"Tirol isch lei oans, isch a Landl a kloans" - these are the first verses of a popular folk song in this very region, and the song is definitely right. Tirol is indeed small, and you might think that after a good 15 years of intensively cultivated climbing lifestyles within its borders, you should know pretty much every rock and even more so pretty much every wall. But: far from it.
Someone recently asked me if I had ever actually climbed a few routes in the Tannheimer Tal, and if so, which ones I would recommend. Uh. Tannheimer Tal ... that's somewhere behind Reutte, isn't it? I awkwardly dodged the question for a moment, then went straight to the guidebooks in the evening. Tannheimer Tal is certainly beautiful, if not the "most beautiful high valley in Europe" according to local marketing, but is it any good for scrambling?
Discovering classics
And then, lo and behold: Rote Flüh, says the guidebook, advertised as a borderline brilliant south face, in which not a single rock would be loose, littered with great classics and crisp new tours. Indeed, further research confirms this: Even a legendary Pause tour leads through the Flüh, well look here, the "Südverschneidung" (VI+) made it into the old-school climbing bible par excellence back then, in the Alpine selection guide Im Extremen Fels by Walter Pause. Arguments enough - so: wait for a beautiful autumn day, drive there, simply branch off from the Lechtal and a few bends later it is already within your grasp, the Rote Flüh.
Off to the Tannheimer Tal
Starting at the Zwerchwand in the Tannheimer Tal, photo: Simon Schöpf
But not only this one: Rock wherever you look, and as we move with the times and beliefs change, we opt for a tour from the more contemporary bible, the Modern Times selection guide, quasi the break of our days. The bolts play a major role in it, we leave the rusty cucumbers of the south dihedral to the left and the Rote Flüh today as well, we make a pilgrimage to the wall next to it, the far less frequented Zwerchwand.
Nice name. Admittedly, not quite as high, not quite as compact, not quite as well-known, but always well-secured, our bible recommends: "Miss Nesselwängle" (8-, 150m) and describes it as a "village beauty, but a very nice one." We like it, because on this cloudless autumn day, the idea of plaisir hovers above everything else, without fear and large hook distances, just climbing and enjoying the scenery. And the tourist office didn't exaggerate much, it's really beautiful here, why exactly have we been to Sarca thirty-eight times, but never to the Tannheimer Tal? Anyway, a leisurely approach via the Gimpelhaus, a good hour and a half to the wall, you can't complain about that.
The Gimpelhaus in the Tannheimer Tal, photo: Simon Schöpf
"Miss Nesselwängle" on the Zwerchwand
"Miss Nesselwängle" gets straight down to business: you can give away the redpoint ascent at the entry overhang if you don't pull up properly. This is followed by comfortable six-pitch terrain, with the odd grass band including an edelweiss bush, until the key length at the very top challenges your bouldering skills and impresses with its compact gray slab limestone. It may not be Miss Universe, the Nesselwängle, but it is a village beauty, a charming flirt for a sunny day. And at the top of the ridge exit, the view opens up to the neighboring lowlands to the north, also wonderful, this vastness, but you only need to turn around once to the south, fly over the hundreds of peaks with your eyes and the song lyrics come back to you: "Tirol is lei oans, isch a Landl a kloans, isch a schians, isch a feins, und des Landl isch meins."
A sunny and autumnal climbing day with panoramic views, photo: Simon Schöpf
Facts about the climbing tour "Miss Nesselwängle" (8- or 6+/A0) on the Zwerchwand, Tannheimer Tal Approach: approx. 1.5 h from Nesselwängle Refreshments: The Gimpelhaus, 30 minutes below the walls, has a sun terrace for refreshments after the tours. The nearby Tannheimer Hütte is currently closed and will be rebuilt in the next few years. Best time of year: Autumn Time required: 2 - 3 h Literature: "Allgäuer Alpen incl. Tannheimer Berge", Panico Alpinverlag
