Ice climbing

Carabiners rattle, hooks clink, ice splinters trickle down. With one hand you hammer an ice pick into the wall above you and ram the crampon into the ice. Take a short break. Take a deep breath and carry on. Step by step you climb the cascades of the frozen waterfall, which shimmers in different shades of blue in the light. This is more or less what an ice climbing adventure in Sertig feels like.

If you take bus number 308 from Bahnhof Platz to Sertig Sand, you will quickly feel like you have been transported to another world. No wonder: an untouched winter landscape with old Walser houses is a contrast to the highest town in the Alps. And all this in just 25 minutes. There are also a limited number of parking spaces for cars on site. The walk to the frozen waterfalls from the Walserhuus takes about an hour and is partly steep uphill. When there is fresh snow, snowshoes are worthwhile to save energy for climbing.

For anyone who already climbs on rock: The rope handling and the process for ice climbing is similar to that used in alpine multi-pitch climbing. The climbing technique itself is not much different for ice climbing. However, additional equipment is used for ice climbing. These include ice screws, steep ice axes, special crampons and gloves with a good grip. In addition, warm gloves and a down jacket keep you warm when belaying, as you are standing in the shade for long periods.

The frozen waterfall in Sertig is mainly suitable for multi-pitch routes with a length of 150 to 180 meters of climbing. The difficulty levels vary from easy (WI 3) to very challenging (WI 5). This means that there is a suitable route for every climbing level. Beginners to ice climbing should ideally be accompanied by a mountain guide.