Jim Herrington
Mountain climber
New York, NY
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 11, 2009 - 10:54am PT
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I'm doing a photo shoot in Valencia, Spain in July. Afterwards I'll have 10 days or so to do whatever... What are your favorite climbing areas there?
3rd class mountains to crag routes, I'm open.
In fact, I'm open for any info... restaurants, bars, etc.
Thanks,
Jim
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GraemeK
Big Wall climber
Ontario
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:17am PT
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Hi,
To the south:
I Love Alecante Area: Sport climbing Sella is a must and there are some large mountain routes around there.
Calpe - Penon de Ilfach is pretty amazing.
Catalonia, Barcelona area:
Beautiful climbing around Siurana pretty close to the city, and many other areas.
The Chris Craggs guidebooks are a great reference.
Cheers, Graeme.
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BW
climber
Big Pine, CA
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Jun 11, 2009 - 11:22am PT
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Climbed for 10 days in the El Chorro area (Malaga) and have nothing but good things to say about the experience.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:02pm PT
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On thinking about it, El Chorro might be better saved for a winter trip. Southern Spain gets pretty hot in the summer, and El Chorro is way down in the south.
Maybe think about something up in the Basque Country if you're there in July.
D
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BW
climber
Big Pine, CA
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Jun 11, 2009 - 12:59pm PT
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Yeah, that boardwalk is amazing. Ghost is right. Be hot there in the summer. We were there in the dead of winter. Perfect.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jun 11, 2009 - 01:57pm PT
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this thread oughta flush cilley out!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 11, 2009 - 02:43pm PT
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hey there, say jim... i really love the spain mountain areas... (from pics only, i must say) ... this is a neat "project" you got going here...
say, please post some neat pics when your're done...
say, ghost... wow! thanks for the neat pics of this area...
sure hope others fill in here, too! :)
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sibylle
Trad climber
On the road again!
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Jun 11, 2009 - 10:23pm PT
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La Mussara, at 1,000 m altitude remains cool in June; great camping, good sport routes on clean limestone. Close to Tarragona.
Jerica is close to Valencia.
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Darren D.
Social climber
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Jun 11, 2009 - 10:45pm PT
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I was in El Chorro this last Spring and was pretty psyched!! But I believe there is tons of rock in Spain that is as good if not better than El Chorro. It was my first experience with limestone. I've never experienced my climbing shoes make sqeeking noises before.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 12, 2009 - 01:06am PT
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Southern Spain gets REALLY HOT in the summer - so El Chorro is best in winter. Great limestone. As a side note we were looking at a 4-bed two-storey house with swimming pool and almost three acres (one hectare) with olive and fruit trees and vineyards near Granada for €450,000 but decided it is too hot (and predicted to get hotter with climate change over the next 15 years plus). Instead, we will be looking at southern France (Provence) where we have both lived and worked before.
If you want an island experience, try Mallorca (Majorca). Some great limestone crags there as well as deep water soloing, I was there at beginning of April and it was fine.
EDIT
We are actually looking at buying a sailing boat and a small property in Corsica. I haven't climbed there but there is apparently some great (both) limestone and granite crags there. And Sardinia too, just to the south.
Though nothing, but nothing IMO, beats the Sierra and Yosemite/Tuolumne. Perhaps Chamonix comes close and I know that the northern Cascades as well as some of Idaho have great spots. Bugaboos too. Gosh, there is so much rock out there in the world. I wish I could live to be 300 and climb all those places.
