Climbing at Moravian Sandstones

The Moravian Sandstones bring together the sandstone crags of eastern Moravia, mostly in the Zlín Region, in the ranges of the Western Carpathians: Chřiby, the Hostýn and Vsetín Hills, the Vizovice Highlands and the Javorníky on the border with Slovakia. Unlike the block sandstones of northern Bohemia, these rocks are built mainly of flysch deposits – as in the Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains, which the Bečva river divides into the lower Hostýn and higher Vsetín Hills, topped by Vysoká (1,024 m). The crags are scattered through dense forests, in Chřiby close to Buchlov castle and the ruins of Cimburk and Střílky.

The crags are mostly modest in size – a typical example is the freestanding Kozel in Chřiby, about 25 m high, with bolted routes from the east and west and harder boulder problems on the north side, surrounded by the Hradby boulder field. Climbing is both sport and trad, with fixed and textile protection. Most crags lie in nature-protected areas, so climbing requires consent from the nature protection authorities and compliance with their conditions; check current restrictions with the Czech Mountaineering Association before visiting. The area is covered by the guidebook Moravské skály I. – Východní Morava (Skýpala and Wolf, 2018).