You need that for the Salbe Westgrass

The Salbit West Ridge is one of the great, classic climbing tours in Switzerland. Even today, the 36 pitches and 1000 meters of climbing over the six towers are extremely attractive. But what does it take to really enjoy the grandiose climbing in the best Uri granite? As always with climbing, there are many facets that make up success.

By Marcel Dettling for Bächli Bergsport

As absolutely central and indispensable to prove various things that you can not just pick up in the mountain sports business and where it takes some years of experience, until you have acquired them. The key to a complete and successful ascent lies in a reasonably high groundspeed for climbing in difficulty, as far as 6b over 10-14 hours, especially in less-than-equipped alpine terrain. Yes, this also includes cracks, chimneys and cunning panels, not just pleasant terrain with nice, positive handles.

Intersection climbing at 1 tower. (Picture Marcel Dettling)

So it takes a trained eye and the sense for the always logical route course. Interlopers quickly lead to difficult terrain and are usually also time wasters. Since it is only partially possible to count on fixed material, it is also very important to be able to lay mobile fuses quickly and with appropriate extensions in a straight line - not that one brakes out after 30m.

Move efficiently on the rock

Essential is also an efficient handling at the stands. If you waste 36 only five unnecessary minutes when changing, the climbing time lasts three hours longer and the darkness or thunderstorm may be faster than the summit. Complicating the whole thing by the fact that some stands themselves are to be set up with mobile material (there are not Muniringe stuck everywhere), the cams want to be rearranged, and so on.

Old fuse material can be found on Salbit Westgrat every now and then. (Picture Marcel Dettling)

There are also various abseiling and short sections or transfers, which are best shared and waived a stand backup. An important piece of the puzzle for success is also the choice of a suitable tour day: Stable weather, not too cold at the early morning start, not too hot during the day, not too much competition, which can cause waiting times or even traffic jams.

Choose the Salbithütte as a starting point

As a starting point, the Salbithütte has made much more sense since the construction of the Salbit Bridge than the bivouac box immediately at the entrance. The plus points of the hut are, besides the maintenance and the more comfortable accessibility, above all to be found in the fact that one saves total safe time: The ascent from the Salbithütte to the ridge lasts an hour longer than from the bivouac. Thanks to the well-marked path, it can easily be covered in the dark so that you can still start climbing with the first light of day. And this hour you win on the descent long ago. The return from the summit to the bivouac will require either an 300 elevation gain or the choice of a complicated, rarely-used west descent (including 8x50m abseiling). In addition, the descent from the bivouac is also significantly longer than that of the hut.

The Salbithütte (2105 m.ü.M.) just below the Meiggelengrates. (Picture Uwelino / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Pack the right material

Finally we want to focus on the required equipment. Here, too, you have to prepare carefully, as certain objects are indispensable. On the other hand, should and will not contribute anything for weight reasons on the 1000 climbing meters, which is not needed. How heavy the backpack weighs is in fact a decisive factor in the climbing speed.

