Description

Climbing in Berdorf is fantastic.
It is very important to respect this place, as the future of climbing here is at stake. Make sure to read the ACCESS INFORMATION and behave accordingly.

People know Luxembourg for it's tax-free fuel and bank matters, but it also hosts an amazing sport climbing area.
Hidden in the forest on the Eastern border (with Germany) of the tiny country, lies Echternach. Echternach is a small but very touristy village with a lot of hiking trails. Along one these trails are many kilometers of amazing sandstone cliffs. Unfortunately for climbers, climbing is only allowed along about 500m of these cliffs. The climbing area is called Berdorf, like the village which lies above.

Climbing is only allowed between the indicated signs and new routing or trad climbing is strictly forbidden.

The climbing in the area is fantastic and varied. Grades range from 3 to 8c, with a high concentration in the 6th and 7th grade. The climbing is on magnificent sandstone, which offers everything from super technical crimpy and pocketed face climbs, to powerful gym-like jug-pulling.

One can climb in Berdorf year-round when it's dry. We wouldn't recommend to go on cold winter days though. The forest stays surprisingly cool, which is awesome in summer, but disappointing in winter... Some routes stay dry in the rain, but after prolonged periods of rain, the rock should be given time to dry.

About 160 original routes can be found. In addition strong local climbers opened about every possible combination of these routes. In the topo the "Combo's" are always shown by repeating the image and drawing the combo's on a separate picture. That way you can easily find the "clean" original lines, and if you're hungry for combining routes, just look at the last pictures for each sector. Combo's are named "route name (combo)".

Berdorf is popular among Luxemburgisch, Belgian, Dutch, German and international climbers. This results in busy weekends, especially on warm days when a lot of other crags are too hot.

History

Most of the routes were opened in the 1980's and 1990's by strong Luxemburgisch, German and Belgian climbers - you will find many of them as bolters and first ascensionists in the topos.
The crag has seen a complete rebolting in 2002. At at that point almost everything was bolted with stainless steel glue in bolts and chains. There are no carabiners on top, so make sure to be ready to pass the rope through a ring.

Routes on Berdorf
224 sport 159 Likes
Tommy Hardt
from Berdorf
Hanna Vartia
from Europe
Tim De Mazière
from Europe
Berdorf

Climbing has been limited!

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Climbing in Berdorf is under big pressure.
Please be extremely careful, respect nature, stick to the trails and carry out more than just your own trash.
Brush your holds when coming down.
Don't leave your gear lying in the middle of the hiking trails.

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Climbing is only allowed in the indicated zones. No new routes are allowed. Trad climbing is not allowed.
The use of chalk should be kept to a minimum, so make sure to bring along a brush and brush the holds (and tickmarks) after climbing.
It is forbidden to top out onto the plateaus as well as abseil down from the top (both from trees or (old) anchors).

Respect this place and leave it cleaner than you found it. Berdorf gets a huge pressure from both climbers and hikers, and the future of climbing in this fairy-forest is at stake.

Getting to Berdorf:
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Getting to Berdorf is easy by car. You can park on the North and South side, but we recommend to take the North parking as indicated on the map. The South parking is outside of one of the campings. You will also find the opportunity for a cold beer at the mini-golf bar here.
The North-side parking has a big picnic area and BBQ. Mind that camping here is forbidden

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By public transportation:
From Luxembourg city, you can get to Berdorf by bus, which is relatively easy. Be prepared to change busses in Echternach or elsewhere.