Nemuel Feurle climbs Unendliche Geschichte & Headless Children in Rätikon

Within the space of three weeks, Austria's Nemuel Feurle made free ascents of two demanding multipitch routes in the Rätikon massif: Die Unendliche Geschichte (400m, 8b/+) and Headless Children (260m, 8b).

The Vorarlberg climber got things started in mid‑June on Die Unendliche Geschichte, Beat Kammerlander's 1990 masterpiece. Accompanied by Lea Fortin, Feurle redpointed the route over two days, spending the night on a portaledge. Originally the plan had been to work the route and attempt the redpoint a few days later. However, after Feurle successfully climbed both crux pitches on the first day, the pair decided to continue with the ground‑up ascent. Aside from the two hard crux pitches, the route left its mark on Feurle thanks to its varied climbing across the eleven pitches and the striking atmosphere of the improvised bivouac on the wall.

Three weeks later, Feurle partnered up with Lukas Bertoli to repeat Headless Children, a 9‑pitch outing up the steep west face of the Schijenfluh. While the lower pitches offer a mix of endurance, bouldery sections and technical moves, the route's highlight is a spectacular mantle over the lip of a roof some 200 metres above the ground. The final two pitches added extra tension: Feurle onsighted the notorious "Sauplatte", while, due to a lack of cams, he had to use knotted slings as improvised protection to top out.

Feurle's summer 2026 in the mountains is far from over, as he is currently working on a new line on the famous limestone walls of the Kirchlspitzen – walls that have helped the Rätikon become one of the premier areas for demanding multi‑pitch climbing in the Alps.