Margalef again...

Same place, though different car as ours is currently in the garage with potentially terminal problems :-( Another sunny weekend up at Espadelles, getting "pumped" (tiring ourselves out!) on Margalef's amazing conglomerate cliffs...

Our shiny Seat Leon - nice car but the steering wheel is on the wrong side! 

The imposing Espadelles Sector

Margalef

For the first time in nearly a year we went to Margalef. It's such a stunning place but for me the experience is sometimes spoiled by crowds of noisy people and their lack of respect for the environment. But this weekend was a pleasant surprise, with relatively few people and it seems that some activists have been incredibly busy cleaning up the valley and equipping new routes. Hats off to these people as the valley was a far nicer place as a result, and there is now an entirely new sector with around 50 routes to try as well as more routes added to established ones.

Anyway, a few pictures...

View down towards Laboratori Sector 

Wild flowers out in force, Ali experimenting with arty shots

Morning sun in our camping spot

Walking in to the Espadelles Sector 

The view from Espadelles into the Margalef Valley

Exploring some rock formations on the way round to the new sector

Local dude with a Mohican attempts one of the super steep new routes.

Inspiration for prospective parents - daycare Spanish style! Kids left to their own devices in the open air on a ledge whilst parents climb above them. Kids play, parents climb - everyone's happy! And not a TV, Ipad or gift shop in sight...

Worth the gamble!

After originally planning to go up north this weekend, the Friday forecast didn't inspire confidence so we left it until Saturday morning to make the final decision. The forecasts were still predicting a little rain here on Saturday afternoon and a lot more on Sunday, but significantly less rain over in Margalef. And with tips still a little tender from Thursday's crimpy session Margalef was the more appealing option climbing-wise so that was decision made. In the end it was sunny the whole weekend and the rain didn't materialise until we were driving back this afternoon and Siurana was hidden in a cloud of ming - good decision!

Saturday we went to Ca la Marta and conditions were perfect in the shade - shorts and T-shirt for climbing and down jacket for belaying. Plus we had the crag pretty much to ourselves the whole day :-)

After warming up on some nice little 6b's on the right-hand side I put the draws in the project for the day - 'Twist as Lola' (8a). I'd been on this once before last April but the day I tried it the tufa was wet and it was ridiculously humid so I didn't even bother with a redpoint. Today it felt like a completely different route and after the bouldery crux at the bottom it was just a steady tick. So with that done sooner than expected I finished off the day with a few 7a & 7b onsights. Tash pulled out all the stops on her final go of the day and managed a really short and bouldery 7a - good effort! We celebrated with a nice cup of black tea (I forgot to bring any milk!).

The reservoir and pic-nic pontoon back in April with Ca la Marta crag in the background (note the water level!)



The pontoon left high and dry this weekend!



Sunday breakfast wasn't as appetising as usual - cereal with water instead of milk (not recommended) and a cup of black tea! Thankfully the climbing was a bit more succesful. Tash wanted to go back to Can dit Gros to lead the 7a she top-roped last weekend so I got on the 7c+ to the right of the one I did last week. It turned out to be just as good, with a hard undercut start on small pockets then good crimps leading to the easier slightly overhanging wall above - done 2nd go! Tash then crushed her route, despite bleeding on all the holds from a sliced finger, and I ticked the final route at this sector - a brand new 7b+. So we don't need to come back here again! The drive back was a little exciting as the fuel light had been on since leaving home Saturday morning. Thanks to a bit of free wheeling down the hills we made it back ok, but not without the obligatory "sh*t we've run out..." prank, which Tash fell for hook, line & sinker! How funny am I.

Guess who's trashed fingers these are...not very lady like!

Magaluf action

This weekend we were over in Margalef to meet up with Dave, Paul & Sarah who are out on a van trip here in Catalunya.

Saturday, still looking for shade, we went to Finestra and after warming up I managed to finish off an old project - 'Morphos' (F7c+). I'd been on this a few times before but always at the end of the day when I was tired so I'd never had enough beans to finish it off. Today it felt like a formality, which was nice! Buoyed up by this tick I decided to put another route to bed. 'Deja vu', again 7c+, was another route I'd been on and come close to but never finished. Luckily today was the day, so now I'm one more route down at Finestra.

Meantime, Paul ticked off one of the superb 7b's on the left-hand side too easily so I sandbagged him on a 7a+ to set him back a bit! The hard bit was at the bottom but his bad technique meant he also found the top quite stiff too. Dunno what he was messing about at! Dave impressively sketched his way up a slabby 7a+ at the end of the day, having sat in his pink chair eating all day. Maybe that's the way to climb hard! ;-)

Fat Dave shaking his way up 'Coraje al Forao' (F7a+) at Finestra, Margalef.

