Along the Inn between Imst and Innsbruck, there are numerous sunny walls that also offer the best conditions for climbing in winter. Here we present some of the crags suitable for winter climbing, which are characterized by a short approach, their south-facing orientation and beautiful, varied routes.
1st Rote Wand, Imst
On the south-facing Rote Wand you will find mostly vertical to overhanging climbing tours on compact rock. All tours are well secured. Climbing is possible here almost all year round. Due to the overlying rocks, we recommend climbing with a helmet. The 119 routes (3c to 7a, route lengths 8 to 30 m) are well secured and most of them are also suitable for beginners or children.
Scenic climbing on the Rote Wand, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Imst exit. Take the B171 in the direction of Karres. In Karres, drive through the village to the next junction, keep right until the end of the village, there is a large parking lot on the right. Follow the yellow signs on foot and you will reach the first sector in approx. 10 minutes.
A year-round crag: the Rote Wand, photo: Günter Durner
2nd Silz climbing garden
The small, sunny Silz climbing garden above the Inntal highway and the Inn. The south-facing rock face, which can be reached from the parking lot in about 10 minutes, can be climbed almost all year round. The 10 routes in the lower and medium difficulty range (4c to 6c+, route lengths 15 to 30 m) are very well secured.
In the middle of the beautiful Inn Valley, the Silz climbing garden, photo: Günter Durner
If you've done them all and still fancy a "fun via ferrata", you can try the Crazy Eddy via ferrata. This is located around 300 meters west of the Silz climbing garden and can be reached from the parking lot in 20 minutes. Both can be combined for a "family outing". Due to its location in the valley, it is also ideal in uncertain weather conditions and for climbing in winter.
On the way on the Crazy Eddy via ferrata, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Mötz exit. Then take the B171 to Silz in the center. Turn right at the church into Widumgasse. After the railroad underpass, continue straight ahead on Simmeringstraße over the Inn. Then turn right at the warehouse (shrub sales) into Locherbodenweg and drive in the direction of the Walser quarry. There are parking facilities after the highway bridge. Climb steeply up the slope on foot to the climbing garden which is already visible (approx. 10 minutes).
3. climbing garden Stams
Climbing above the rushing waters of the Inn: The rock of the Stams climbing garden can be reached in a few minutes via an impressive suspension bridge over the Inn on a level path. At high tide, the entrance area is under water.
Climbing above the water in the Stams climbing garden, photo: Günter Durner
Beware of slipperiness! The boulders at the base of the wall can be quite slippery. Watch out for children so that they don't fall into the water and get swept away by the Inn!
The 12 routes (4b to 7a+, route lengths 8 to 15 m) are well secured and most of them are also suitable for beginners or children. A few meters downstream (to the east) you can make a detour to a waterfall. Or you can follow a path up to the Mieminger Plateau (Locherboden).
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Mötz exit. Then take the B171 to Stams. At the eastern end of Stams, take the third exit "Hängebrücke, Gewerbegebiet" at the traffic circle. Park opposite the large furniture store. Walk through the highway underpass, then turn left to the suspension bridge. After the suspension bridge, turn left (upstream) along the Inn to the climbing garden. The climbing garden is about 200 m to the left of the suspension bridge (approx. 10 minutes).
4. climbing area Hex, Telfs
The Telfs Hex climbing area consists of eight sectors, most of which were set up by Bernhard Hangl and Arthur Wutscher. The crags are mainly south-facing. The sectors "Le Figaro", "Pepato" and "Antares" offer overhanging climbing in compact limestone. The 56 routes (route lengths: 4 to 25 m) range in difficulty from 5c+ to 8a+ with a focus on the 6th and 7th French grade.
A winter pleasure: the Telfs Hex climbing area, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and access
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Telfs-West exit. At the traffic circle drive in the direction of Mieming (B189). Drive through the tunnel to the next traffic circle, turn into Niedere-Munde-Straße and continue to the Sonnensiedlung junction (on the right). Go past the gravel pit and up through hairpin bends to the next junction, turn right here to Hinterbergstraße. Follow this to the left to Gasthaus Lehen. Pass the inn on the right until the end of the asphalt road. Continue on the gravel road for 300 m in the direction of Strassberg. You can park at a waterworks.
Climbing routes in the Telfs Hex climbing area, photo: Günter Durner
5th Arzbergklamm, Telfs
The Arzbergklamm climbing area consists of nine very different sectors with a total of 80 routes (3 to 8a+ with plenty of choice in all levels of difficulty, route lengths: 8 to 28 m). From well-secured slab routes to partly overhanging rock sections, almost everything is on offer. The individual sectors on both sides of the Arzbergklamm can be easily reached in 10 to 20 minutes. In high winter, however, the gorge only gets sun for a short time.