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona, Spain
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Jun 12, 2009 - 01:11am PT
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If you read Spanish, you should check out this guide to all of Spain: http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/lista.php?nombre=&lugar=&epoca=&tipoesc=DEP&roca=
In summer, the whole place is hot. Seeking high elevation and shade will be the key. I am most familiar with Catalunya. Terradets http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/ficha.php?ID=35 and Vilanova de Meia http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/ficha.php?ID=39 will be pretty hot, but I have climbed there in summer without dying. Both have long (200 - 500 meter) bolt protected routes that are great fun. CADE (5.8 or so, 500m) and Smoking (200m, 5.10b or so) at Terradets are great, and should be in the shade in the afternoon. El Peladet is a crag on the opposite side of the canyon that has hard routes with morning shade. At Vilanova de Meia, Musical Express, Rampes Invertides, Amatista, Tierra de Nadie and others are all fantastic, difficulty from 10a to 11b.
For higher elevation, try Cavallers http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/ficha.php?ID=8
or Colomina http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/ficha.php?ID=14
Both have alpine granite, high quality rock. It will be hot in the sun, though.
Sadernes is in the NE of Catalunya http://www.escuelasdeescalada.com/ficha.php?ID=86
It is a river canyon with excellent limestone. You can climb on the side that's in the shade, and retreat to the creek when you're cooked.
Other spots to look at are Montgrony (if you climb 5.12 and up) and the Berga areas.
The Mediterranean is not too far away, but it will be full of people.
Edit: ran into this: http://www.climbcatalunya.com/classic.php which has some information in English.
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maxdacat
Trad climber
Sydney, Australia
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Jun 12, 2009 - 04:30am PT
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For summer climbing there i would recommend the following:
Siurana which has quite a few shady sectors, plus nearby areas of El Falco and Margalef
Rodellar - have climbed here in July in 35 deg....awesome steep stuff. and for something different maybe the nearby multipitch conglomerate of Riglos (although i haven't been) but looks amazing:
http://viewat.org/?i=en&id_pn=834&or=vt&sec=pn&subsec=rc
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Jun 12, 2009 - 08:57am PT
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As others have said the heat in Spain in July will be intense. I climbed in the Valencia area in mid-Sept. a few years ago and it was still too hot to climb in the sun, but the shaded areas were tolerable. The main areas close to Valencia are Montenejos--an extensive area of gorges with single and multi-pitch routes--mostly vertical face climbing. It is mostly a hard area--solid 5.11 and up---and the grades are notoriously sandbagged--also a bit runout. In general the access is pretty easy--some climbs start from the road!!!! It is a hot area, but you should be able to find shaded sectors. Not far away (maybe 10 miles) is Jerica, already mentioned, a much smaller and more mellow gorge.Alot--though not all--of the rock is slabby, and there are many more easy and moderate routes, as well as a selection of harder ones. It is a short walk from the town of the same name, and, other than at mid-day, one side or the other of the gorge will be shaded and climbable---and the mid-day siesta is a fine Spanish tradition. About an hour or so further is Chullila--a beautiful climbing area and stunning village--almost on a par with Siurana in terms of scenic value. The climbs are both single and multi-pitch, mostly hard--though more reasonable than Montenejos. It is a bit higher in altitude but still hot--though shaded sectors do exist. I also enjoyed the Sierra de Prades (Costa Durauda) area--Siurana, La Mussara, Mont Ral etc, between Valencia and Barcelona---but again heat will be a big problem in July. Your best bet for summer rock will the areas in the Pyrenees--a fair drive from Valencia but not unreasonable if you have a few days.
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Jim Herrington
Mountain climber
New York, NY
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2009 - 09:40am PT
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Great tips everyone, thanks.
It just sounds too goddamned hot to me, as I pretty much assumed it was going to be.
I've decided to sea kayak around some islands off the northwest coast of Spain for 5 days, then visit some friends in Tuscany.
Then... most of August in my favorite area: The Sierra...
Thanks again.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 12, 2009 - 10:50am PT
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Jim, Mallorca has some great crags. If you are going to be sea kayaking, perhaps check the island out.
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tgna
climber
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The best area is Montserrat(Catalonia)hands down.
+4000 routes: sport and trad, free and aid, bouldering... .
Take a look at: http://www.rocktopo.com
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