On Sunday we started off at Culample 4, where some new stuff has appeared in the guide since the last time we were there. After warming up on some new 7a's - one good and one not so - the crowds turned up and it was like Crewe station, with every route being climbed or queued for! So we abandoned ship and headed across the valley to Can Dit Gros. Here Tash managed to repeat a 6c+ on lead second go, plus top-roping a 7a clean first go - a sign of the force returning for her! I did a brilliant 7c+ ('Bona minyona') second go. Despite having quite a sustained sequence on small pockets and edges it felt easier than the ones I did yesterday, so maybe only 7c? I don't know. Either way a good route.

Man on 'Bona minyona' (F7c+) at Can Dit Gros, Margalef.

Checking out the Laboratory routes.

Monday morning we warmed up at Can Verdures, and Tash onsighted three 6b+'s in a row which she was pleased with. After this I had yet another play on 'Esau directa' (8a+) over at Cova Soleiada. This route I've been trying on and off for the last few years but always forget the best sequence and find it desperate even when I do work out what to do! Today was no different and putting the draws in felt hard enough, with sore skin and not helped by the ridiculous humidity, so I sacked it off.

A delayed weekend in Margalef...

Due to it being a fairly miserable, grey, and damp day on Saturday (finished off with a spectacular thunderstorm) we decided to delay our weekend plans and stay over in Margalef on Sunday night instead.

Despite the biblical amounts of rain the previous night, Sunday turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, but with all the water evaporating rapidly in the heat it was like a rainforest in Margalef, with what felt like 100% humidity! Not great conditions, but on the plus side the rain seemed to have put most people off, and the crags were nice and quiet.

We went first to Can Verdures to warm up, where I did a 6c and 7a and Tash did a couple of nice routes. Then we went round to Cova Soleiada - home to a dozen excellent routes from 8a - 8c+ and, barring a solitary 6c, nothing easier. My project here is Esau Directa, something I've been on numerous times before over the last few years but never invested too much time in, so every time I get on it I've forgotten how to do it! First go up was no different and it felt desperate again, not helped by the ridiculous humidity which made the small tufa pinches and shallow slopey pockets in the lower half very hard to hold. So after sweating my way up it and expending a lot of energy working the moves out, I was feeling pretty frustrated and wasn't too keen for another go up it. Plus my right elbow (well, the base of the bicep where it joins the elbow), which I pulled in St Leger, was starting to twinge again. So I stripped the draws on the way down. But after sitting around for half an hour or so to stop sweating, I decided to have another play just on the bottom half (where all the hardest climbing is). This time, as is so often the case, with the moves more familiar it felt much more do-able, but with the humidity as it was I couldn't imagine being able to redpoint it. And by now my bicep was really starting to hurt. Not knowing when I'd next be back on the route, to make it more efficient I tried making a video describing the beta so I'd remember for next time, but forgot what to do half way through the description - doh!

The awesome Cova Soleiada (left) catching the morning sun. Can Verdures on the right.

After this we went back round to Can Pesafigues for Tash to do some more on-sighting, before going up to the free camping area by the dam. Normally we avoid this like the plague, as it gets so busy, but today with it being a Sunday night and with so few people around the camping area was almost deserted.

Beer in the sun. Note the nice shiny car - washed by the downpour the night before :-)

Monday morning in Margalef - I love working evenings!

Monday morning was another beautiful sunny day, and today we opted for the other valley in Margalef and the Raco de la Finestra crag - the best shady sector in Margalef by a long way but normally busy at weekends. Today it was deserted, and Tash finally managed to do Magraña. This 6b+ is without doubt one of the best low grade routes in Margalef, climbing amazing flowing tufa rock like dripping candle wax. Normally it has a constant queue of people waiting for it, but today no-one!

Pete's excellent photo of a fantastic route - 'Magraña' (6b+)

After this we moved round to the left-hand side of the crag. I ticked off a few routes that I couldn't remember if I'd done before or not (two 7b's) and then put the draws in the brilliant 'Crucigrama' (7a+/b). Tash wanted to try a 7b, so this seemed like a good one to start on. It felt harder than I remembered, especially the initial moves around the first bolt and I'm sure a hold has broken making it more difficult - solid 7b now? Tash had a good go at it, and once past the initial hard section she made good progress - one to work on?

