very difficult, 6+ (UIAA, 6a+ french), 260m, 9 pitches
People on this trip:
one
Place:
Ellmau close to Kufstein, Austria
The Vordere Karlspitze is known for compact limestone and steep climbing on its
first prominent pillar. A well known classic is the old east face route, first
climbed by Göttner, Meier, and Biegler in 1935! Considering the
difficulties up to 6+ (6a+ french) this route was a master piece. The route
takes a series of cracks, a slab traverse (wonder how they climbed this
move back in the 30th), and another series of cracks and chimneys.
A real classic!
On our trip we spent two days in the area. On the first day it still rained in
the morning, making climbing essentially impossible. Therefore, we opted for
two nice mountain hikes (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) instead.
The second day was bluebird and we finally got to lay our hands onto the route,
or rather squeeze them into its cracks. Great way to start the summer!