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.
