Klettergarten Piz Alv - Lagalb

Surprisingly long, the beautiful climbing area Lagalb (located at the foot of Piz Alv) enjoyed its Sleeping Beauty sleep. After the first routes had been set up in the early 60s by local leaders and the military, little to nothing worked for a very long time. Some classics were set up in the 70s – Ruedi's Dream, Wenk Riss and others – but the compact limestone rock did not really experience rediscovery until 1993. Within a year, A. and M. Stupan, C. Raillard, Ch. Seeger and other climbers set up over 20 easy to very difficult routes. Again, 10 years passed until the "Engadine climbing scene" enriched the area with another 25 routes. In the years 2002 - 2005 the new sectors Paraid Grischa, Crap Nair and Capricorn Way were created. The same scene has now added more routes and the Paraid Cotschna sector to the already large offer. So you can now confidently call this climbing garden the largest and most diverse in the Engadine. From the inclined plate to "forearm acidifying" overhangs, everything is there. In addition, some boulders on the edge of the large meadow invite you to boulder and linger with children. Very easy short routes for beginners can also be found in the sector mountaineering school just above the actual climbing garden (25 minutes walking time). Although the rock is mainly oriented towards the south, it is never too hot to climb at over 2000 meters and thanks to the exposed location, you can also climb for a long time in the evening in summer. At the entrances in the "Egg" sector, the sun does not set until 9.03 pm on 21 June! The routes are very different in length. A 60 m rope is enough, but in some routes it must be abseiled over an intermediate stand. Observe the instructions in the route description! The area was completely rehabilitated in 2004. The whole Piz Alv is surrounded by a unique alpine flora, enriched by the curious ibex. Of course, we only use the well-trodden paths (Steinmännchen) to and between the sectors. The large meadow may not be entered before the hay harvest.

Tips for via ferrata freaks: At Piz Trovat on the Diavolezza there are two via ferrata with fantastic panoramic views of the Bernina massif.

Access/Location: From Pontresina in the direction of the Bernina Pass to the large parking lot of the Lagalb cable car, park here. To the sector mountaineering school you climb over the avalanche protection wall directly behind the parking lot up to the first paragraph, the rocks of Piz Alv sloping down to the bottom of the valley (20 minutes). The sectors Paraid Cotschna, Ei, Sommerschnee, Paraid Melna, Sommervogel, Steinbockweg can be reached via the path at the edge of the meadow, which leads to the high current mast and then up to the rocks (5 minutes). To get to the Paraid Grischa and Crap Nair sectors, it is best to park in the parking lot of the Diavolezza cable car or shortly afterwards at the parking lot. Follow the dirt road tracks to the first Steinmännchen and then on to the free-standing larch. Here to the right to the sector Crap Nair or to the left, always following the stone men, to the sector Paraid Grischa. The Lagalbriss sector is located in the escape line from the car park to Piz Alv (about 10 minutes).