Overview
Grade: 4+
Total time: 6 hrs
Climbing time: 4 hrs
Approach time: 1 hour
Exit time: 45 mins
The 'Südwestkante' (Southwest Ridge) on Mangart is a true classic in the Julian Alps, offering a delightful and accessible alpine climbing experience. Graded 4+, it provides enough challenge to feel like a proper climb without being overly demanding. The route generally follows a prominent arête, often on excellent limestone, offering fantastic exposure and continuous, enjoyable climbing. Protection is usually good, and the routefinding is relatively straightforward for experienced climbers. From the summit, the descent typically follows the normal route (Normalweg), which is often a marked path, sometimes involving some scrambling or a short abseil, leading back towards the Mangartsko sedlo (Mangart Pass). The entire experience is framed by stunning panoramic views of the surrounding peaks, making it a highly rewarding day out for those seeking an iconic alpine ridge climb.
