Frankenjura
An incredible climbing destination and one of our first stops after touching down in Europe in July 2023!
This is a short enough post, but jump to the useful bits here:
Unfortunately, this is a shorter and more vague post as the amount of climbing that we actually did here was limited. I had developed a health issue which meant that I had to go to the hospital every day for two weeks. As you can imagine, it took a lot of time out of our days and I had sacrificed climbing for a minute, which was disappointing to say the least! But, nonetheless, sh*t happens and we carry on. Instead, I spent the lasting daylight going for wanders, exploring the forest and belaying my partner at harder-graded areas.
In saying that, while I don’t have too much to contribute in terms of actual routes and climbing itself, we still spent a week amid the glorious forests which is enough to share in itself.
Lush Bavarian forest
Frankenjura, only a few hours away from Frankfurt, Germany is set in the midst of Bavarian forests and has a wealth of climbing history attached to the area. Most notably, it is the birthplace of the red-pointing system and also the home of Action Directe. If you haven’t brushed up on influential climbers, Wolfgang Güllich is one to add to the list as he red-pointed Action Directe as the first ever 9a in sport climbing history. He was an undeniably strong climber and broke ground within the sport that continues to influence many climbers today. Because of him, many climbers flock to this area to try their skills in parallel with the marked red points scattered at the base of many routes.
Climbing at ‘Zehnerstein’ crag
Getting There and Accommodation
After spending a few days in Frankfurt and repurchasing gear too heavy for the plane, we took a train from Frankfurt to Obertrubach. Here, there is a bus that directly passes through the area (found as ‘Frankenjura Weissenstein’ on Google maps) and conveniently, the campsite we booked. We had reserved a spot at Oma Eichler which hosts climbers all over the world. We had fortunately arrived on a bank holiday weekend, so the place was booming! And rightfully so. It’s not only popular for its central location at the base of several crags, but also for their cheap beer and iconic cakes made by the landlord. Its baker, a wonderful elderly woman, makes these cakes worth visiting for in itself.
Transport
While Oma Eichler sits closely to many crags, and walking distance to a small-town shop and pubs, there are hundreds more crags to be discovered by car. If there are certain routes that have inspired you, check where they are and if a vehicle is required. If they’re a little out of reach, there are always other climbers who may be going the same way. There’s no harm in making a few friends in the process! We spent a majority of our time climbing at ‘Zehnerstein’ which was only down the road from camp. It boasts several routes but due to climbing for the first time, we had some confusion around the singular anchor rings as opposed to the usual two. So, we asked the climbers next to us. Turns out, they’d never been here before either and were not very helpful… However, we became fast friends and fortunately, they had a van!
Over the next few days we frequently crossed paths and before long, the four of us cosied up in the front seats and explored some of the more reputable crags. We shared support on the walls and had laughter over pints. It was bittersweet going our separate ways but it was a strong indicator of the European climbing community and we knew these guys weren’t going to be the only people we meet to share experiences with.
Rock and Routes
Frankenjura is full of Limestone which equals for some solid climbing. However, my overall consensus is the bolting is a bit questionable. While they’re not too run out, they start fairly high off the ground in some areas where a clipstick may be useful.
As I was relatively fresh to climbing at this point and I wasn’t overly confident about leading routes, meant the idea of high bolting sketched me out. We didn’t have a clipstick, but fortunately, my trusty partner did the hard yards and left the rope in the first quickdraw.
Caught before the action
Ultimately, this is one of those places I would love to revisit. Not only to experience the inspired air of psyched climbers and Oma Eichler’s cakes again, but to have a solid go at routes I missed out on. Comparing then, to now, I was a very new climber and climbing both physically, and mentally challenged me. I was navigating my way through lower grades and spent more time focusing on improving technique and mental state to enjoy my surroundings. Now, I have gained confidence on the wall and have graduated to leading more routes. This push has allowed me to appreciate the areas we’re in, and say we did a round two, I’m sure my thoughts would constantly be wowed as I expand my understanding of the sport.