Sustenpass – South Slabs (Steingletscher) · Susten · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Relaxed, low-angle granite slab climbing on small edges, 15 minutes from the Sustenpass road. It makes an ideal first alpine-granite multipitch.
The route
Plattenweg is a seven-pitch, roughly 200 m slab route on the south-facing Platten above the Susten pass road near Steingletscher, one of the leftmost (western) lines on the slabs. The climbing is low-angle and never sustained, on small edges with the odd flake and crack, at 4b to 5b+. It is 15-20 minutes from the car in alpine surroundings and is abseiled in about half an hour to an hour. It suits a first multipitch on this kind of rock, though the bolts on the easy ground are further apart than at a sport crag.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4c+ | Start at the foot of the big block forming a crack-corner. One 2024 party felt pitches 1 and 2 were nearer grade 5 than 4. R1 is the only belay without a chain. |
| P2 | 4c+ | Slab. Can be linked with pitch 1 on 50 m ropes. |
| P3 | 4c | Slab trending up and left. |
| P4 | 4b | Short steep step at the start, then easy. |
| P5 | 5a+ | Slab. |
| P6 | 5b+ | Slab; the crux is the thin moves off the belay. Reported as a fine pitch and overall no harder than the first pitches. |
| P7 | 5a+ | Slab and a crack. |
Getting there
Park in a hairpin on the Susten pass road about 3 km west of the pass, at the point marked 1946 m, just above Steingletscher (Berghotel Steingletscher, dormitories). Approach from Innertkirchen and Gadmen on the Bernese side or from Wassen over the pass. The pass is closed in winter; the road is usually open as far as Steingletscher from mid-April. A postbus serves Steingletscher in season.
15-20 min on a well-marked track from the 1946 m parking, with chains on a few short sections. A 2024 party found the ground a bit slippery. The route name is painted at the base; the first pitch starts at the foot of a big block that forms a crack-corner.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 187365
Contains the route point. 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: 46.73555, 8.41077 (crag)
Getting down
Abseil the route. Camptocamp allows 30 min; a 2024 party made five abseils with 2×50 m ropes and took an hour. Then walk back down the approach track.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Yes. The route is abseiled as its normal descent, in about five abseils with 2×50 m ropes, and every belay except R1 has a chain. It is a low-angle slab, so the abseils are simple.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing at 1900-2100 m. The season follows the pass road, roughly June to early October; trip reports run from mid-June to the end of October. Camptocamp gives about 2 h for the climb.
Sun on the wall · S-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 | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −4 | −3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 1 | −3 |
| Mean daily low °C | −10 | −10 | −7 | −4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | −0 | −6 | −9 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Sunshine hours a day | 6.1 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 5.4 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2008 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis (about 10 km grid): the wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
2×50 m ropes and 10 quickdraws. Helmet. Trip reports say cams and slings are not needed.
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 Plattenweg.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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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.