From the furnace into the freezer...

Last weekend's short evening bouldering session whet my appetite and reminded me how nice it can be to simplify climbing to its purest form sometimes. No ropes, no gear, no belaying, no faff, no stress! So with the promise of cooler temperatures up in the Pyrenees yet again we returned to Cavallers this weekend. Friday night saw yet another serious accident on the N240 Reus - Lleida road in EXACTLY the same place as last Friday. Last week it was a car that managed to end up on its roof and this Friday a full head-on collision. Is it just coincidence that it happens at the junction where the group of prostitutes wait for business - people rubber necking - or is it a bad junction? Either way, it's the third serious accident we've seen on that same stretch of road in the last six times of driving it. Why are the Spanish such terrible and impatient drivers?!

We arrived at Cavallers on Friday evening to snow showers, and Saturday morning they continued. We'd hoped it'd be cooler up there, but not snowing!! Thankfully, a few cups of tea and some porridge later the sun came out and it warmed up to pretty ideal bouldering conditions. Cool and with good friction but not too hot in the sun. And it remained that way for the rest of the weekend :-) We did loads of amazing problems - most of which I have no idea of the name or grade - but it was just nice to explore the valley and climb whatever looked good, until skin and muscles couldn't take any more - a bit like the first time I went to Font!

Here's a selection of some of the highlights:-

Recent snowfall on the tops and a bitterly cold wind...

...nice easy wall...

...very good highball arete with a tricky start...

[the highball arete climbed on its right-hand side]

...nice problem down by the river...grade unknown...

'Golden Gay' - cool traverse given font 7b+ in some videos and 7a+ in others - more like 6c+!

Tash happy to have topped out - really nice sit-start on right arete

Tash getting harassed by the horses while trying to boulder! They liked nibbling the mat!

Really aesthetic slopey arete problem in the meadow - given font 7a+/b in one video.

Very satisfying latching the final slopey boss hold

...more unknown problems...

Fun 6c dyno from awkward crouch-start

The highlight of the weekend was this amazing steep nose/prow hidden among the scree above the road. 'X men' - given font 7a+

...a great way to top off a fantastic weekend!