UKC

Medji, Switzerland

© Jack Geldard

Medji lies above the village of St Niklaus just up the Matter valley in Switzerland, which sees many climbers speed up it's winding road on their way to the Matterhorn. And although Medji lacks that iconic Toblerone triangle look that has made the Matterhorn so famous, at least it isn't a crumbling pile of choss...!

Medji, Switzerland  © Jack Geldard
Medji, Switzerland
© Jack Geldard

In fact the fast-drying gneiss crag of Medji is a collection of cracks and corners, between 1 and 3 pitches high, with absolutely bomb-proof rock, perfect splitter cracks and plentiful bolts. It's bloody brilliant.

The grades are in general quite forgiving and the style of climbing suits the British approach; rests are common, bridging and jamming are the keys to success here, and even the few harder routes in the mid 7th grade offer technical rather than pumpy climbing.

Maddy Cope at Medji  © Jack Geldard
Maddy Cope at Medji
© Jack Geldard

The hike to the crag is around 20-30 minutes of uphill slog, but the path is good, easy to follow, quick underfoot and serves as a good warm-up. The base of the crag is flat, tree-lined, simple to navigate around and comfortable. The routes are multipitch, but the belays are often on good ledges and are equipped with double bolts and rings, making abseil descents super-speedy. What we have here is very convenient bolted crack and corner climbing at its best.

Medji starts to come properly in to the shade just a little after noon, but the corner systems of the crag mean that a lot of the routes come in to the shade even earlier. This makes Medji a good spring, summer and autumn crag, and an ideal stopping point for those with Matterhorn ambitions or for those who have been shunned from the mountains due to poor weather. For reference, Medji lies only two hours from Chamonix and is but a stone's throw from Tasche, which is where you take the train to Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

Chrissi Igel fighting his way up a stunning 7b crack pitch at Medji, Switzerland.  © Jack Geldard
Chrissi Igel fighting his way up a stunning 7b crack pitch at Medji, Switzerland.
© Jack Geldard
Alex Schweikart following yet another classic crack and corner climb at Medji  © Chrissi Igel
Alex Schweikart following yet another classic crack and corner climb at Medji
© Chrissi Igel

Virtually all of Medji's routes are fully bolted, however there are around three routes that require some gear. A small selection of nuts and a few finger to hand sized cams would see you right for these though, a large rack isn't needed. We climbed on a single 80m sport rope, which was easily long enough for the abseil descents. A single 70m would also be fine, and double ropes would work too.

Medji isn't a huge crag, there are around 25 routes in total, but they are all excellent. There is a spread of grades ranging from around 6a+ to 7c, but most of the routes are around 6b to 7a+ in standard and involve bridging and jamming.

Photo Gallery - Medji, Switzerland:

The author on a fantastic 7b wall/crack pitch at Medji  © Alex Schweikart
The author on a fantastic 7b wall/crack pitch at Medji
© Alex Schweikart
Mady Cope romping up a fantastic flake at Medji, Switzerland  © Jack Geldard
Mady Cope romping up a fantastic flake at Medji, Switzerland
© Jack Geldard
The view from Medji down the valley towards Sion  © Jack Geldard
The view from Medji down the valley towards Sion
© Jack Geldard
The routes have beautifully painted name plaques at the base  © Chrissi Igel
The routes have beautifully painted name plaques at the base
© Chrissi Igel
The routes have beautifully painted name plaques at the base  © Chrissi Igel
The routes have beautifully painted name plaques at the base
© Chrissi Igel
One of the few unbolted routes at Medji is this perfect hand-sized splitter! 6a+ - nice!  © Jack Geldard
One of the few unbolted routes at Medji is this perfect hand-sized splitter! 6a+ - nice!
© Jack Geldard

Logistics

When to Go

Spring, summer and autumn.

How to Get There

The crag is just above the village of St Niklaus and is easily visible from the road. Parking is near some avalanche barriers, and a well marked path leads up the hill.

Accommodation Advertise here

No Premier Listings found in this area

Van camping is tolerated in the parking area, and there is also a fantastic Auberge/pizza place in the village called.

Food and Supplies
There is a small supermarket in the village that sells all you need in terms of food, and there are a couple of places to eat out.

Gear

There's no climbing gear available in the village, so make sure you are well equipped with chalk and essentials before you arrive.

Instructor/Guides Advertise here

No Premier Listings found in this area

Outdoor Shops Advertise here

No Premier Listings found in this area

Climbing Walls Advertise here

No Premier Listings found in this area




19 Oct, 2012
Looks cool - wish I'd know about this when I spent 3 weeks camping in Tasch. One thing I didn't see mentioned: guidebook? Is there any need or are the routes well enough named at graded at the base?
19 Oct, 2012
You can find one on line easy enough, and it's also in one of the Von Kanel guides. Beware... we climbed there a bit last year until a huge block came off the top of the crag and took some of the path out. A Zermatt guide told me 'there's plenty more where that came from'!
21 Oct, 2012
Looks great, another location to add to the ever growing list...
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