Multipitch Atlas

Sagittarius

Gelmerfluh · Grimsel · Switzerland

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

A Grimsel granite classic: low-angle slabs lead to the famous 6a+ crack pitches and a thin 6b traverse, then steeper, sculpted ground. Sustained at 5c/6a throughout.

Photo-topo of Sagittarius on the Gelmerfluh, GrimselPhoto: herve thivierge · CC BY-SA 3.0

Topo

Photo-topo of Sagittarius on the Gelmerfluh, GrimselPhoto: herve thivierge · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
6b
Pitches
13
Length
400 m
Approach
20 min
Aspect
W
West-facing
Rope
2×50 m
2×60 m safer

The route

Overview

Sagittarius takes the west face of the Gelmerfluh above the Grimsel pass road in 13 pitches and roughly 400 m. The lower two thirds are compact, low-angle granite slabs split by cracks, including two 6a+ crack pitches and a short, thin 6b traverse; the last four or five pitches are steeper but on more featured and less solid rock. It is sustained at 5c/6a, generously bolted in the 'plaisir' style, and no cams are needed. It is also very popular, and you abseil the route, so expect company.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P15aA few slab moves, not sustained.
P25c+Small corner/crack, then slab. Can be linked with pitch 1 using 50 m ropes. Some find it hard for the grade.
P36aShort step, then a very smooth slab. Belay on top of a small spur.
P45c+Step down off the spur to reach the main slab with a wide bridging move (well protected, slightly dynamic), then a series of cracks.
P55c+More slab.
P66a+A crack on the left flank of a spur, then a short thin slab below the belay.
P76a+The famous crack pitch. Gulliver gives it about 30 m, with a short traverse right and a vertical exit.
P86bShort but sustained: thin traverse left, a small mantel, then a very thin slab move. Gulliver says the 6b move is easy to aid past; obligatory grade is 6a.
P96aLong, sustained slab.
P105cThe wall steepens but the rock becomes more featured and less compact. Gulliver gives 6a and notes more fragile rock.
P115cGulliver gives 5c+. A 2024 report warns of a couple of vertical flakes that will come off.
P125cGulliver gives 6a.
P135bEasier climbing to the exit ledge.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Park at Chüenzentennlen (1596 m) on the Grimsel pass road between Handegg and the pass: coming down from the pass it is just after the hairpins below the Räterichsbodensee dam and before the tunnel. Innertkirchen and Guttannen are the nearest villages. There is a seasonal postbus stop at the parking. The pass road is open roughly late May to autumn.

On foot · about 20 min

20-25 min. Take the obvious path from the parking. When it starts to run along the foot of the wall, take the big ledge leading left and follow it to its very end; the ledge rises slightly, unlike the horizontal ledge shown in some topo photos. You pass an abseil anchor (useful on the way down); continue up about 10 m to the start, where the name is written in red and the first bolts are just left of a small stream. One party who missed the ledge took almost an hour.

Finding the route · 1 photo

Approach photo

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

46.59879, 8.33327

Parking

46.59839, 8.32478

Chüenzentennlen (camptocamp access point)

Point from camptocamp waypoint 231311

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

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.

Getting down

Descent

Abseil the route. R7, R4 and R1 can be skipped. From the start of the route you can either walk back along the approach ledge (described as rather exposed) or make two more abseils to avoid it: the first anchor is easy to find next to the start of the route; the second is slightly hidden, to the right (looking down) on a large obvious ledge reached by descending a full 55 m in the line of the first abseil. Camptocamp is explicit that 50 m ropes do not reach on that abseil. The last abseil is about 30 m. These two abseils also pass any snow patch at the base. A party descending from R10 took 1 h 30 min.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Yes. Abseiling the route is the normal descent, on bolted belays, and you can turn round at any belay. One party descended from R10 in 1 h 30 min, and R10 is suggested as a natural place to stop if short of time.

Retreat from
Every belay, since the abseil line is the route itself. R7, R4 and R1 can be skipped on the way down. From the foot of the route you either walk back along the exposed approach ledge or make two more abseils (55 m, then about 30 m).
Carry
2×50 m ropes are enough for the route itself. The 55 m abseil below the start needs 2×60 m; with 50 m ropes walk back along the ledge instead. Knot the rope ends.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp states that the descent is by abseil down the route, which belays can be skipped and that 50 m ropes do not reach on the lower 55 m abseil; a trip report records a descent from R10.

Safety

Hazards

  • The 55 m abseil below the start: with 50 m ropes you will not reach the anchor ('50 m pas OK'). Knot the ends, or walk back along the ledge instead.
  • June 2025: three bolt hangers on pitch 2 were reported bent so that normal karabiners could not be clipped; the reporter suggested threading thin dyneema cord and said the bolts themselves looked undamaged. Later reports do not say whether this was fixed.
  • Loose rock on the upper pitches: reports from 2023, 2024 and 2026 mention unstable flakes and holds to test on the last three or four pitches.
  • Crowds plus abseiling the line of ascent: anything knocked off the upper, less solid pitches lands on parties below.
  • Early season snow at the base; the approach ledge is exposed and awkward in poor visibility (one party in thick fog struggled to find the start).
  • Grades are felt to be stiff by several parties, particularly the 5c+ of pitch 2.

Sun and weather

Conditions

West facing, base at about 1750 m. The sun reaches the wall around midday, so an early start means climbing the slabs in the shade. Season is roughly June to September, with reports into late September. It dries overnight after rain, but in fog and damp the obligatory friction moves are unpleasant. Very busy: five parties in a day is normal on a good weekend.

Usual season · Jun to Sep

Sun on the wall · W-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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−3−12591417171382−2
Mean daily low °C−8−8−5−2268951−4−8
Rain days 1 mm or more141215151819201815141515
Sunshine hours a day6.47.59.010.310.811.512.010.79.38.06.35.7

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1777 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

Gear

Two ropes: 2×50 m works for the route, 2×60 m is recommended by Gulliver, lets you skip some anchors, and is needed for the 55 m abseil that avoids the ledge. 12-14 quickdraws. Helmet. Cams and nuts are not needed. A few thin dyneema slings or cord in case bolt hangers are bent (see hazards). Crampons and an axe can be useful early in the season for snow at the base.

Checklist

Quickdraws
14
Rope
2×50 m (2×60 m safer)
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

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 Sagittarius.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Link pitches 1 and 2 with 50 m ropes.
  • If short of time, R10 is a natural place to turn round: the best climbing is below it.
  • The crux pitches 6, 7 and 8 come together; the 6b move on pitch 8 can be pulled through on the bolts.
  • Savoir Vivre (6c) is the neighbouring line if Sagittarius is queued.
  • You can reach the parking by e-bike from Innertkirchen, mostly on side roads and forest tracks.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Upper pitch grades: camptocamp gives pitches 10-12 as 5c, 5c, 5c; Gulliver gives 6a, 5c+, 6a. Camptocamp is followed, with Gulliver's grades noted per pitch.
  • Length: 400 m of height on camptocamp, 450 m of climbing on Gulliver.
  • Quickdraws: 12-14 (camptocamp), 13 (Gulliver). Ropes: 2×50 m (camptocamp) versus 2×60 m (Gulliver).
  • Camptocamp's descent text first calls the ledge-avoiding abseils '50 m and 30 m' and then says you must descend a full 55 m; the 55 m figure is the one to plan for.
  • Bolting: most reports say excellent and close; individual reports mention the bent hangers on pitch 2 (2025).

Provenance

Sources

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.