Opa Highway (6+)

Published on 2023-06-01 by Michael Stanton

Helmut suggested a climb of "Opa Highway" on the Kopfkraxen (link to the always good Bergsteiger.at topo).

We were driving south of Munich by 6, then hiking up the old familiar way. I was surprised to learn that the hut here had been destroyed by avalanche a few years ago! That's really too bad...at the old site a few cows greeted us moodily.

We left a backpack at the waterfall then hiked up to the scree below the face. Two fellows were planning to climb "Vertical Freedom" (9-), a very hard route. We saw them at the cliff face, but they were on the wrong pillar and needed to be on the one we headed to, on the far left. We ended up over there together. Thanks to them for kicking good steps across the steep snow cone that protected the first pitch of the climb. In fact, our first belay station was buried under the snow and we had an awkward time balancing over the moat between snow and rock, trying to sort out the ropes and get shoes on. We clipped to the second or third bolt of the climb to do this.

Helmut approaches the base of the climb.

The beginning of pitch 4. Helmut lamented that he chose boring gray colors for his wardrobe, knowing that our pictures would not have the necessary "pizazz" to entertain a young and distracted generation. ;)

Finally we were climbing.

P1 3, 25 m - This was a bit shorter because we started higher. Easy, to a ledge where I only saw one bolt. Amazingly, my brain just didn't see the other one. Helmut came up and responsibly fiddled in a cam in a crack on the left. Only later, as he climbed above did I see the other bolt!

P2 4, 35 m - Helmut led up with some nice moments of climbing beginning to shine through the easy and somewhat loose terrain.

P3 5-, 25 m - I walked across a ledge under the guys on "Vertical Freedom." This route crosses to the left side of it and then back to the right higher up. After the walk, a short 5- step really got my attention. It felt difficult and awkward. Now I'm scared about the terrain higher, lol...

P4 5-, 18 m - A much nicer pitch, all rock and no more grass. Helmut led up and right on a slabby ramp.

P5 5-, 30 m - Continuing on the ramp, I enjoyed some nice moves and a few hand jams in the crack on the left at an interesting separation between good grey limestone and rotten, brown and orange rock.

P6 5, 40 m - Helmut led up and right on poor rock above steep grassy slopes, then curved back left and up on satisfying and more sustained grade 5 terrain.

P7 5, 30 m - I led up a nice step then into an excellent stretch of climbing on a steep wall with blocky corners to an overhang, escaped on the right side.

Helmut on the exciting pitch 9.

And again.

P8 5/5+, 18 m - Helmut solved the crux of this pitch, right above the belay, by stemming up a dihedral to sloping holds on a ledge above. After this he merely had to walk to the left a while to reach the belay.

P9 6+, 35 m - I was worried enough about this pitch I left my phone in Helmut's pack to conserve weight! I tried to leave my camera too, but he said there are great photo opportunities from the belay stance. Okay, fair enough! Right away, it is an engaging and sustained pitch. Starting at grade 5, the difficulty steadily increases to a crescendo at the end. You follow a smooth, steep ramp, aided by cracks and corners on the left. I found myself liebacking mostly one direction, but on one occasion I was facing the other way due to the angle of cracks on the left. It felt like one boulder problem after another, and the protection was great. The end is tough, because I was liebacking and the edge for my hands was steadily diminishing. At maximum body tension, I clipped a bolt far out to the right, then had no idea how to proceed for the last bit to the anchor. I rested on the rope here. Then I realized that the bolt being so far right was a kind of signal to follow it around the corner. And sure enough, I found a few edges for hands and feet there. A couple of high-steps, and I was at the anchor. It was nice to leave the corner/crack right before it turned into an offwidth nightmare!

Helmut came up, remembering his previous times here. I got some great pictures of him climbing. Indeed, it is a special position!

Here you can see that just above that last bolt, on the left, there are some breaks in the smooth rock -- for hands and feet!

One more shot looking down.

P10 5+, 35 m - I led this one too, though I chose a poor technique for the start! I ended up deep in a chimney/crack, when stemming elegantly on the outside was called for. Higher, the pitch climbed vertical corners with a few tough moves, finally reaching a grassy pillar for the belay.

Looking down from partway up the 7th pitch.

Looking across to Treffauer.

P11 4, 40 m - Helmut suggested I start belaying on the anchor with the "Halbmastwurf." It's a good idea, I guess I'm old-fashioned for not having switched to that style. I'll do that in the future. He climbed a nice vertical edge that seemed like it should be harder than grade 4, but it went quite nicely.

P12 5, 40 m - A very interesting final pitch, starting with solid grade 5 moves straight up cracks on a pillar, then traversing more easily on a ramp leftward. Difficulties increased again, culminating in the Balancestelle ("balance place") that gives the route a suitably difficult finish. You have to keep your feet low on a vertical wall despite wanting to bring them up to a ledge. Or maybe I missed the point of the Balancestelle...maybe you are supposed to walk with no handholds across this ledge!

Helmut approaches the Balancestelle.

The final moves before the routebook and the end of the climb...

Happily signing the routebook.

Helmut signed the logbook, and we were able to get the ropes off and switch to shoes a few meters above this point. "Where is the bus, or taxi, or telepherique?" said Helmut. I heartily agreed! This was a full climb for me, unused to such big goals. But it was a great climb and I'd happily do it again.

We chatted with the other guys, who finished their climb, but sadly, didn't get the "redpoint." They also left a phone at a belay and had to reclimb a hard pitch!

The hike down was long and tricky for tired legs! But we reached the waterfall, discussing spectrometers, computer programming, and various mountaineering subjects and places. Helmut knew we should brings 6 euros in coins to pay for beers retrieved from a cold stream of water at an alm. We sat at the almhaus as it began to rain a bit, and drank beer. Good fun!

Soon we were back at the car, with 12 pitches under our belt and something like 1200 meters up and down. Thanks Helmut!

Bonus: here are some pictures of Opa Highway, taken from our route:

Detail of Pitch 8 of Opa Highway (6+).

A close-up of the 9th pitch of Opa Highway.

Detail of Pitch 9 of Opa Highway (6+).