Routen in Rumänien für ausgewählte Schwierigkeit

Starts slabby, then vertical and a bit overhanging, on big holds.

Classic route mainly protected with pitons. Some harder sections of the route and the belay stations, except the first one, are protected with bolts. Mobile protections are recommended if you're not comfortable with the grade or with distanced fixed protections.

Descent: From the last belay, continue up, on the meadow, to the scenic viewpoint. From there, follow the tourist marked trail, that leads back to the main road.

A recent cleaning somebody did has removed a hold that made the crux harder. Probably closer to a VI+ UIAA now.

Route is right at the end of the sector where the chossy rock starts, so avoid going too much to the left.

Not safe to fall before clipping second bolt (or maybe third), but section is fairly easy. Crux is going to the 4th bolt. The route follows a large crack to the top that makes the route fairly easy.

A relatively beginner-friendly route, albeit with some poorly-protected scrambling portions. Gear needed: 1 60m rope (or 2 50m ones, don't do a single 50m since it won't be enough for the retreat), 12 draws (including 4-6 extendables), 2 120cm slings for the belays. Optional: 1-2 extra 120cm slings (to sling threads or minimize rope drag even further), small friends (BD 0.3-0.75 or equivalent), medium nuts.

Pitch 1 (50m, 3 UIAA) : Use a ledge to gain the ridge proper (look for a golden piton when on the ridge), then scramble on grass steps upwards, through a small chimney and back on the ridge to the first belay (2 pegs + 1 bolt) right before the ridge gets steeper. The grass portions can be quite loose and the fixed protection is quite sparse, so extra pro can be quite helpful here.

Pitch 2 (35m, 5+ UIAA): Use the chimney on the right to return to the ridge, and continue upwards until reaching a grass ledge that goes to the left and up. The belay should be on the bolt + pitons next to a boulder there.

Pitch 3 (35m, 5+ UIAA): This is a sinuous pitch so be mindful of rope drag. Climb an airy but excellently protected chimney on the left, then traverse further left, then up a small crack and back right. You'll reach a downward 45 degree slab with the belay visible on it (1 bolt and a bunch of pitons) - the 3m downclimb can be protected either by a .75 cam or a piton (behind the boulder above the slab, at approx. head height, not visible from the start of the slab but visible from the belay)

Pitch 4 (35m, 6/5 A0 UIAA): Crux of the route is at the start, protectable by a bolt (ignore the piton below it, it moves). Traverse slightly below the belay to the dihedral on the right and head up, and follow a well protected chimney (sustained 5). After a second bolt, follow a grassy, hard to protect chimney left to the belay (bolt + piton)

Pitch 5 (60+m, 4+ UIAA): Follow the ridge upwards on easy terrain with sparse fixed pro but decent mobile placements until reaching a small dead tree wrapped in cordelettes. This used to be the old belay but clearly no longer. Continue past it on scrambling terrain with no fixed pro but occasional mobile options until reaching a flat ledge with a bigger, rotting dead tree (the newer old belay) behind which a live tree can be seen. 60m ropes will reach right up to the dead tree. 60m ropes with long slings and not using more protection than absolutely necessary will reach up to the live tree.

Retreat: On left, there's a tree with cordelettes. A path down starts from it - it's extremely friable however, so don't try to walk it. Rather, rappel along it, go past an old rappel station (rotting pegs), and 5m below there'll be a young twin tree with cordelettes. Rap from that, continuing on the path left. Go past the first cordelette tree you see, and rap from the second one down to another cordelette tree. From there, leave the path and rap down a grassy couloir to the main rocky couloir.

Also works as a trad route

Line follows a series of hollows and the cracks uniting them.

Pitch 1: climb a chimney (no pro except 1 piton at the entrance) up to a grassy ledge with a bolted belay. 35m, 3+ UIAA

Pitch 2: slabby crack, belay in a large cave (1 bolt and 2 pitons). 40m, 4 UIAA

Pitch 3: gain the ledge right above the belay and head right on it, then follow the crack back above the belay. Bolt on the face to the left. Head up on an overhanging crack, leave it by traversing to the right at the top of the cave. Head up on easy terrain to the next cave, and the bolted belay. 25m, 6+ UIAA

Pitch 4: partially overlaps with Don Corleone. Start up and traverse to the right to a heavily pitoned crack you'll quickly abandon for easy slab (look for the bolt here). 10m above there's a belay from DC, then a crack that widens to a large funnel with a small ledge on top, above which are a bolt and a piton. DC heads right, we head left on a slab, then straight up on the protuberance until we reach another cave and bolted belay. 50m, 6- UIAA

Pitch 5: traverse left then head up on the crack (lots of pitons) and 10 more meters on easy ground to a grassy ledge and the final belay. 25m, 6/6+ UIAA

Protection: Reasonably well protected as far as Romanian adventure multipitch goes. Belays are at least partially on bolts, and there's the occasional bolt on-route in sensitive areas that aren't piton ladders. Counting the in situ pitons as bolts, there isn't any passage worse than S2. Some small to medium-sized pro can be useful, esp on p3.

Retreat: rap down back to Galbinele valley, or continue on the ledge to the second-to-last belay of Creasta Costila-Galbinele, and climb that then walk to Braul Mare al Costilei.

3B Romanian 6 UIAA (5 A0).

P1 40m: Enter slightly right of the ridge line, then after reaching it follow it for a while to a bolted belay

P2 50m: From the belay, traverse left to the start of a small chimney ending in a slight overhang. Climb through it and follw the ridge to a bolted belay

P3 40m: Follow the ridge on easy terrain to a bolted belay at the base of a slab.

P4 30m: Climb the slab and exit left (good holds, loose boulders) on a few m of easy terrain to the base of a well-pitoned dihedral (crux of the route). There's some old tat in the pitons allowing an A0 bypass. The dihedral then leads to a well-protected offwidth crack in a slab, leading to a belay once the ridge line is rejoined.

P5-7 150m: Easy terrain following the ridge line.

The route is entirely protected with (old) pitons but offers plenty of options for placing mobile protections. Belays rebolted Two 60m half ropes, long slings, alpine quickdraws and mobile protection are recommended.

Although the overall rock quality is good, one should take extra caution for loose boulders.

Sandbagged and one move wonder. In the crux at the third quickdraw you have to be tall enough to reach a mono, otherwise it's at least two grades higher.

The bolts are few and far between; after the first bolt, the grade is pretty consistent.