  • footwear: This must be in backpack with, so it should be as easy as possible. While the approach is unproblematic, the descent always leads over a more or less steep and more or less hard snowfield. Ultra-light mountain boots or sturdy, half-height shoes appear to be the most suitable. In the hut there is precise information about the state of the descent. In unfavorable conditions, a Pimple oder sogar crampon be necessary (which then represents a rather unfavorable time for the celebration of the west ridge).
  • Water: No, not only are there no food outlets on the road, but there's no way to refuel water. Sure, very early in the year you might find a snow field here and there on the north side (the Hotel Salbit after tower 4 is the most promising point), but the melting would take too long. So take enough water, depending on your personal needs and daily temperature.
  • ropes: The abseil point of the tower 2 measures full 50m, which means that 2x50m ropes are required. If you prefer with half ropes climbs or on Single rope with 50m Rapline is a matter of taste (safety reserves, weight, possibility of Halbseiltechnik, and so on).
  • Cams and wedges: If you have enough reserves in the range 6a comes with a set of cams (for example Black Diamond Camalots C4 of sizes 0.3-3, especially recommended in the Ultralight variant) by. Wedges are easy to use but are not required. If in doubt, it is the lighter, more flexible option to take the cam sizes 0.3-0.75 twice.
  • quickdraws: Depending on the number of self-made backups you need about 12 Exen. Normal sportsclimberexes are rather less suitable and it is better to perform mostly or exclusively on 60cm extendable Alpine draws With. Also, there is something extra loop material (for example, for Zackenstände) helpful.
  • Backstop: In order to gain time, you can climb longer routes together, especially at the 1 tower. At the following towers this is possible only occasionally due to the higher difficulties and the more complicated lines. To make this technique safe, the use of a backstop (eg Ropeman, Tibloc, Microtraxion) mandatory.
  • climbing shoes: You spend about 12 hours in the finches, constantly putting on and taking off is a time waster. Comfortable climbing finches are the right choice! However, if you want to free the extremely smooth and difficult plate on the 6 tower (officially 7a, but probably more difficult), it would be a good idea to bring along a second pair of very precise finches.

About Bächli mountain sports

Bächli mountain sports is the leading Swiss specialist shop for climbing, mountaineering, expeditions, hiking, ski touring and snowshoeing. At currently 13 locations in Switzerland, Bächli Bergsport offers its customers expert advice and high-quality service. Published on LACRUX Bächli mountain sports periodically exciting contributions to the topics climbing, bouldering and mountaineering.

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Credits: Pictures Marcel Dettling, Uwelino /CC BY-SA 4.0

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2 comments

  1. After all, tagged as “sponsored content”. But sorry: what is the Bulls ** t supposed to do? “You need that for the ascent of the Salbit West Ridge?” Who should read that? There are more than enough inspection reports (also from the sponsored author) on the net. So you can get an idea and find out for yourself what you need. Such an article about, shall we say, “Alpine thirst” on the Jägihorn. Or the turtle ridge, maybe. But seriously: the people who have their eyes on the West Ridge are guaranteed not to need an article like this. What happened to our world, that people have the feeling, just because there is a Tibloc / Mircotraxion down below (on a running rope it climbs faster on tower 1 - that's true, but you don't necessarily gain a lot of time. But if you use rope clamps, you have she probably already and certainly not reading such an article) or a pimple (really now?) is linked, does someone buy another product?!?! Switzerland really (really!) Deserves a publication (or a website, blog, etc.) that adequately depicts alpine events in our country and comes up with good tips. No, the few "Granitträume" articles from the magazine "Climbing", the 2-3 snowshoe tour recommendations and partner advertisements ("Steinbock sucht Bergziege") in the SAC magazine "Die Alpen" and the sporadic posts from mdettling and chmoser are not enough . The readership would be there - climbing, alpinism etc. are booming. And with that there are some (me!) People who would even pay money for a decent publication. It doesn't have to be a Swiss “vertical” or “alpinist”. And of course it is difficult today to finance journalistic content. Advertising banners are accepted online anyway, since you've got used to them. But articles like this one? I'll never get used to it. Especially not when Dettling, who has climbed a lot of good tours and wrote about them very meticulously (sometimes even without crux spoilers), posts something here. Isn't that a typical lose-lose-lose situation? Dettling, Bächli and LaCrux all lose credibility for the fact that Dettling receives a few products for free / cheaper, Bächli sells one more Tibloc and Lacrux is paid 150.- (everything invented / estimated)? Sure: Introduce a new clean climbing guide and talk to the author. Clear. Try a new jacket or a stove. OK. But then strike with the sponsored content club. I'm gone On the way to the mountains. With my old but still working material. [rant off].

  2. I think that this article is absolutely superfluous for anyone who ventures into this area. On the contrary, it attracts climbers who are unaware of the challenges. So post better in Plaisir article.

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