I then put the draws in a 7c+ that I'd been on years ago - 'Morphos'. First go up it felt hard and really sweaty and humid again, but after a short rest I had a redpoint. Surprisingly I felt quite good on it but halfway through the crux my hand just unexpectedly greased and I was off - such were the conditions! We didn't have time for another go, so headed back home in time for work.

Raco de la Finestra - the huge shadow on the left is the main feature of the crag (an enormous 30m overhang) but sadly home to nothing easier than 8c! What a crag!

Seven days on, seven days off...

Due to a combination of poor weather, an elbow injury picked up in St Leger (probably due to seven days continuous climbing!), and associated low motivation, I didn't climb all last week. Instead, I spent the time doing a little planning for the summer, meaning that we now have a ferry booked from Santander, guidebooks in the post, and a rough itinerary through the Pyrenees. This takes in a combination of granite trad in Aiguestortes and the Midi d'Ossau, plus sport climbing in Bielsa, a ramble up the highest peak (Aneto), then on to Pamplona for the bull run before heading to the Picos for the final few weeks. At least that's the plan. Whether it all works out that way is another question altogether! But I'm pretty psyched for it and can't wait...

Rough itinerary for the first half of the summer (yes, I've had a lot of time on the sofa this week!)

Anyway, that's still a few months away so on to some actual climbing news. With a better forecast for the weekend we decided to head over to Margalef to stay for a few days. First day (Saturday) we went to Culample 4 sector and it was an all too familiar experience, with the base of the crag crowded with shouty Spaniards and smelly yapping dogs. But we both had projects to finish off so we decided to grin and bare it. The warm-up routes I wanted to get on were all taken so I had to settle for a bridging 6c. Great route, but not so good to get the blood flowing after a week off the rock! After this, I had little choice but to get straight on the 8a I wanted to finish off ('El Guardia'). This seemed to annoy some Spaniards. Apparently I should have known from the single quickdraw hanging in a bolt halfway up the route (which they'd put in with a MASSIVE clipstick!) that it was 'taken', despite no-one being anywhere near the route! After virtually no warm up, I was surprised by how strong I felt on the first half and, without learning any lessons from last week, I made a decision to carry on instead of going bolt to bolt to warm up. The flash pump came along sure enough though, and I fell off the last hard move. After resting and belaying Tash (she managed a 7a second go!), I got back on the route and it felt fine next time.

There was nothing else free that we wanted to do at this sector, so we decided to leave the crowds and check out some other sectors that I hadn't been to. Can Dit Gros was a welcome relief from the other sector, with only one other couple there when we arrived. Here I did two brilliant 7a's - new routes on pristine rock, the only downside being that the pockets were quite sharp, but you can't have everything! And Tash got frustratingly close to onsighting one of them - would have been her first 7a onsight! After this we had a look at the two other sectors in the vicinity, with a plan to return the following day, and then went down to the reservoir and into the sunshine to cook some dinner, before finding a nice spot for the tent (away from the crowds that gather in the usual free camping area!).

Tash enjoying the last of the sunshine and shielding the stove from the wind!

Next day (Sunday) we went back up to the three sectors we'd checked out (Can Regino, Can Dit Gros & Can dit xic). They were still in the sun and at first it was pretty hot and sweaty, but they soon came into the shade - perfect!

The sectors in the morning sun. From L-R - Can Regino, Can Dit Gros & Can dit xic.

I opted for a day of onsight mileage, as my fingers were quite sore from the previous day's sharp pockets. After warming up at Can Regino in the sun (6c and a 7a) we moved round to Can dit xic and I ticked the crag, including a 6c+, another 7a, 7a+ and then the best of the lot was a fantastic technical bridging 7b called 'Sabore di mare'. Tash also managed to do another 7a second go so she was pretty chuffed. And best of all, we had the crags to ourselves the whole day - didn't see a single other person!

Can Dit Gros - home to two excellent 7a's to the right of the central orange streak, plus two good looking 7c+'s on the extreme left of the pic.

After this, we were both pretty tired and had sore skin from pulling on sharp pockets so we decided to call it a day and drink tea in the sun while drying the tent off :-)

Return to Margalef...

