Chinesische Mauer is a huge Sport Climbing Crag just a 20 minute drive from where I live in Leutasch. Chinesische Mauer (literally the Great Wall of China), also known as China Mauer, is a climbing area located in the Olympic region of the Austrian Tyrol, between Austria and Germany. It is part of the Öfelekopfes in the Wetterstein mountain range. One of the largest climbing areas in Tyrol, it is famous for its alpine climbing walls like Schüsselkar and Scharnitzspitze, but also offers some excellent sport climbing crags. The biggest, hardest and most awesome one is definitely the Chinesische Mauer.

Park up in Puitbach, and you’ll already be able to see the huge crag, which springs into view as you drive through the valley. From the car park take the easy 30 minute approach along the marked paths, which takes you right to the base of the climbs. With more than 170 routes spread across 11 sectors of Limestone, anyone who can climb 6a and harder will find something to sink their teeth into. The slogan “life starts at 6a+” fits this wall best.

From hard endurance routes to routes with athletic boulder moves, everything can be found. There are even some multipitch routes on offer at the higher parts of the wall.

Climbing at Chinesische Mauer is possible year round. Since the wall gets lots of sun, it’s also a good option for climbing in winter. Summer sun can mean the wall gets too hot on occassion however, so the best days to send in reality are in Spring, Autumn, and warmer Winter days. Even on rainy days, some of the harder overhanging routes under a roof will be dry. And the other parts will dry really quickly when the sun hits the wall.