Grass climbing (german: Grasklettern) is a type of

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

in which, unlike rock climbing, the climber has to scale very steep grass mountainsides, through which the underlying rock protrudes in places.

Description

This type of climbing is used in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, especially in the Bavarian range known as the

Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps (german: Allgäuer Alpen) are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany and Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. The range lies directly east of Lake Constance. Character ...

where the numerous grass mountains, which are not high, but very steep, make this mode of ascent necessary or possible (e.g. on the Höfats,

Himmelhorn Himmelhorn is a mountain of Bavaria, Germany, and part of the Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approxi ...

and Schneck). Other regions notable for grass climbing include: the gorges of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

,Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal, Vol 32, Issues 171-174, 1980, p. 206.

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Poland's

Tatra Mountains The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak language, Slovak () or in Polish language, Polish () - ''plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovak ...

, and

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær ...

.Ed Webster, ''Climbing in the Magic Mountains'', Nord Norsk Klatresskole, 1994, p. 33. The level of protection possible when grass climbing is usually less than that for pure rock climbing. As a result, fatal falls are more common. Experienced grass climbers often use an

ice tool Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

References

External links

Image of grass climbing in Switzerland
at www.hikr.org.
Grass climbing levels of difficulty
at www.festivaltour.de. (German) {{Climbing navbox Types of climbing Grasses