I am looking for something like the Matthes Crest or Cathedral peak in the California Sierra, these are both beautiful lines that involve a fair part of a day (for most of us), but are rewarding for their exposure and scenery. I know that the weather and rock are different but surely there are gems like these in the Swiss Alps?
Cheers.
they are available in most climbing shops, try Bachli ( www.bachli-bergsport.ch ) and there will be an even larger range of guides in the mountain bookshop near the main police station in zurich (sorry can't remember the full address).
the staff at both speak good english and very helpful.
The grimsel and furka areas are my favourites as they have superb granite. Several routes in the Diamantstock, above the grimsel pass fit your criteria. This year we spent a couple of very satisfying nights at the Wiwannihut directly above Visp, doing both single pitch cragging and the classic Wiwannihorn route (goes up the pointy ridge that can be seen from Visp), it has 4 pitches that are 5a though.
I remeber doing the pilatus scramble one year too (most pitches 3a) which was still fun.
Most of the climbs are up high and can be a long-ish walk or involve a stay in an alpine hut, so its pretty important to have a good forecast before setting out.
hope this helps and enjoy
I think that the bookstore near the Police station might be:
Piz Buch & Berg, L. Roffler
Müllerstrasse 25, 8004 Zürich, Schweiz
If you come climbing in California let me know.
Thank you.