Saxon Switzerland Active experience - Tourismusverband ...

Little wonder that elite climbers refer to
“their” Saxon Switzerland as the centre of
the "Old World": this is the true home
of the sport. In 1874, stonemason Otto
Ewald Ufer and his companion H. Frick
managed to reach the summit of the
Mönchstein near Rathen using only ladders
and iron clamps. In their wake, the
rock was conquered by Oscar Schuster and
later by Rudolf Fehrmann. And so Saxon
Switzerland became the birthplace of free
climbing. From the first climbing shoes
with hemp soles and summit registers to
the first difficulty scale, of I to III, and
climbing regulations, the framework for
the sport of climbing was made in Saxon
Switzerland.
Today, more than 1,100 climbing rocks,
with approximately 18,000 routes, are
available to free climbers of all levels and
against the breathtaking backdrop of the
Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Opportunities
to ascend and descend are endless in what
is a theatre of dreams for climbers who seek
a unique experience in a precious natural
environment. Names such as “Lokomotive”
(locomotive), “Talwächter” (keeper of
the valley) or “Wehlnadel” (the needle)
describe well nature’s works of art.
Climbing
“The Elbe Sandstone Mountains are the Earth's
most beautiful climbing region” Climbing pioneer Jean Claude Droyer
www.saechsische-schweiz.de
Safely up the wall
With few limitations (some areas have
been afforded special conservation status)
elite climbers come from all corners of
the globe to find freestanding sandstone
rocks and climbing trails of all degrees of
difficulty, from I to XII.
Community path at the Wilde Zinne, 1938; first
ascent 8a
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