Stripsenzahn (6-)

Published on 2024-09-07 by Michael Stanton

Helmut suggested to climb the Stripsenzahn, a relatively short and easy climb by the Stripsenjoch. We met at 7 am near Munich, a relatively late start, so we were hiking up with many people. We had to endure 20 minutes of full on mid-morning sun, then fell gratefully into the shadow of the Fleischbank, where we remained the rest of the day.

A partial view of the route

On the approach

Climbers on an interesting route to our right

The route was a bit crowded. We gradually got to know Luisa and Jakob ahead of us. She worked at a mountain hut nearby, and he lives in Innsbruck. Really nice folks! Two guys appeared behind us as well, and were good folks. It didn't make sense to hurry because there were one or two parties ahead of Luisa and Jakob, too.

I got the first pitch, which was a lot of fun. A nice, steep wall with many flakes and corners. Then some tough moves, traversing rightward on small, sharp holds with sometimes poor footholds. A final traverse back left, tough at the end, to reach the belay. I chatted with Jakob and brought Helmut up.

Luisa and Helmut at the start

Jakob starting pitch 2

Helmut finishing the first pitch

Helmut led out on pitch 2, with interesting moves right at the belay traversing left on a ramp. Pitch 3 wasn't really memorable, though Pitch 4 was nice and steep right off the belay with a face climb and underclings.

Luisa on pitch 5

Always good when a climber is off to the side for pictures!

One more

Pitch 5 was short but had the crux 6- move navigating an overhanging corner, made easier with a hand jam. I got good pictures of Luisa climbing this pitch because it begins off to the right and down a bit.

Helmut with one of the guys behind us

Helmut meditates on the mystery of the mountains

A zoom-in of "Via Classica"

As I led pitch 7, with interesting 5+ moves, there was a huge rockfall and people shouting. It reminded me a bit too much of the accident in 2020. I had to just focus on the climbing and hope everyone would be okay. After a few narrow chimney moves I reached Jakob at the belay. We exchanged theories on what happened. In the end, it seems someone knocked down a bunch of rocks into the big "Via Classica" slot, angering the many people (5? 6?) inside, quite understandably. But no one was hurt.

Luisa leading up the pitch 8 chimney -- only grade 5!

Similar shot

Luisa started climbing as I arrived. This last 55 meter pitch is only rated 5, but perfectly sustained. The bolts are quite widely spaced, so you've got to simply be confident and keep moving.

Jakob follows the pitch

Helmut came up and set off on the lead. He was able to place a couple of nuts along the way, but enjoyed the pitch very much. I was able to get a picture looking down in the first section. I quite enjoyed how it got a bit easier, then rather difficult again for a bit. I got to do some nice hand jams in the more broken-up blocks of the upper third.

Remarkably steep

The belay was off to the right outside of the chimney. The four of us set off down together, first traversing very steep ground on a faint trail in hummocks of grass, then climbing up to a cairn. Now we traversed and descended slightly, making for an abseil station on one of the normal routes of the Totenkirchl. We went a bit too far, and Helmut set off heroically to abseil down a steep chimney, but another climber said it was the wrong way. He came back up and we found Jakob and Luisa who had found the correct abseil station.

Two abseils got us down to scrambling terrain, and soon we were going up and down on the ridge to the Stripsenjochhaus. What was I ordering? Kaiserschmarrn! I'd wanted to have that for months. I liked our Hungarian waitress who told us to chill out and not be so impatient.

Hiking down

A hike down to the car and back to Munich without too much traffic despite the fact that school starts Tuesday.