Limit - the best crags in Tirol

Peter Habeler David Lama Jakob Schubert gloryfy G13 devil green 90 DIE ZEHE MACHT DEN UNTERSCHIED »Yazoo« (6c+) gehört sicherlich zu den Routen, bei denen man etwas fester zupacken muss. Aber Florian Heuber weiß, dass Fingerpower in Schnann bei weitem nicht alles ist. Auf den selektiv kleinen Tritten benötigt man auch Kraft in den Zehenspitzen, um seine Füße zum Stehen zu bringen. »Yazoo« (6c+) is one of those routes that certainly require a stronger grip. But Florian Heuber knows that finger-power is not everything in Schnann. Getting the feet on the microsco- pic footholds is the real challenge and requires strong toes as well. MUST-DO KLASSIKER Wer im sechsten Franzosengrad so daheim ist wie Veronika Gaßner, hat in Schnann viel vor sich. Das ist gut so, denn diesen Spot ohne Klassiker wie »Millenium« (6c) und »Nachti- gall« (6b) zu verlassen, wäre fast ein bisschen schade. For those like Veronika Gaßner, who feel at home in the sixth french grade, there’s a lot to do in Schnann. That’s great because leaving this spot without having done the local clas- sics like »Millenium« (6c) and »Nachtigall« (6b) would be a pity. | Region St. Anton am Arlberg | Schnann he longest, the steepest, the hardest. The superlatives with which climbing areas try to generate attention are well-known. Sometimes it’s utterly an overkill. In this respect the Schnanner Klamm is diffe- rent. It doesn’t grave for the spotlight, it exercises itself in restraint. This place is not one that imposes on someone but one that wants to be discovered. The approach is short and especially towards the end unique. To get to the rock of the Schnanner Klamm you have to go through the same first. Not by magic tricks but by walking a corridor broken through the limesto- ne. Via a steel ladder you walk deeper and deeper into a climbing-world that is second to none between the Arlberg and Pass Thurn. The grey and compact limestone looks holdless at first, but soon enough crimps and edges, small cracks and hidden holes appear. Sometimes the walls of the gorge are so close that one seems to be completely surrounded by rock. In the twilight below one can hear the designer of these forms: the wild river that has created this place for thousands of years. A little further the gorge widens and one can see bolts blinking in the grazing light and the branches of the trees throw bizarre shadow-patterns onto the rock. It becomes brighter, greener and more dulcet. Yes! – One wants to climb right here. With a total of 42 routes the Schnanner Klamm presents itself as the ideal place for families and beginners. Left of the gorge’s entrance various easy routes starting from french grade three make up for the perfect place for the first con- tact with rock. In the gorge itself the difficulties are more diversified and one can test his abilities up to the seventh french grade. The Schnanner Klamm is definitely not a giant among Tirol’s crags, but it’s not always the size that matters. This place is a true focal point of nature’s powers. Shaped by wild waters, thousands of tons of rock have passed through this bottleneck to create the base on which the houses of the village of Schnann have been built on. Furthermore the gorge’s walls work as a bulwark against avalanches and slides. Hence, the connection to Schnann itself can be called truly existential. Because of all these circumstances the climbing here is not just climbing up the walls but a real experience of nature. The energy of the moun- tains and the water have left their marks here and it just takes one moment of contemplation to still feel them. T