Another good weather forecast weekend, so off we went for some climbing. This time above Stockalp, at the end of the Melchtal.
The bus takes us to Stockalp where we leave a bag at the hotel and then follow the hiking path up towards the Cheselenflue. We initially miss the turnoff to head up to the cliff, but this is easy enough to find and the use trail takes us efficiently to the foot of the wall and the start of our route (no searching for routes today!). On with the gear and up we go. The climbing is really, really nice: good rock, nicely varied, and very well protected (contrast program to last weekend in the Rätikon!). It's a pure joy. The rock is very different on the last pitch and it was noticeably more difficult, but we both made it through (G with a rest just before the crux). The abseiling went efficiently and without problems.
Fun aside: there was a big roof a few hundred meters above us. At one of the belays you could watch water droplets fall through the air from this and hit nearby... amazing to watch the drops gleaming in the sun and looking like they were falling in slow motion (they took about 5 seconds to fall).
The pitches: 5c+, 5b+, 5c+, 5c, 5c, 5b, 5c+ (6a in the SAC guide). G started
The walk back down to the hotel was quick and easy. After showering and a nap we had a good meal, a short walk, and then we went to bed.
Sunday we couldn't do our normal early start since breakfast didn't start until 7:30 (we asked for this... normally it would have been 8:00!), but we eventually get underway. Today it's up, up, up the other side of the valley towards the Ofen. This is a nice hike, mostly in the shade, often in woods, up, up. The turnoff towards the climbing routes is easy to find and the trail there is mostly easy to follow (marked with blue dots and blazes). Towards the top G makes an incorrect decision at a fork, so the last bit to the start of the route is a bit more adventurous than it needs to be, but we get there.
We've picked Spitzmuis for the day. The start is once again easy to find. A starts the climbing (first pitch is 5c), which is once again on good rock, quite different from yesterday. G notices while following the first pitch that his head isn't particularly in it. G leads the next pitch (an easy, but very exposed 4a traverse) and then A does the following 5c (again steep). At this point it's clear that G's just not into it today, so we abseil back down, have a food break, and then pack up the gear and head back to the hotel, where we grab our bag, have a refreshing beverage, and then catch the bus to start the trip back home.
We'll definitely need to go back, finish Spitzmuis, and do more climbing in this area.. there are so many multi-pitches to choose from!
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