For over a year we had not been together in the mountains. This should change with a visit to the Ettaler Mandl. Of course not via the boring via ferrata, but rather on a climbing route.

The approach we shortened per Laber cable car, I was up here a few weeks ago, so the rest of the way was known to me. A beautiful hike, by the way, which is worthwhile even without climbing the Ettaler Manndl! As soon as the rattling of the chains becomes audible and the steep walls appear to the left, we climb left, along the wall up to the start of the climbing route "Weiblkante". At the top of the ridge there is barely enough space to gear up the necessary scraps and drink another sip.

The entrance to the route is marked by a tin sign. We keep left, straight out into the airy emptiness. It's pretty long down here, so much air under your ass, and that's the moral claim to the first climbing meters. All this is not difficult, at most a comfortably climbing IV. We do not have much routine, but we are happy that the rock is already leaning back after a few meters, the stand is not that uncomfortable. The leadership change is less routine again, and more climbing than climbing it goes up, in the third degree.

After about 30 meters the climbing is done. Although we stay roped in over the ridge, which also causes rope pulling and tangling, which was unnecessary - but still reassuring. Although it is sometimes overly exposed on the ridge, it is never difficult, and could be indicated as II or T5 in some parts.

1st SL: 15m IV (keep left)
2nd SL: 15m III (straight up)
3rd SL: 30m II / T5 (along the ridge towards the summit)

When we arrived at the secondary summit, we are quite proud to have done the thing without a topo, without routine and training, and are already enjoying our “summit victory” over here. From over there, from the Manndl, we are photographed “professionals” - hence the photos 🙂

After a short visit to the actual summit of the Ettaler Manndl it goes down via the disgustingly stripped-down via ferrata. To be honest: with the excitement and the greasiness of the rock, we are glad to have brought the via ferrata set up here.

I would have wished the boy, whose father drove him to descent a via ferrata set, too. An outrageous situation that led me to intervene and offer the father to secure the boy by rope, which we had with us anyways. The father, very tense, took this as an attack on his integrity and refused. The boy crawled on his stomach, pale and trembling, backwards.

Except for hoping that's fine, you have nothing left, right?

Literature: 

• Climbing guide Oberammergau: Climbing gardens around Oberammergau