Salbit West Ridge
The legendary alpine ridge climb: five towers, French 6b, 36 pitches and more than 1000 metres of superb granite. Longer than El Capitan.
Trip Dates
Difficulty:
Accomodation:
simple: Hut / bunks
Crown your climbing career with the Salbitschijen West Ridge — one of the best and longest rock routes in the bulletproof granite of Central Switzerland.
The facts speak for themselves: difficulties up to french grade 6b with obligatory sections of 5c+, 36 pitches and a couple of abseils. Clearly, endurance, solid experience in rope handling and granite (slab-/crack-) climbing skills are key factors for success. And it's a climbing style that you surely don't learn in the climbing gym.
But when it all comes together, after topping out at the summit needle, you'll probably have climbed one of the most remarkable rock routes of your life. And for sure you'll have had a super long and satisfying climbing day out.
Bitte beachte unsere Infos zu den Anforderungen im Infocenter!
Itinerary
On the first day we hike up to Salbit Hut in the morning. It takes approximately 2 hrs to get there. After lunch, we continue hiking for another hour to the base of some high quality 4-5 pitch routes e.g. at the Gemsplanggen. This will give us a good opportunity to warm up and get familiar with the climbing. Very early start the next day. The new suspension bridge cuts the approach to the base of the route down to 1,5 hrs. In the late afternoon we'll top out at the summit. The descent from Salbitschijen involves some class 2 scrambling and a dodgy scree couloir. Late evening arrival at the valley floor to celebrate.
Prerequisites
You have to be able to quickly second in the French grade 6a to 6b (UK 5b E1/E2 US 5.10b) on granite and have the specific stamina for 30 pitches of climbing. Solid belaying and rope handling skills on alpine multi pitch routes are essential. Excellent overall cardio-vascular fitness for the additional approach and descent.
Getting there
The Göscheneralp Valley is very close to Lucerne and not far from other Swiss hubs like Bern and Zürich. Please let us know your travel itinerary to and from the venue. We will help with your travels.
Gear
Comfortable rock climbing shoes. The rest should be clear...
Included
- Organisation and guiding by an IFMGA certified Mountain Guide.
- All guides' expenses.
Excluded
- Overnight stay on Salbit Hut 65,- CHF (for alpine club members).
- Lunch and drinks.
Specials
for this trip
Flexibility: joint risk of bad (weather) conditions.
Flexibility is our working method - not a slick marketing slogan. We budget 1-2 extra days in the planning of many of our trips to factor in adverse weather conditions. The days can for example be used to move the trip a day or two as to use the best weather window for the summit bid.
Of course you only pay the actual guiding days. We'd rather achieve your goal than insist on doing a poor alternative.
Alternate dates: if it doesn't work out first try.
Ambitious alpine goals require the right conditions and this might not be the case on your first try. We understand that you don't want to hire a guide for not climbing your cherished dream route. On our individually arranged trips we discuss and agree on how to deal with this situation prior to the trip.
Understandably we cannot cancel all our trips in the high season. But we will come up with a fair deal for both sides: a prefixed alternate date, a voucher for the next attempt, an adapted rate for smaller and less committing objectives, or the option to cut off some days.
Fairness first.
The job of mountain guides is demanding and highly responsible. Clearly, this work has to be appropriately remunerated. Yet we are climbers, not tough business men. That's why our emphasis is on dealing fairly with our clients.
We block dates for your trip. Sometimes the arranged climb still doesn't work out. We then appreciate your understanding that we cannot bear the cancellation risk alone. On the other hand we do understand that you don't want to pay the summit rate of a prestigious goal for an alternative destination. With open communication and consideration for each other's situation, we will find a good solution. The summit rate only applies if the conditions are right and we make a summit bid.
Additional Info
and links
You are not sure if you are up for 30 pitches in one day?
That's a good and legitimate question! Not for nothing do the climbing times vary between 5 hrs and two days.
Get in touch with us. We will find a way to prepare for the West Ridge.
By the way: on routes like that it's well worth knowing some "speedclimbing techniques" that allow us to advance faster without any stress.
