Schrofen, a German mountaineering term, is steep terrain, strewn with rocks and rock outcrops, that is laborious to cross, but whose rock ledges (''schrofen'') offer many good steps and hand holds. It is usually rocky terrain on which grass has established itself, but it can also refer to purely rocky slopes. ''Schrofen'' are found especially where the rock has broken off against its

angle of dip Strike and dip is a measurement convention used to describe the orientation, or attitude, of a planar geologic feature. A feature's strike is the azimuth of an imagined horizontal line across the plane, and its dip is the angle of inclination m ...

. ''Schrofen'' differs from trackless terrain in that hands are needed in order to negotiate it. Often there are route markings that only indicate a rough direction.''So gehen Sie sicher im Schrofengelände''
("How to negotiate ''schrofen'' terrain safely") at www.alpin.de. Accessed on 31 Dec 2010 ''Schrofen'' terrain requires at least

sure-footedness Sure-footedness is the ability, especially when hiking or mountain climbing, to negotiate difficult or rough terrain safely. Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciat ...

and is typical of grade I climbing routes. In wet weather ''schrofen'' can become very dangerous because of the increased risk of slipping, particularly in the descent. In addition, the risk of falling in ''schrofen'' terrain is often underestimated. In keeping with the base meaning of the word ("rock spikes"), ''schrofen'' also forms part of the name of numerous mountains in the

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. ...

. Alpine farms near a ''schrofen'' are often named after it, as are their access roads, e.g.: ''Ob dm Schrofa, Schrofaweg''. The word is linked to the German adjective ''schroff'' which means rugged, steep or craggy.

References

External links

Negotiating Schrofen terrain
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