Climbing in the overhang at the Arzbergklamm, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Telfs-Ost exit. At the first traffic circle drive in the direction of Mösern, Seefeld. At the second traffic circle (M-Preis, Sagl district) turn into Saglstraße and follow the road for 800 m in a westerly direction until you reach Puelacherweg. Turn right here, then right again into Birkenbergstraße in the direction of the tennis courts, past the Auferstehungskirche church, until you reach Dammstraße. At the end of Dammstraße, park at the last houses. Walk uphill along the road into the Arzbergklamm gorge. The first sector is just after the waterworks, the other sectors are further up in the Arzbergklamm (approx. 10 to 20 minutes).
6th Brunntalweg, Zirl
The Brunntalwegwand is a southeast-facing rock face with 27 beautiful single-pitch routes and two shorter multi-pitch routes that can be climbed almost all year round (4c to 7b, most of them from 4c to 6a+, route lengths: 10 to 65 m). The wall runs along a gully that runs from the lower to the upper Brunntalstrasse. The upper section of the wall can be reached via a fixed rope. The gray limestone is firm and slabby. It is dominated by steep to vertical slab and wall climbing.
Climbing with a view on the Brunntalwegwand, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Zirl-Ost exit. Take the B 177 federal highway in the direction of Seefeld. Turn right at the Red Cross station and park in the parking lot (P6) at the Red Cross. From Geistbühelweg turn right into Brunntalweg and follow this for approx. 500 m until you reach a building on the right-hand side of the road. At the height of the building, turn left to the foot of the wall. The upper routes can be reached via the steep, gravelly gully (approx. 10 to 15 minutes from the parking lot).
7th Grottenwegwand and Kaiser-Max-Grotte, Martinswand
On the wall next to the Kaiser-Max-Grotte is a very beautiful, south-facing climbing garden with 16 rewarding routes in the medium difficulty range (5c to 6c+, route lengths: 15 to 22 m). The 17 routes at the Kaiser-Max-Grotte are all in the highest levels of difficulty
Challenging climbing on the Grottenweg wall, photo: Günter Durner
(7b+ to 8c, route lengths: 15 to 35 m). The Kaiser-Max-Grotte in the middle of the Martinswand is easy to reach via a well-secured path. The wall area consists of excellent, compact rock and the routes are very well secured.
Location: East of Zirl above the "Jungle Book" in the left part of the Martinswand.
Approach and ascent
Leave the Inntalautobahn A12 Kufstein-Landeck at the Zirl-Ost exit. Take the B 171 federal highway in the direction of Innsbruck. Park at the "Innsbruck/Kematen" junction at the Plattner gravel works in the parking lot (P4). Either take the Kaiser-Max via ferrata or the footpath to the Kaiser-Max-Grotte. To get to the Kaiser-Max-Grotte on foot, first walk from the parking lot along the road in a westerly direction (Zirl). Directly to the left of the gravel works (composting plant), a signposted path branches off to the right to the Kaiser-Max-Grotte. Follow this path to the Kaiser-Max-Grotte (approx. 45 minutes). Or from the parking lot to the start of the Kaiser-Max via ferrata and via this to the access points (approx. 30 minutes).
8th gallery, Martinswand
The Galerie climbing garden is in a very sunny location high above the Inntal valley, directly above the Bahngalerie. The wall offers the best rock and 58 consistently rewarding, very well-secured routes (4c to 8b, half of them 6th grade, route lengths: 6 to 32 m). Some of the routes in the far right section of the wall are very exposed. After a 30-minute ascent, you are rewarded with great climbing and a magnificent view over the Inn Valley.
Climbing with a panorama at the gallery, photo: Günter Durner
Approach and ascent
From Innsbruck on the B 171 towards Zirl. Shortly after the sewage treatment plant there is a small parking lot (P1) on the right-hand side of the road. If you are coming from the direction of Zirl, do not turn into the parking lot (P1) from this direction. You can turn around at the sewage treatment plant. From the parking lot (P1) via a path to the ÖAV climbing garden. Pass this on the left and take a few bends up to the Alpine magazine. Pass the alpine magazine on the right and climb steeply over the scree field to a path in the forest. Now continue to an iron ladder directly at the gallery. Climb up the ladder to the gallery. From the parking lot (P1) approx. 30 minutes.
Literature tip
All information and more crags around Innsbruck can be found in the climbing guide "Sportklettern Innsbruck".
