Hohe Wand in German means the "high wall". Only 1 hour's drive from Vienna and you are at the base of the wall. The cliff itself is very impressive, up to 200m in height and spreading over almost 1km, so co-climbers that we met there mentioned something about 500 routes in the Hohe Wand and the area. These routes offer all types of climbing, from short easy and sport routes, to long easy and hard routes, something for everyone. All the routes we have seen on the wall are bolted, but that doesn't mean that all area, as soon as I know more German, I will let you know... Be careful, on the easier routes, that involve some scrambling also, there are quite a few loose rocks. Our chosen routes, "Draschgrat" and "Duettsteig" (don't ask me what it means) were an easy 5 ( 5.7, see climbing grades conversion chart) going over 150m. Being early in the season, these would be perfect for a warm up.

Part of the Hohe Wand, picture from the book "Genuss - Kletteratlas Österreich Ost"	The Hohe Wand seen from a distance

Three guide books that we know of: