks
- Showers – They cost 5 CHF
- shower towels, 3 CHF
Bad weather / Cancellations
- In case bad weather is forecasted, the event will be canceled and a refund will be issued
- If the event occurs but we encounter bad weather while in the mountains, our mountain guide will adapt the event to the conditions as they see fit. No refund can be issued once the event has started
- We cannot issue refunds for cancellation from your side. However, if you can find someone with the required experience to participate in the course, you can pass your spot. Please make sure your travel cancellation insurance is up to date so you can get a refund from your insurance in case of sickness or injury
"It has not been a year since then and we are already taking the next steps in our climbing education. We have used the late summer and winter months to go climbing, outdoor as well as indoor. None of us have become exceptional climbers in that time, but we are confident in our belaying skills and are all looking forward to experiencing longer outdoor climbs, and perhaps, even reaching some summits in the process!"
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