Blaueisgletscher, bouldering in Germany

Florian Wenter introduces the bouldering area Blaueisgletscher, more than 100 boulders from Fb5 to Fb8B located at 1800m in Germany.

The Blaueisgletscher bouldering area was discovered and developed by Austrian climber Klem Loskot and colleagues in the late 90’s and all of a sudden it received more media attention than most other areas in the eastern Alps. However, since detailed information was never published, this attention decreased rapidly and the bouldering became somewhat of a myth.

The name itself, ‘Blaueisgletscher’ (blue ice glacier) explains in part the nature of the climbing here: bouldering at altitude, usually done in the summer. Furthermore, those who conquer the relatively long approach are rewarded by a breathtaking view over the surrounding mountains.

The Blaueisgletscher offers a vast selection of nice simple lines as well as some very challenging boulders up to 8B and numerous problems still to be freed. Most of the climbing is overhanging but there are some slabs and also numerous fantastic highballs. With the exception of Schädel sector, the ground is strewn with small boulders making several crashpads necessary.

We recommend you hike up to the mountain hut the evening before so that you are rested and ready to climb the next day, and given the long approach it is worth using the DAV-lodge ‘Blaueis’ as a base for several days. This is often fully booked, in particular at weekends in summer, so book in advance. Wild camping is absolutely prohibited since the whole area is part of the Berchtesgarden National Park.


TOPO: Blaueisgletscher, Germany