Somehow I had managed to commit myself to a two-week climbing holiday in Frankenjura. Do not ask me why. Being quite a fearful lead climber, Frankenjura's reputation of scary bolting should have turned me down. Indeed I had my doubts. So as the trip drew closer, I began furiously asking around for recommendations. All I got was discouraging comments, such as "Get more bold" or "Just top rope".
I arrived in Köningstein, an idyllic Bavarian village where we rented a cosy apartment, with uncharasterictic attitude to just enjoy outdoors without stressing about climbing hard. (I love climbing hard; onsighting right at my skill level or red-pointing well rehearsed routes. That is when I am fully focused and motivated to succeed.) During the first week it rained, every single day. Sometimes we arrived at a crag just to find out it was wet, and sometimes it began raining right when we had tied up to go.
I must admit Frankenjura is not an easy destination for low grades. Most crags are small and they are scattered around, so throughout research is needed in order to find pleasant ones. We spent hours studying the guidebooks (Franken1 & Franken2, which also tell about each sector's bolting) and visited numerous crags to examine them ourselves. With this pragmatic approach we found nice sectors for the 5C-6C grades. I have listed my favorites below.
Even crags with bolting classified as "good" are far from perfect. Bringing a clip stick is a must, since first bolts are usually situated very high above bouldery starts. In general, crux parts are frequently bolted while easier parts can have longer bolt distances. Luckily route setters have been smart to place bolts where you most need them. Our experience proved that it is better to climb short routes, which more often are clean sustained lines, rather than long routes often having awkward crossings and weird topouts.
We left many routes unclimbed because of poor bolting, but still we found equally many safe routes. We had great times getting pumped on overhang pocketed walls, where every move is all-on climbing! I ended up psyching myself to cleanly finish routes, swearingly pushing through powerful moves and taking falls on too difficult parts. With my perfectionist character it is a lot to say that I am satisfied with my efforts in Frankenjura.
To conclude, would I recommend Frankenjura to the low grade climber? Yes, with some patience to search and willingness to conquer fear, it is a lovely destination. Not only peaceful forests and lush farmlands, but also bakeries with tasty cakes and of course cheap local beers make it worthwhile to visit. And the sun shone during the second week.
Sectors (in order of visit, not preference) & my top 3 routes:
- Zimmerbergwände
- Hartensteiner Wand
- Hetzendorfer Wand
- Weissenstein
- Schöne Aussicht
- Roter Fels (*Fur Conny 7)
- Stadeltenne (*Alltag in Franken 7+/8-)
- Elfenwelt
- Johnny Cash Wand
- Leupoldsteiner Wand
- Freudenhaus (*Emanuelle 7)
[Note on June 2018. I climb in Franken almost every month now, so I just keep adding to the list of good crags...]
- Marientaler Wand
- Weidener Wand (*Weisser Streifen)
- Grossenoher Wand (*Prost Paul)
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| I <3 big bolt |
I must admit Frankenjura is not an easy destination for low grades. Most crags are small and they are scattered around, so throughout research is needed in order to find pleasant ones. We spent hours studying the guidebooks (Franken1 & Franken2, which also tell about each sector's bolting) and visited numerous crags to examine them ourselves. With this pragmatic approach we found nice sectors for the 5C-6C grades. I have listed my favorites below.
Even crags with bolting classified as "good" are far from perfect. Bringing a clip stick is a must, since first bolts are usually situated very high above bouldery starts. In general, crux parts are frequently bolted while easier parts can have longer bolt distances. Luckily route setters have been smart to place bolts where you most need them. Our experience proved that it is better to climb short routes, which more often are clean sustained lines, rather than long routes often having awkward crossings and weird topouts.
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| Over-bolted route! |
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| It's easy to smile with a strong belayer :P |
To conclude, would I recommend Frankenjura to the low grade climber? Yes, with some patience to search and willingness to conquer fear, it is a lovely destination. Not only peaceful forests and lush farmlands, but also bakeries with tasty cakes and of course cheap local beers make it worthwhile to visit. And the sun shone during the second week.
Sectors (in order of visit, not preference) & my top 3 routes:
- Zimmerbergwände
- Hartensteiner Wand
- Hetzendorfer Wand
- Weissenstein
- Schöne Aussicht
- Roter Fels (*Fur Conny 7)
- Stadeltenne (*Alltag in Franken 7+/8-)
- Elfenwelt
- Johnny Cash Wand
- Leupoldsteiner Wand
- Freudenhaus (*Emanuelle 7)
[Note on June 2018. I climb in Franken almost every month now, so I just keep adding to the list of good crags...]
- Marientaler Wand
- Weidener Wand (*Weisser Streifen)
- Grossenoher Wand (*Prost Paul)