Tash's friend, who's staying with us for a few days, arrived here last night so today we headed back over to Margalef with her. It was a little bit cooler thanks to a nice gentle breeze and the conditions were much better than yesterday. We started at the Chorreras sector for Helen to do a few of the nice tufa 5s and 6s, before moving round to Culample 4 again when it came into the shade. I warmed up putting the draws in 'Fanatic' (7a+) for Tash to have a go at - she worked out all the moves but got pretty pumped where it gets steeper at the top so left it for another day. I then did two amazing routes - some of the best I've done in Margalef - on perfect gently overhanging pocketed limestone (almost Ceuse quality!). The first was a pretty soft 7b+ called 'P.G.B' and the second 'Whiskey Compadre' (7c) - both AMAZING routes. After these I wanted to get on the 8a that I'd tried last week but there was a guy going bolt to bolt on it very slowly, so we went round the corner into the sunshine for Tash and Helen to do a few more routes, before going down to the lake for a BBQ :-)

It's so HOT right now...

Well the heatwave continues, as it seems to be doing in the rest of Europe. Today it was in the mid 20s driving to the crag and reached 34° on the way back this evening! Needless to say, we headed for the shade in Margalef, but even then it was super sweaty. It seems such a shame to be cowering in the shade so early in the year, but I'm guessing the temps won't stay this high for too long. We went to sector Ca La Marta and had the place to ourselves for most of the morning, which was nice. I stupidly 'warmed up' on some tiny and very bouldery 7a's on the right hand side - the first of which involved pulling on tiny pockets up to a crux pulling on a mono - not great to start the day off, but start as you mean to go on, I guess?! So to continue the theme I jumped straight on a 7c and messed up trying to do the crux too quickly when I slapped for a pocket and missed it. Doh! It felt really easy on the redpoint so I was a little vexed to waste the onsight, to say the least, but it was an amazing route - perfect rock and great moves at the crux over the bulge.

After warming up, Tash managed to onsight another 6c+! Next up I got on an 8a that I've wanted to try for ages - 'Twist as Lola'. First go up this it felt HARD, particularly at the bottom thanks to a few tufa holds being wet, and I was close to sacking it off. But when a load of other people arrived and jumped on the other routes I wanted to try, I decided to give it another go. This time it felt much better and I managed to work out all the moves and link some sections but a) I was too tired and b) it felt really sweaty, so I didn't have enough left for a redpoint. Sunbathing and skimming stones down by the river for the rest of the afternoon was a much better idea!

An almost perfect day out in Margalef...

With the balmy weather and much longer days now we decided to pack a picnic so we could make the most of the evening sunshine and have a cold beer after climbing (yes, it was in a cool box and yes I am getting very old!). We went over to Margalef to try out some new shady sectors. First up was the amazing chorreras sector; home to two walls covered entirely of dripping candle wax like tufa:

The rock at chorreras sector - not unusual you say?!...

...it is when the routes are no harder than 6c!
Here one of the awesome 6b's in the chorreras sector, Margalef © Fredrik Nyberg

I did all of the best routes on the wall to warm up, including three 6b's and two 6c's - all on this amazing rock. When we first arrived, we were the only ones at the crag and it was so nice to just tick away with no sound but the birds in the trees. Unfortunately it didn't last long. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, the Spanish climbers are starting to really grate on me. We normally don't have a problem as we're climbing mid-week and the occasional climbers that we do see are German, French, Brits or Eastern Europeans out on holiday who speak at normal volume and act respectfully. But for some reason the Spanish are something else. I hate to stereoptype and generalise but this is one case where it seems to be possible. It doesn't help that they tend to climb in big groups, but it's still no excuse. I've had plenty of days out bouldering in big groups in Font or the Peak District but we never take over the crag and spoil the atmosphere like the Spanish seem to. Today, the first others to arrive were a group of five - relatively small for a Spanish group - but it felt like a whole army. They immediately started singing at full volume and shouting to each other despite being stood a matter of metres apart and right next to us. Would you really do that if you arrived at a crag with only one other couple there climbing in peace? They continued like that the whole time we were there and it got worse when another group of six arrived not long after. They then excelled themselves by deciding to stand all over my bag and then sit down on it while they were watching someone climb and shout encouragement at him continuously for about 15mins, so we couldn't hear a word each other was saying and had to communicate by pointing while we were climbing! It was just ridiculous. I've had busy and noisy days with the Spanish at the crag (like last weekend at Raco de Missa when a huge group of Spaniards dumped their stuff directly on top of ours and completely surrounded us while we were sat down having a break), but today was another level. We finished the routes as quickly as possible and then beat a hasty retreat round to another sector in the hope of finding some peace and quiet away from them. The only positive was the comedy value that one of them provided with his haircut and fetching purple leggings:

The next sector - Culample 4 - was just round the corner. This was another excellent area, with much longer routes up to ~30m, and thankfully a lot quieter! Here I did a 7a then an amazing 7a+ called 'Fanatic' - one of the nicest of the grade I've done in Margalef - starting on a slab and finishing up the overhanging headwall, as well as a great 7b ('La funcionaria asesina'). Tash also managed to onsight a 6c+ here, in addition to the three 6b's she did at chorreras - so a good day for her.

