Rock climbing in the Czech Republic

Czech climbing has a reputation for scary routes on sandstone rock with only knotted slings for protection.  Whilst this is true for some areas and/or selected routes there are plenty of places to go climbing in the Czech Republic where there are bolts or in-situ rings for protection, as well as plenty of bouldering.  The map shows some of the best places to go rock climbing and bouldering in the Czech Republic.

The city of Děčín is located in the northern part of the Czech Republic on the border with Germany near the city of Dresden.  Here there are 3 main areas, with the climbing at Labske Udoli and Ostrov being very similar on good quality sandstone cliffs and towers, plus the sandstone bouldering at Sněžník.

The rock climbing at Labske Udoli is located either side of the River Elbe, close to the Czech town of Děčín, with routes up to 80m long on hard and solid sandstone rock. Labske Udoli has a mixture of Trad and sport routes, where the in-situ gear for the sport routes ranges from bolts to rings though the first bolt can sometimes be quite high.  This first bolt can usually be reached with a clip stick or easy climbing.  The space between bolts can then range from good (standard sport climbing) to demanding with airy “runouts”.  The Trad routes generally utilises slings for threads or knotted slings to insert into cracks with the occasional fixed ring (the use of nuts and cams is banned so as not to damage the rock).  The climbing here is intended to be adventurous, where long falls are a possibility.

As the climbing is located on either side of the river it is always possible to find the sun or shade depending upon the time of year. Getting to Labske Udoli is easy by flying into Dresden (Germany) or Prague (Czech Republic). A train runs between these two cities passing directly through the area, so there is no need for a car, as almost everything is within walking distance. The climbing guide Labske Udoli describes over 2,200 routes across a wide range of grades and is available to buy from our shop. The author Gerald Krug has written an article describing the rock climbing at Labske Udoli in more detail, find out more…

The rock climbing at Ostrov is located in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.  The pretty little Czech village of Ostrov (Eiland in German) has a campsite with a restaurant next to pleasant swimming lake.  Surrounding the village are more than 400 crags offering around 3,800 routes, with short walk-ins ranging from a few minutes to never more than 25 minutes – all from the centre of the village.

The rock climbing at Ostrov is suitable for climbers of all abilities, though the emphasis is on medium to easy routes that are on average 20m long.  Again there are strict ethics with regards to the protection used (metal nuts and cams are banned).  Instead the focus is on adventure climbing using slings for threads or knotted slings inserted into cracks, and most routes have between 1 and 4 fixed rings or bolts. This means the climbing is generally safe though long falls can happen.  What is unique about the climbing at Ostrov is the large number of easy routes (up to F5c) that have some fixed protected, making the area popular with families.

As the sandstone towers and cliffs surround Ostrov there are always sunny and shaded crags to be found, making the best time to climb at Ostrov from the spring through to the autumn. The climbing guide Ostrov describes over 3,300 routes across a wide range of grades and is available to buy from our shop.  Ostrov is also easily accessible from either Dresden (Germany) or Prague (Czech Republic).

To the east of the town of Sněžník is a sandstone table mountain around 1.5km long. Located on either side of this table mountain are a large number of sandstone boulders in a beautiful, wooded environment.  At Sněžník there are more than 1,800 boulder problems across a wide range of grades (from easy to Fb 8b+) in 10 different sectors.  The sandstone rock at Sněžník is hard, and its grain size varies throughout the different sectors, with many technical problems.

The best time of year to boulder at Sněžník is in the autumn though great conditions can be found from March to November.  Even during the warm summer months there are plenty of shady areas within the trees.  The Sněžník bouldering guidebook describes over 1,800 boulder problems across a wide range of grades (easy to Fb 8b+) and is available to buy from our shop.

Petrohrad is the best bouldering area in the Czech Republic, and is located 80km to the west of Prague. The bouldering is on exceptional quality grey granite that is rough, often rounded, which offers excellent friction. There is a huge variety of climbing styles with many slabs and overhangs. There are around 3,000+ problems, across the whole grade range from easy to cutting edge Fb8b+. The walk-ins are short, and generally the boulders are situated in magical forests but some are also to be found in open fields surrounded by a wild, hilly landscape.

Prachov Rocks (Prachovske Skaly) is a part of the Bohemian Paradise Nature Park, and is a Protected Landscape Area. Prachov Rocks is a series of sandstone towers with a variety of climbing styles ranging from slabs with good friction, to cracks of all sizes, and chimneys. Protection is via spaced fixed rings along with slings for threads or knotted slings to insert into cracks. Like other sandstone areas in the Czech Republic the use of all nuts and cams are banned along with chalk. A 60m rope will be sufficient for the vast majority of the routes. At the top of each tower there are rings to abseil from along with a little metal summit container containing an informative booklet and summit log. 

The climbing at Adršpach is very similar to that of Prachov Rocks except that the sandstone towers reach heights of more than 100m. Again protection on these towers is via spaced fixed rings and/or the placing of slings. However there is also a sport climbing area here (called Krizovy hill) that is well bolted and chalk is also permitted.

The climbing at Rudice (South Moravia) is a large limestone area that is made up of a series of buttresses and crags. Here there are routes across a wide range of grades to suit climbers of all abilities near the town of Brno.