UKC

Looking for a European, long weekend, bouldering destination for early April.

Font is an obvious choice but several of our party have already been there and so fancy trying somewhere else.

Crescianno has been muted about however I have concerns about cost, Switzerland + expensive.

Has anyone got any suggestions particularly anywhere in Spain as I love Spain and it is cheap.

In reply to Compo:

Hi Compo

There's a stack of great places to go bouldering in Spain.

The current hot venue is Albarracin. It's a fantastic place with a red sandstone (El Rodeno) which is kind of like a combination between Font Sandstone and Grit.

There's a lot of bouldering around the Madrid area. Here you get to chose from El Escorial, La Pedriza, Penas Blancas, Zarzalejo to name a few. Out towards Avila you have Navalosa and beyond there up near Bejar you've got bouldering at Candelario. All granite.

Over by Barcelona you'll find the excellent Can Boquet. It's near to the coast and so you can split your time between the beach and the boulders (which are inland)

There is limestone bouldering to be found in the North. Laraona and Las Tuerces are two places worth visiting.

There is good bouldering at Siurana. This would give you a choice of routes and bouldering.

Around Llieda there is some good sandstone bouldering. It's pretty nails there and the areas are spread out. But it is worth the visit if you're on form.

Here's some video clips from Albarracin, El Escorial and Candelario:

youtube.com/watch?v=fH9asb8irJ8&
youtube.com/watch?v=xA6vasmZSQI&
youtube.com/watch?v=3gW8ENP9fkg&
youtube.com/watch?v=Wqz47BsB0Oc&
youtube.com/watch?v=vr8ZR8LmPPM&
youtube.com/watch?v=Janw9ZLLnds&
youtube.com/watch?v=S4WNtIZg8SU&

If you want more info on a specific area then drop me an email. Happy to help you out.

Cheers
Luc

In reply to LucP:

Thanks for all the advice, are there any guides to these areas, or intenet sites with topos to download.

Both the stuff around Madrid and Albarracin sound great, your description of the rock at Albarracin sounds almost like the Sandstone in the Eastern Freestate in SA.

In reply to Compo:

Another vote on Albarracin. I gave some advice on the place in another thrad recently:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=227302

Early April is probably a very good time to go there. chap flight to Valencia and then about 2-2.5 hours of scenic drive to Albarracin, with some nice small villages to visit on the way. On a rest day go to see the city of Teruel.

In reply to Compo:

There is a guide for the central area around Madrid. You can get it at Barrabes. The guide covers Madrid and all the way up to Candelario.

Here's the link:

http://www.barrabes.com/barrabes/dept_lib.asp?dept_id=783

YOu can also get a topo for the area from here:

http://comandonerp.iespana.es

This link should work. If it doesn't drop me an email and I'll send you a copy.

Cheers
Luc

In reply to LucP:
What an excellent, informed, well written and useful post. Doubly so for me as I'm moving to Barcelona in May. Thanks!

In reply to LucP:
Hi, can you help me, I am looking for infomation about the bouldering near Recuevas.

In reply to Alun:

Always a pleasure to share information

I'd love to live in Spain and so am green with envy.

You're in for a treat with the bouldering at Can Boquet....and yes there is a guide although I don't know how easy it is to get a hold of. It was available from the climbing centre in Barcelona....I guess that now there are more than one and I can't remember the name! There is another area of for bouldering at Mon Seynne (not sure about the spelling). It's a lot further inland. It's a little like going to Jurasic park. The bouldering is great if a bit lost. A local would be helpful for this place. Both Can Boquet and MS are a fine grained granite more akin to grit stone. The bouldering is all shaded by trees and, at Can Boquet in particular, the landings are pretty good.

Cheers
Luc

In reply to Pinky:

I wish I could. Sadly I've not been there and don't know anything about the place. However there are a lot of people on 8a.nu who have been there and I am sure that you could email one of them for info. This chap, in particular appears to have climbed very extensively here (I don't know him)

http://www.8a.nu/site2/?IncPage=http%3A//www.8a.nu/site2/search2.php%3FRemo...

