“High-quality products such as those made by the fischer Group of Companies are essential while installing climbing routes to guarantee safety in the mountains”, emphasises Fynn Renner, head of youth leader training at Baden-Württemberg’s German Alpine Association Youth Group (JDAV). That’s why fischer heavy-duty fixings and drills were used to install the five new climbing routes in the Gotthard Massif. Baden-Württemberg's JDAV integrated the restoration and expansion of the climbing crag into its youth leader training programme. The climbers initially cleaned and tidied the existing routes at dizzying heights using spades, branch saws, joint scrapers and steel brushes. This meant one thing: Extreme fastenings. 

“Attaching the climbing hooks required creating drill holes in very hard granite”, Fynn Renner explains. “In these challenging conditions, we were impressed by the fischer SDS Plus Quattric II hammer drill with its longer service life and higher drilling power compared to alternative solutions”. A variety of technical features made this possible. “The carbide tip for diameters of up to 10 mm, solid main cutting edges and two-piece spiral design enable faster drilling and increase service life”, explains Bernd Wetzel, Application Engineer at the fischer Group of Companies. “These are key advantages when working on extreme fastening tasks such as securing climbing routes”. The reinforced core provides additional stability during the drilling process. 

One important aspect to bear in mind: The drill hole requires thorough cleaning to allow the chemical and mechanical plugs to achieve their full load-bearing capacity. The climbers then installed two different hook systems. One of which, the adhesive hook (also known as a glue-in bolt), was installed with the fischer FIS V 300 T injection mortar. “The composite system is firmly connected with the rock face, achieving a permanent, secure hold”, Bernd Wetzel states. To install the system, the climbers injected the fischer FIS V 300 T injection mortar with the corresponding dispenser, inserted the hooks and spread any remaining mortar. Once cured, the compound system achieves its permanent and full load-bearing capacity. In addition to adhesive hooks, bolts were also installed into the rock face. fischer FAZ II bolt anchors made of stainless steel (R) in size 10 x 80 mm were used for this purpose. With these mechanical anchors, the climbers securely and firmly installed the 10 mm bolt hangers into the rock face. “Our fischer FAZ II bolt anchor reliably transfers very heavy acting loads into the load-bearing substrate”, Bernd Wetzel explains. After the drill hole is created and cleaned, the anchor can be inserted either through pre-inserted or push-through installation. The cone bolt is pulled into the expansion clip by tightening the nut, expanding against the wall of the drill hole. Once the designated torque has been achieved, the anchor offers a reliable hold and can immediately carry loads. Very heavy loads acting on the bolt are reliably transferred into the load-bearing substrate through the FAZ II bolt anchor. 

The JDAV experts also installed belay stations with rings or even carbine hooks as redirecting points, which are used to redirect the rope and allow the climber to descend at the end of the route.

A total of 20 climbing routes were restored and five new routes were set up over the course of the project. During the project, approximately 450 safety hooks and 20 belay stations were placed. fischer's drills and fixing solutions proved their worth through their efficiency and reliability, which they successfully demonstrated during their application under the extreme conditions in the Gotthard Massif.