Wendenstöcke

The Wendenstöcke are a multi-summited mountain group in the Uri Alps, overlooking Gadmen in the canton of Bern, Switzerland; the main summit is usually referred to as the Gross Wendenstock. At roughly 3,042 metres the massif sits within classic Swiss alpine territory where long, multi-pitch walls and alpine ridgelines meet both rock-climbing and mountaineering traditions.

In the cataloged film Swissway to Heaven - Full movie (2022) the Wendenstöcke appear alongside several other Swiss crags and alpine zones — the Eiger, the Gastlosen, Lauterbrunnen and the Rätikon — as part of a broader look at long, hard climbing in Switzerland. The film pairs contemporary ascents with interviews and historical perspective, so the sequences filmed on the Wendenstöcke are shown in the context of evolving techniques, gear and route development rather than as isolated sport sends.

Viewers will see multi-pitch trad and sport climbing footage that emphasises sustained technical difficulty (the film notes climbing around 8a and up) and long-route strategy: route-finding on big faces, linking hard pitches, and the logistics of alpine objectives. Contributors such as Cédric Lachat, Nina Caprez and Mélissa Le Névé provide modern examples of high-level movement on long lines, while voices like Beat Kammerlander and Claude Remy articulate the continuity between early first ascents and today's harder, more technical attempts. The footage is best approached as a survey: it situates the Wendenstöcke within Swiss long-route climbing and shows the overlap between athletic standards and alpine tradition.