Les Montons · Sanetsch · Switzerland
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
The classic introduction to the Sanetsch at 6c: eight varied pitches up a pillar of superb rough limestone, with the hard climbing packed into a few well-bolted metres on each pitch. A steep corner mantel, a balancy wall, a fine slab and an airy exit from a niche. Tops out on grassy slopes with a walk-off.
The route
Follomi starts at the lowest point of the Montons wall above the Lac de Sénin and follows a cunning line of corners, slabs and a pillar to the top of the cliff. Two approach pitches of 5c lead to a ledge and a short walk; then come two pitches of 6c, two of 6b and a finish up a corner and chimney. The hard moves are short and well protected, with easier climbing between, so the route feels less sustained than the grade suggests. It once had a reputation for boldness, but bolts were added in 2016 and again in 2023, and it is now one of the most travelled lines at the Sanetsch, with some polish to show for it. The descent is on foot.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | 30 m | Start up an open corner, hook left with a steep mantel on good holds, then easy steps rightwards to a belay on a ledge. |
| P2 | 5c+ | 35 m | Start right of the belay, then straight up an open corner followed by a move that is thin for the grade (6a according to some). Reach a grassy ledge and follow it up and left to the belay. Then walk about 20 m up and right (two bolts) to the belay at the start of pitch 3. |
| P3 | 6c | 38 m | Start left of the belay. A strenuous, well-protected mantel out of an overhanging corner, then a big loop up and left and back right to an obvious corner. Climb it and leave it rightwards at a small terrace, where the belay is. A long pitch: manage rope drag. Some polish. |
| P4 | 6c | 35 m | Traverse horizontally right to the corner. Climb the slab right of the corner and mantel above it: balancy moves on a vertical wall with almost no holds. Continue slightly right, close to La vita è bella, then trend left to the crest of the pillar and a small, exposed, partly hanging belay. |
| P5 | 6b | 32 m | Steep on big holds just left of the belay, then about ten metres of thin slab. Finish up easy steps. |
| P6 | 5c | 30 m | Clip the first bolt on the left, then go right and climb the wide crack leftwards for 5 m. Mantel onto the pillar and follow it to the belay. A 2022 party found the crack unbolted with a ledge below; a 2024 party found the bolting adequate. |
| P7 | 6b | 30 m | A sustained technical slab to a big niche. Leave the niche by a very steep, airy traverse left, then a corner for a few metres. Belay on the right on the crest of the pillar. Manage rope drag. Often named as the best pitch. |
| P8 | 6b | 40 m | Straight above the belay up an open corner, with the crux between the second and third bolts, which becomes an easy chimney where the bolts are spaced. A short level section rightwards, then a last easy wall on slightly fractured rock. Belay on the left at the top. |
Getting there
From Sion drive up through Savièse to the Col du Sanetsch (2252 m) and on down towards the Lac de Sénin; the road is long and narrow and opens in June. A bus runs from Sion in season. From the Bernese side a cable car climbs from Gsteig to the lake. Wild camping near the lake is common.
From the parking follow the path that winds up through the boulder field; take the one that starts at the small hut, not the detour left of the big gully. At the largest boulder head right to join the path along the base of the Montons. Follomi is the first route you come to: the name is painted in red, left of a niche, at the lowest point of the wall. 20 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Col du Sanetsch (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43146
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: 46.35343, 7.27946 (crag) · Parking: 46.33161, 7.28623
Getting down
Walk off. Take the path that descends north-east, then follow the red dots down a series of ledges and rock steps to the top of the scree. The path then runs along the foot of the wall back to the start. It is exposed in places and potentially dangerous when wet.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Retreat is possible but not convenient. Camptocamp states that the belays are not equipped for abseiling, so you would abseil from bolted belays on your own maillons. From the ledge above pitch 2 you are only two short pitches up. Higher, the line traverses on pitches 3, 4 and 7, which makes abseiling awkward, and topping out is usually the better option.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing between about 2100 and 2500 m and in the sun from 08:00. In early June 2026, just after the pass opened, there was still snow in the boulder field but the wall was dry; the right-hand part of the cliff stays wet longer. A party climbed it in warm sun on 10 November with the air at 0 °C. A cold up-draught can chill the exposed belay at the top of pitch 4.
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 Sanetsch are not available yet
What to carry
10 to 12 quickdraws, some extendable, and ideally two 50 m ropes to control drag on pitches 3 and 7. Helmet. No trad gear is required; a 2024 party placed one small cam on pitch 4 and would have liked a medium cam (about size 2) for the chimney on pitch 8.
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 Follomi.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 6c · about 8 pitches
Croatia · Paklenica
Seven sustained pitches of 6a to 6c on the shady north face of Anića kuk, then an easy scramble out. A poor first pitch gives way to a steep ramp, a slightly overhanging 6c wall, an off-width and a fine finishing slab. The rock improves with every pitch.
6c8 pitches220 m
Austria · Ötztal
Steep, exposed gneiss left of the Reinhard Schiestl via ferrata, finding a way between huge roofs. The cruxes are the steep slabs of pitches 5 and 6 (6c). Stiffly graded, and the abseil descent is not for everyone.
6c8 pitches195 m
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Eight pitches to the top of Kokkinovrachos, seven of climbing and one of scrambling through vegetation. A crack in a corner, slabs of coral-like rock and two short roofs give varied climbing, with three isolated 6c moves. It stays in the shade through the morning, unlike most of the wall.
6c8 pitches200 m
Morocco · Taghia
The classic first route at Taghia: steep, water-sculpted red limestone on the west face of the Taoujdad, with a 6c third pitch that is 6b until a short crux below the belay. It is better bolted than most Taghia routes and correspondingly popular, so some pitches are polished.
6c7 pitches300 m
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.