RockClimber.de

Love it or hate it Plagne in the canton of Bern is one of the most convenient climbing walls in the Region. With easy access and an unbelievable amount of routes, both sport and multi-pitch, it is an easy fall-back destination but comes with the drawback of being close to a major stone quarry (read noise), a unique technical climbing style and some questionable rock quality. I recently visited the sector Kamasutra and was positively impressed with what I found.

This west facing wall is one of the furthest north and can be accessed either from the small town of Péry or from Plagne itself. Both approaches take roughly 30-45 minutes depending on your speed, and make for a nice warm-up. You’ll know you’ve reached the sector when you come to a right hand dip next to a big grey wall where a soldered chain helps you cross a small chasm. From there you’ll take another chain to drop down 5 metres and use the metal ladder rungs to get to the right hand side of Kamasutra.

The sector consists of what I would call two area, the right, which is predominately in the shade and the left which curves around into the sun and is exposed to the cliffs. The shady area is prone to seepage so be wary after rain falls. There’s lots of space from which to secure and the exposed routes by the cliff include a metal wire and securing points for additional safety.

In total the sector contains some 20+ routes ranging from 6a through to 7b+. As with most sectors here, don’t expect any long routes and a 40 metre rope will suffice for most routes. I really loved the routes on the left, which are framed against a great panorama of the low lying mountains. The style is also much more conducive to hall climbing, with pockets and roof section requiring more dynamic moves than in other areas of Plagne. The quality of the rock is very good and everything is well bolted.

With a good variety of routes and very few other folks here this is a great area to visit and probably one of my most favourite so far in Plagne overall.

What I liked:
+ Number of routes between 6a – 7b
+ Overall good quality rock
+ Different style of climbing than the rest if Plagne

What I disliked:
– Shady section stays wet for a while
– West facing can mean lack of sun
– Long approach

GPS coordinates for the wall: 47.186033, 7.254309
GPS coordinates for the car park: 47.191046, 7.251387