Kleiner Lafatscher – North-East Dihedral

The North-East Dihedral on the Kleiner Lafatscher is a line that catches the eye even from a distance. Like the centre of a giant, open book, it cuts through the face, whilst to its left the seemingly endless Lafatscher slabs stretch out. With a climb of around 400 metres and difficulty ratings up to UIAA 6, it is a long and impressive alpine climbing route in the heart of the Karwendel. Even the journey there is part of the experience. On our e-bikes, we leave Scharnitz behind and cycle past the source of the Isar and the Kastenalm to the Hallerangerhaus. From there, we continue on foot to the start of the route, with the striking dihedral already visible above us. On the face, the excitement builds slowly until we reach the crux pitch. The wide crack demands good crack-climbing technique and needs to be secured with wedges and cams – and perhaps the large cam will actually find its place too. After the exit, the route leads back over the Lafatscher Joch to the Hallerangerhaus. There, on the sun terrace over coffee and cake, we can relax and tick another classic off our list.