Here are the full climbing sequences from the five multi-pitch routes Cédric Lachat and his partners climbed during their Swissway to Heaven odyssey. We wanted to show some of the rough climbing footage without any editing or music and that we cut when editing the film. These videos are made by climbers for climbers!
Sending “WoGü” (8c+ / 5.14c, 350m) Rätikon
Interview with Cédric Lachat about “WoGü”
Rätikon is the most well-known area in Switzerland for multi-pitch climbing. This is why I it was the final sequence in my film, I wanted to save the best for last. I climbed “WoGü, a 350-meter high 8c+ (5.14c) route, with Nina Caprez, a local climber and my multi-pitch climbing partner for more than twenty years.
This amazing and committing line was bolted by the legendary Beat Kammerlander. Getting the rope to the top on our initial ascent was pretty complicated. With no traces of chalk anywhere and a lot of runout climbing between bolts, it was mentally tiring to take so many falls, some pretty big! After a long two weeks of filming on the route, I finally sent it from bottom to top on the last day of our trip, and in just four hours. We started late in the day to stay out of the sun, which left little time for me to climb the route. This meant that I couldn’t fall and had very little time to rest between each pitch. Nina followed by jugging my rope and handling all the gear and everything else so that I could stay as fresh as possible. It was great teamwork.
There was no room falling, since it would have made the send a much more complicated endeavor. In addition to wasting valuable time, a route this hard is so mentally and physically taxing that even just one fall could have put the send in jeopardy.”
For more info on the route, visit the Karpos website.
Scenes from “Fly” (8c / 5.14b, 500m) Lauterbrunnen
Interview with Cédric about “Fly”
I climbed ‘Fly’ with Tobias Suter for “Swissway To Heaven”. For me, this route is a bit less relevant when it comes to telling the history of rock climbing in Switzerland. It does not scale a legendary big wall nor does it have a particularly rich history. However, I decided to put the it in the movie since it’s Switzerland’s second most difficult route behind WöGu. Located in Lauterbrunnen Valley, it is surrounded by waterfalls, paragliders, helicopters, and BASE jumpers!
The 500-meter high 8c route is so incredibly daunting and difficult to climb. It proved a real challenge for me to take on the route in a single push. The problem with the route is not sending each pitch one by one, but being able to link every pitch on the route in a single day. The rock faces west. The sun hits the 8c mid-day, just three pitches from the top, which makes it impossible to climb because it’s just way too hot. When we set out to climb the route in a single push, I sent all the lower pitches first try without falling, and then fell on the crux pitch due the heat. So Tobias and I decided to wait for the rock to go into the shade to make a second attempt on the crux pitch and spent for 4 hours roasting in the sun all afternoon on our portaledge.
After spending such a long day climbing one hard pitch after another, it was not only physically taxing but also a huge mental game to link the last few pitches without falling.”
For more info on the route, visit the Karpos website
Scenes from “Odyssee” (8a+/5.13c, 1400m) Eiger North Face
Interview with Cédric about “Odyssee”
This is one of the most famous mountain faces in Switzerland for mountaineering, and was one of the last major north faces to be climbed. For my “Swissway To Heaven” project, I really wanted to tell the story about the route’s first ascent on the eve of World War II.
For the climbing footage on Odysee, I roped up with Tobias Suter. This 1400 meter, 8a+ max (5.13c) line offers a mix of well bolted pitches and sections of committing trad climbing. We filmed the first half of the route for the movie and then the weather unfortunately took a turn for the worse, which meant that we did not get to climb the entire route. We still need to go back to finish what we started…
The climbing itself is not extremely difficult, since it’s only 8a+ (5.13c). The real challenge is the committing nature of the line, placing your own protection on the upper section, and route finding that isn’t always easy. And since the weather on the Eiger is often unstable, the two-day time window needed to climb the face is a rare occurrence. One thing is certain, this face is not only one of the most daunting in Switzerland, but also one of the most spectacular.”
For more info on the route, visit the Karpos website.
Scenes from “Zahir” (8b+/5.14a, 300m) Wendenstöcke
Interview with Cédric about “Zahir”
For me this is one of the ultimate multi-pitch climbing areas in Switzerland. With its long, steep, two-hour approach and committing climbing, the rock walls of the Wendenstöcke Mountains are truly unique… For “Zahir,” I asked for help from my friend and climbing partner, Fabien Dugit, who is on the PGHM mountain rescue team in Chamonix.
The crux of the route is the 8b+ (5.14a) third pitch. To climb this pitch, you need a good dose of power endurance as you work your way up a series of small holds. I don’t recommend falling when trying to send the pitch since each attempt tears up your skin and wears on you mentally. The second crux is the committing climbing between the spaced out bolts on next few pitches. The climbing on the upper part of the route is easier, but there are five to ten meters between each bolt, which often makes route finding complex as you make your way up a pitch of 7b (5.12b).”
For more info on the route, visit the Karpos website.
Scenes from “Yeah Man” (8b+/5.14a, 300m) Gastlosen
Interview with Cédric about “Yeah Man”
Yeah Man is route up a huge rock wall in the in the Gastlosen Mountains, located along the boundary between the cantons of Fribourg and Bern. The climbing is super technical, with small holds and crimps that require extremely precise footwork. The route has several 7c (5.12d) to 8a+ (5.13c) ‘approach’ pitches leading to the 8b+ (5.14a) crux on the second to last pitch. You can’t make any mistakes on the lower pitches if you want to have enough gas left in the tank for the 8b+ pitch. The route’s superb, sustained climbing works its way up clean, bulletproof rock.
On the day of the send I felt great. Every pitch on the route was well within my ability, so it wasn’t that difficult for me. However, I hadn’t really worked the route beforehand, having only shot footage for the film. So I really needed to concentrate on each move to keep from making any mistakes. A 250 meter multi-pitch route with an 8b+ (5.14a) crux is obviously physically demanding, so you can’t let up until you reach the top. But that’s all in your head, and the mental aspect of climbing happens to be one of my strengths!
I was ecstatic to top out, even though the send wasn’t really a surprise… I knew beforehand that I could do it. Nevertheless, standing on the summit of Gastlosen, one of the most spectacular places to multi-pitch climb in Switzerland, is rewarding in and of itself!”
For more info on the route, visit the Karpos website.