Your other bet is to try the Desnivel Mountain Library. They may have a copy of Escalar or Desnivel with something on it. They tend to have most back issues in stock.

www.desnivel.com

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. I have had a trawl on the internet for you but couldn't find a great deal.

I would be interested to see what you manage to find out about the place.

Cheers
Luc

In reply to LucP:
I did a quick visit to the area last September on the way back from the picos de europa. I only got to see the sports climbing at Recuevas. It looked really good and the setting was really nice. The village of Gama close by has a bunkhouse and houses to rent and a bar. I am trying to sort out a trip to go back this year. It's just one of the party who will hopefully come is a die hard boulderer, so I need more info to convince her to come along

I will let you know if I get any info, I'll try and contact some of the people from that list thanks.

In reply to LucP:

Sounds like there's lots of great stuff in Spain. I've been thinking of checking Albaraccin out sometime, possibly later this year. Is this the best venue in Spain, do you think?

Do you have any general advice about Albaraccin, accomodation, best problems, best time to visit etc? Would be much appreciated.

By the way, you might be interested to know lots of people are discussing it over here - http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,4695.0.html - though no one seems to know much.

In reply to robin mueller:

Albarracin is certainly the current "hotspot" in Spain and deservidely so. If you could imagine Font about 100 years ago then...you get the picture? It's a beautiful place and there is a lot more to climb than what's been opened. There is rock everwhere!

I went in November 2004 when it was still quiet and very much under development. I believe that now it's a lot busier. October through to early Spring are certainly good times to visit. It does get very cold up there though and in the winter it does snow too. In the Summer it gets very hot indeed...probably too hot for most boulderers....although the things I have seen climbed in Spain in temperatures over 40degC....it'd make you want to burn your boots!

There are plenty of hotels, there's a youth hostel and there's a campsite. The bar to be seen in and to meet other climbers is El Molino Del Gato...they do a nice hot chocolate.

Some of the clips I've shown on YouTube depict a locals choice of classic problems. There are many more such as Pinturas Buldestres (8a+), Zatoichi (8a), Turbo Kleenex (2.05m dyno 8a+ but now in a "banned" zone), Grasshopper (7b+)...a bit like Deliverence without the flake, Wassame (7b)...monster roof/overhang....the list could go on...

All this talk makes me want to go back there!

Hope this is of some use.
Cheers
Luc

In reply to LucP:

Great, thanks for that!

By the way, this 2.05m dyno - has it been accurately measured? I know someone who would be very interested if so... http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,6570.0.html

In reply to robin mueller:

Yes. It has been measured. I filmed it back in 2004 and it is awesome. There is a bigger one in Navalosa....2.38m and is called Iberia....is saw a vid clip of it somewhere and it's a proper second generation dyno! Freaky to watch but totally brilliant. If I find the clip I'll post the link.

In reply to LucP:

i saw people attempting 'iberia' at last year's 'navalameca' competition - the crazy thing is that it is on one side of a crack about 2m wide so that when you don't make it you bounce off the other wall on your way down. fun to watch!

In reply to richhudd:

Yes I seem to remember this from the video I saw. It's an awesome problem when it goes, though, isn't it? My friend David Perinan has done it, l believe. It's right up his street. He's got himself a nice long string of hard dynos under his belt; especially ones where hitting stuff if you fail are concerned. There is one he did in Albarracin where failure meant smacking into a pine tree. We strapped a mat to the tree to ease things a bit but it didn't make much difference. If he wasn't grazing his back down the bark he was bouncing of the mat and smacking his knuckles into the wall trying to prevent a full face plant into the rock!

In reply to LucP:

Sounds awesome. I have a back issue of Escalar with some info on Can Boquet such as how to get there and where the main areas are, but not any specific problem details. I know a few local climbers so I'll get on the case with them re guidebook. Thanks again.