Lehner Wasserfall via ferrata: the steep variant in the Ötztal
“Just how steep can a via ferrata really be?” – The Lehner Waterfall in the Ötztal provides a pretty clear answer to this question: with a Grade E overhang, right next to the spray.
It all started over coffee and cake: “There’s a new, challenging section on the via ferrata in the Ötztal now” – and just a few days later, father and son were standing in the car park in Lehn.
The Lehner Wasserfall via ferrata in the Ötztal valley is graded D/E and climbs spectacularly alongside the waterfall. A few years ago, a left-hand variant was added, which is regarded as a highlight for experienced via ferrata climbers – featuring an overhang of the highest grade.
Text: Thomas Wanner
Parking is available behind the local history museum in Lehn; there is a charge for parking. From there, a marked path leads first to the suspension bridge in about 20 minutes and, shortly afterwards, to the start of the route.
Not suitable for children: According to the area description, the challenging left-hand route is not suitable for children. The original route to the right of the waterfall also requires strength, sure-footedness and mountaineering experience.
Many via ferratas traditionally start off steeply – a clever trick that gives inexperienced mountaineers an early taste of what lies ahead. Here, too, the route begins immediately with a steep ascent. A pair of rubberised work gloves protects both hands and the wire rope.
For the less experienced companion, the author had brought along a 30-metre single rope and a progress-capture pulley: if you’re tied directly into the rope, you don’t have to keep repositioning the via ferrata set – and that’s exactly what takes the most energy on steep terrain. However, this does require the belayer to know what they’re doing.
The middle section is slightly easier and leads up the south-facing side high above the stream bed through almost vertical rock faces, with the waterfall ahead and the slab formations all around you. There are plenty of footholds, but there are still technically challenging sections.
Halfway up, the path splits. The new route leads straight towards the slightly overhanging wall – for the inexperienced, this section is guaranteed to give you sore forearms. Here are some tips: keep your arms as straight as possible and climb briskly. If you’d rather avoid the overhang, take the easier bypass.
After that, there’s a viewing bench with a summit book, followed by the rope bridge over the waterfall. The newly constructed hiking trail leads past an exposed viewing platform from which you can see the entire via ferrata. Around 50 metres above the exit, the path branches off towards the rope bridge – so even less experienced climbers can reach this highlight.
via ferratas are booming, and their purpose has been debated ever since they first appeared. As early as the late 1970s, Reinhold Messner saw the secured climb as a refined form of hiking that represented the future.
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