Imagine you’re a climber in Germany; you have been working all week dreaming about a climbing weekend. The approaching forecast is perfect, and all that is left is deciding where to go and what to do. The answer for most of the German climbing community is easy, “let’s go to the beautiful Frankenjura forest, enjoy some regional food and try some of the most popular and iconic routes in the world!”
The Frankenjura is a special place; it is home, where I was born, and I have been climbing here since a young age. Still, every week, I ask myself, which out of 900 crags should I visit next? I consider what classic route I’m missing or where I might find an inspiring new line to establish. The amount of rock seems endless, and there are so many small sectors, it never gets boring. Just when I think I have seen it all, something new surfaces to be climbed or explored. The infinite possibilities are precisely why this place is so special to me.
There is just one thing about the Frankenjura I always find odd. I can’t understand why so many climbers come here and repeatedly climb in the same sectors when there are so many other possibilities. I always wonder, do they just really enjoy the polished rock, or is it something different fueling this odd habit? It even goes so far that a few classic crags will be completely overcrowded, while 90 percent of the sectors are empty and becoming dirtier and dirtier.
To help you experience the region without the crowded crags, I want to introduce you to my favorite non-popular crags in the Frankenjura!
Well, it would be too hard to list all those, but here are at least some of them.
Hidden Gem Crags:
- Hätzerkirche: This is a nice spot with steep and powerful climbs. It includes about eight routes from (7a) to (8c+), most around 20-meters long.
- Zauppenberger Wand: Located deep in the woods, you will find this hidden 25-meter tall crag with a big roof in the middle of it. It has ten routes from (6b) to (8b+) and some fantastic projects waiting to be freed.
- Eibgrat: This includes two crags on either side of the hiking area by the same name. The crag on the south side has lots of easy routes from (5) to (7a). On the north side, you will find long routes between (7a) and (9a).
- Bleisteinwand: Freshly rebolted, this 25-meter tall wall has excellent face and crack climbs between (6a) - (7a+).
- Egloffsteiner Felsentor: With routes mostly ranging between grade (5) - (6), this 40-meter wall is high by Frankenjura standards. But it offers alpine characteristics on freshly rebolted routes.
- Folterkammer: Located in the middle of the Krottensee forest, you will find a medium popular crag with a wide variety of bouldery routes ranging from (6a) - (8b+).
- Grundfels: Located in the far east of the Frankenjura region, this area offers perfect hard lines. On the left side of the crag, you will find some routes in the (6b) range, while the main wall offers a lot of (7c) - (8c) gems.
- Clubbwall: This is a small hidden spot with beautiful surroundings. Here you will find routes on perfect rock ranging from (7a) - (8b+).
Guidebooks:
I recommend the Frankenjura guidebook by Sebastian Schwertner. The new edition with all the new and forgotten areas will appear this summer! Also, the app by frankenjura.com is quite helpful and always up to date. If you only speak English, the guidebook by Ulrich and Harald Röker has some translations so that you can find the spots more easily.
Gear:
Concerning equipment, you can find anything you like in the Frankenjura. The most common style is classic well-bolted sport climbs, but not the type of 1-meter bolt ladders you sometimes find in places like France, for example. Climbers here bolt to make the first ascent, so everyone chooses how they want the route equipped. With this, you find a range of methods from lots of bolts for beginners to the more old-school sparsely bolted style. So, if you go for older routes, a rack of nuts is recommended and sometimes necessary.
Climbing Seasons:
The best season for climbing in Frankenjura is spring and autumn, when it is still dry, but the temperatures are cooler. Nevertheless, you can climb here year-round if you want. In winter, we take to hiding from the snow and cold under some lowball boulder problems. In summer, we typically just climb easier routes where friction isn’t as necessary or wander through the woods figuring out new projects for when it is again cooler.
Where to sleep:
In the last few years, there has been a lot of trouble with wild camping and local farmers, so I recommend visiting one of the local campsites. The classics for climbers are the Bärenschlucht Camping, directly underneath the famous crag, the Camping meadow Gute Einkehr in Morschreuth, and the infamous Oma Eichler Camping in Untertrubach.
If you prefer more comfort, finding a nice apartment anywhere you’d like to stay is easy. For the quintessential Frankenjura feel and a central location, I suggest visiting Egloffstein or Gössweinstein. Some of the restaurants mentioned below also offer nice rooms to stay.
Eat Drink and Meet Local Climbers:
The Frankenjura is famous for its food and beer, including Schäuferla and Forelle and you can find local breweries and restaurants everywhere. Some worth stopping at are:
- Held Bräu in Oberailsfeld
- Gasthof Seitz in Bernheck
- Gasthof zum Signalstein in Hundsdorf
- Gasthof Mühlhäuser in Wannbach