I finished off with a go up an 8a called 'La Guardia'. The top section of this felt desperate on first acquaintance, and I spent a lot of energy working out a good sequence, as well as losing a lot of skin. But with a rest day planned for tomorrow I decided to try redpointing it, despite feeling absolutely destroyed. After a bit of a rest I managed to get through the lower crux but ran out of steam just below the top. A great route and I'm keen to come back to this sector to finish it off, as well as do some more onsighting. So only one thing remained...beer & picnic down by the lake!

Beer and sunshine...happy days!

A day with the masses at Margalef...

After a few days of rain on Thursday and Friday we were both pretty keen to get out climbing today, and headed over to Margalef for the first time this year, to one of the very best sectors sectors there - Espadelles. Unfortunately it seemed like everyone in Catalunya had the same idea! I guess there aren't that many good sectors in Margalef which get the sun all day, so there's limited choice in cold weather - bring on the warmer temperatures!

When we first arrived there were only a few others there, so we had the pick of the routes and I warmed up on a 6b+, then 6c+ and a 7a+. It was pretty cold in the shade, so it took a few routes to get the blood flowing. Tash then went up the 6b+ too, but by now we'd been over-run by swarms of people of all nationalities, all shouting to each other while they started up all the easy routes, so we moved round the corner where the routes are a bit harder and there were less people.

I put the draws in the route 'Ximpleta' (8a) - one of very few tufa routes in Margalef and also one of the best routes I've been on there. I've tried this on and off over the last three years that I've been in Spain, but never really put any time in to it. For some reason I've also always found it really hard, with a power endurance start up the tufas to a good rest at a huge detached flake, then some classic Margalef pocket pulling which takes you to the redpoint crux. The crux is really strange and pretty damn hard I think, and consists of a really shallow slopey rounded mono hold for your left hand, but with a slight pinch with your thumb. You have to layback off this but then pull up and cross through with your right hand and udge up to an undercut sidepull way across your body and above your head, and is quite awkward to catch but once you have it the route should be in the bag. It's so strange, because from below the route looks like it'll be over when you get to this groove feature, but the holds turn out to be really disappointing at the crux, to say the least!

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier the moves felt than the last time I tried it (must be over a year ago now). So after getting the draws in I came down and had a quick redpoint. I got through the bottom section and to the rest in the middle, but forgot what to do at the pockety stuff above so fell here going for the wrong pocket. I reminded myself what to do then came down and had a rest before trying again. This time I got right up to the crux move but just didn't quite go for the move with enough conviction to catch the undercut. I did the crux move three or four times in a row just to work out the best body position, and then stripped the route. I didn't think I'd have enough left to have another decent go and, knowing that I'm not climbing too well at the moment, I wanted to save something for tomorrow. Plus the hole in my finger from the mono a few weeks ago is still opening up and bleeding every time I climb on pockets - annoyingly it's right at the crease so is refusing to heal! Still, I was pretty pleased with a new high point and happy that the route felt possible for the first time!

Some Spaniard on the lower tufa section of 'Ximpleta' (F8a), in between my goes.

We then headed back round to the easier sector for Tash to have a go at some stuff, but there were probably even more people by now, including several dogs and screaming children, plus a newborn baby! Considering how many people were climbing above them, I'm not sure this was such a great idea...

Tash climbed a bit round here, until we got fed up with the noise and crowds and decided to call it a day, and go home for sausages and mash! But I guess it's what you have to expect at a world-class sport crag in prime season on a Saturday! Tomorrow hopefully we can find a bit more peace up at Montsant...

The obligatory orange eating photo!

The strange Margalef landscape in the evening sunshine - great views on the drive out (and a dusting of snow on the tops from the last few days rain if you look carefully!)

And here's a little good news story I spotted tonight which made me laugh - happy man!

"A small town in northern Spain has decided to reintroduce the old Spanish currency - the peseta - alongside the euro to give the local economy a lift. Shopkeepers in Mugardos, a small fishing town in Galicia on Spain's northern coast, want anyone with forgotten stashes of the old cash at home to come and spend it. People are travelling into Mugardos from outside just to spend the old currency they never got round to converting. One man visited the local hardware store this week with a 10,000-peseta note he had found at home, and had no idea what to do with. He is now the happy owner of a sandwich toaster".