Multipitch Atlas

Savoir Vivre

Gelmerfluh · Grimsel · Switzerland

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

Fourteen pitches up the Gelmerfluh next to Sagittarius, and by several accounts the better route: a knife-cut flake, a finger-to-hand crack worthy of Chamonix, corners, a pendulum and Grimsel slab, then easier quartz-veined walls to the top. Mostly 5c to 6a, with two short slab cruxes that almost everyone aids.

The crack of pitch 5 (Kurvenriss) on Savoir Vivre, GelmerfluhPhoto: Loïc · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

The crack of pitch 5 (Kurvenriss) on Savoir Vivre, GelmerfluhPhoto: Loïc · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
6c+
Pitches
14
Length
400 m
Approach
20 min
Aspect
W
West-facing
Rope
2×50 m
2×60 m makes the lower abseils simpler

The route

Overview

Savoir Vivre climbs the west-facing Gelmerfluh above the Grimsel Pass road, immediately right of Sagittarius. The first eight pitches are the heart of it: a detached flake, a slab, a curving crack that widens from fingers to hands, a corner, a small roof and more cracks, all on perfect granite. Above, six easier pitches of 5a to 5c+ follow quartz veins on slightly less solid rock. Two short slab passages are 6c and 6c+ free, but both are equipped to be pulled through at A0, and the first is usually wet. Since the 2018 rebolt the route is generously bolted, cracks included, and the obligatory grade is about 6a.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P16c35 mEasy slab (4c) to the right, then a steep technical slab called Ice Age: 6c free, or about 6a with A0 pulling on the bolts. It is wet more often than not.
P24c20 mSlab straight above to a chained belay. Pitches 1 and 2 together are a little over 50 m.
P35b25 mThe Hollow Flake: a superb layback up a big detached flake, then a hand crack, a slab move right and another flake. Chained belay.
P46a25 mSlab on small footholds to a little roof, climbed direct, with a friction crux just above. Step left or right of the bolt line as needed.
P56b25 mThe Kurvenriss: a technical corner with a hard exit, then a thin crack that widens from fingers to hands. The best pitch. Chained belay.
P66a20 mA hard move to reach the corner, then a very fine corner climbed on jams.
P76c+25 mSlab and crack, then a very thin slab traverse towards a huge detached flake: 6c+ free, or 6a with A0 using the bolt for a small pendulum (the Hasli Swing). Layback or squeeze up the wide crack behind the flake, then slab. Chained belay.
P86a25 mNiels Crack: a small roof on good holds with a jamming crack, then varied cracks and a corner with a strenuous move midway. Some rate it 6a+ and the most sustained pitch. Chained belay.
P95c30 mTraverse right towards the gully, then straight up a featured slab. A slightly odd transition pitch. Chained belay.
P105c30 mUp a quartz vein, a little steeper. Chained belay.
P115c+30 mThe same style but more technical, with fewer holds: a crux at the start, a short steep passage escaping left, and slab to finish. Chained belay.
P125c20 mA short traverse right on fine flakes. The belay is hidden well to the right.
P135b+30 mThe quartz fades. A steep rising line left on pinches and rounded cracks, then the angle eases. Chained belay.
P145a35 mA long, well-featured slab pitch to the top belay. Chained.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

On the Bernese side of the Grimsel Pass road, between Handegg and the Räterichsbodensee dam. Park at Chüenzentennlen (1596 m), just below the hairpins under the dam and before the tunnel; the postbus stops at the parking in season. The pass road is open from about late May or June to October. Lodging at the Hotel Handegg or in Innertkirchen.

On foot · about 20 min

Take the obvious path from the parking towards the wall. Where the path starts to run along the foot of the cliff, take the big ledge that rises diagonally left and follow it to its end, where going higher would mean climbing. The bolts are slightly left of a small stream and the names of both routes are painted on the rock; Savoir Vivre is the one on the right. 20 minutes. The ledge has a few exposed steps that need care when wet.

Finding the route · 2 photos

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 waypoint 183010)

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, using only the linked (chained) belays; you can also descend Sagittarius. A 2024 party went 14 to 13, 13 to 11, 11 to 10, 10 to 9 and 9 to 8, then 8 to 6 and 6 to 4 (each under 50 m, on two glue-in bolts without a chain), 4 to 2 (about 55 m) and 2 to the ground (50 m). With 50 m ropes the abseil from belay 4 does not reach belay 2: they stopped on the first bolts of pitch 3. Allow 1.5 to 1.75 hours.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling the route is the normal descent and most belays are chained, so you can retreat from any of them. Below belay 8 use the sequence 8, 6, 4, 2, ground; with 50 m ropes the 4 to 2 abseil is a few metres short and needs an intermediate stop on the bolts of pitch 3. Watch for stones from parties above.

Retreat from
Any belay; the chained ones are the abseil stations.
Point of no return
None.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes (two 60 m are more comfortable low down).
Basis
Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp gives abseiling the route on the linked belays as the descent, and a 2024 trip report lists the abseil sequence and lengths.

Safety

Hazards

  • Stonefall from parties above on the upper pitches (10 to 14), where the quartz-veined rock is more brittle; the gully of pitch 9 funnels it. Do not linger below abseiling parties.
  • The exposed approach ledge when wet.
  • Pitches 1 and 2 linked are more than 50 m: do not try it on 50 m ropes.
  • One party jammed a rope on the abseils and had to climb back up; the 4 to 2 abseil is longer than 50 m.
  • Jackdaws nest on pitch 8 in early summer.

Sun and weather

Conditions

West facing between about 1750 and 2150 m. The sun reaches the face between 11:00 and 12:00, so mornings are cold, and on 1 October the approach was icy. The 6c slab at the end of pitch 1 is wet most of the time and often unclimbable free; seeps on pitches 3 and 4 are less of a problem. Snow can lie at the base in spring.

Usual season · Jul 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

14 quickdraws (13 if you do not link pitches) and two 50 m ropes. Helmet. Camptocamp lists cams 0.3, 0.75 and 1 as possibly useful on pitches 5 and 8; parties with a margin at the grade say none are needed, and those who carried them placed one or two. A sling to stand in helps on the A0 moves.

Checklist

Quickdraws
14
Rope
2×50 m (2×60 m makes the lower abseils simpler)
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 Savoir Vivre.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Allow 4.5 to 7 hours for the climb.
  • Pitches 5 and 6 link into one long pitch, as do 12 and 13; take at least 14 or 15 quickdraws for that.
  • The route is often quieter than Sagittarius next door, which already appears in this atlas.
  • If you want to free pitch 1, go after several dry days.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Overall grade: 6c+ (6a obligatory, A0+) on camptocamp; the SAC route portal lists 6c.
  • Pitch count: 14 on camptocamp and in trip reports; the SAC portal shows '20 P'. 14 is used.
  • Pitch grades: a detailed 2024 report grades pitch 7 as 6a with the pendulum, pitch 8 as 6a+ and pitch 9 as 5b, and thinks the 'easy' slab of pitch 1 is at least 6a even when dry. A 2020 party also found pitch 1 harder than expected.
  • Pitch lengths are that 2024 party's estimates and add up to about 375 m against 400 m of height on camptocamp.
  • Cams: camptocamp's gear list includes three small cams; 2022 and 2024 parties say the route goes perfectly well without.
  • Aspect: W on camptocamp, SW on the SAC portal.

Provenance

Sources

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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.