Climbing at Allgäu Alps

On the Tyrolean side, the Allgäu Alps centre on the Tannheimer Berge above the Tannheimer Tal – a compact group of steep limestone peaks such as the Gimpel, the Rote Flüh, the Gehrenspitze, the Aggenstein and the Roter Stein, popular with climbers from both Tyrol and Bavaria. The Rote Flüh (2,108 m) alone has multi-pitch routes of around 150–300 m from grade 3 to 9 on its south and south-west faces, from the classic Alte Südwand (4, 260 m) to the demanding Spiderman (9, 300 m); the beginner-friendly Westwandrampe (3) was renovated in 1997, and the neighbouring Gimpel has a steep north face with modern routes such as "Schrei aus Stein".

The usual starting point is Nesselwängle; from there it is about 1 hour 15 minutes up to the Gimpelhaus (1,659 m), with a material cable car for luggage, and a little longer to the Tannheimer Hütte (1,760 m); the routes start 20–25 minutes above the huts. Descents follow the normal routes or the Friedberger Klettersteig. Rockfall makes a helmet essential on the classic routes, and chimneys can stay wet long after rain or be icy in spring. The main season is summer to early autumn. The nearest railway stations are Pfronten-Ried, Sonthofen and Reutte.