UKC

I'm heading to Sardinia in October with a few friends, we all climb about VS/ HVS on trad and 6a/ 6a+ on sport.

I'm hoping for a nice varied holiday with a mixture of climbing types. In particular it would be nice to find some good trad or multi pitch and possibly some DWS as well.

I've just ordered the Sardinia multi pitch guide and I've picked out a couple of objectives from that - Marinaio de Foresta on Pedra Longa and Lughe E Vida Mia on Sa Forada e Sa Ida.

But I just wondered if anyone had any other recommendations?

Also I was wondering about the Aguglia Goloritze- it looks amazing!! But the easiest route Easy Gymnopaedia is 6C, and I don't think any of us have ever onsighted anything that hard before. Would it be madness to give it a go? How aid able are the hard bits?

We also need to decide where to stay, and whether it would be better to base ourselves in Ogliastra or Cala Gonone? It looks like there are more options for variety in Ogliasta (climbing on granite etc)? Has anyone got any advice?

Thanks

Elsie

In reply to Elsier:
I'm sure others can answer the rest of your questions, but re Easy Gymnopedie:

Yes, it is indeed amazing!

It's a challenging route due to the situation (and the hot sun if you're not used to that), but aside from the one move I don't think it officially goes above 6a+. Certainly that's my memory - from a fair few years ago now. Main problem we had was being stuck behind a large guided party who were not up to the task of seconding it. Big belay ledges though.

If you want detailed beta about the crux 6c move I can describe that in some detail. I don't have much experience of aiding, but my memory is that bolt positions would make it difficult to aid on lead.

As you probably know, strictly speaking there IS an easier route on the pinnacle, but I believe it's a much more sustained 6b+ and with more of a trad feel (copious pegs instead of bolts).

In reply to jonny taylor:

Thanks that's really helpful. I guess it would be useful to know a bit of beta ie what style the crux moves are, how well bolted it is, and how safe it would be to fall on the crux?

The other route doesn't appeal so much, I think I read somewhere that it felt like E2!

I guess in the end it will all depend on how hard we find the climbing in Sardinia. We will just have to see how we get on with the other routes and then see if we are up for it.

I did find an easier route on a mini spire (a smaller version of the aguglia) in the guidebook, so we could always do that if we decide this would be too hard.

In reply to Elsier:
Turns out I wrote a fair bit of detail about the route in general soon after we climbed it:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=404074

As for the crux move itself: my memory is that there's a small overlap with good pockets (somewhere near the lip?) and it's a case of working your way as high as you can, locking off with one hand and then stretching high for the next hold. I think there's a bolt somewhere around your shins(?) and the next one is reachable pretty much as soon as you've made the move.

Not sure you could truly aid it very easily on lead, but I think you could retreat to the bolt just below to regroup.

If you want somewhere to try yourself out first, I suspect the multipitch slabs at La Poltrona would probably not be a bad place to practice. That's a cool place too... but if you get on well onsighting the 6a+ routes in the Cala Gonone area then you should totally go for the Aguglia, it's fantastic.


Yes, although this was the only one we climbed, I get the impression it's significantly easier than the alternatives. I got mixed advice as to how "trad" it was, but agree it's likely to be harder.

In reply to jonny taylor:

Thanks that's really useful to know.

I notice in your write up you mention getting a boat in to the Aguglia. I thought that sounded like an ace adventure, and actually that's part of the appeal! But I just wondered how the logistics worked for that as I think I read that you're not actually allowed very close to the beach at Cala Goloritze. So did you have to anchor the boat further out? And how did you manage to swim (without drowning) with all your climbing kit?

In reply to Elsier:
As we understood it (back then, at least) you're allowed to drop off/pick up passengers, but not hang about on the beach with the boat. That didn't stop us from getting grief from an army of militant kayakers [with their boats pulled up all over the beach...] who thought we were being too slow about it
"YOU WERE TOLD!!"

In reply to Elsier:

Easy Gymnopedie is 6b max 5c obligatory in the Pietra di Luna MP guide, it's been downgraded. Many people think Marinaio de Foresta is better. For the things you list as wanting to do, Ogliastra is better (no granite or DWS accessible by foot near Cala Gonone), there are also many more new routes than in Cala Gonone (Ulassai, Baunei eg Monte Oro where I just did the most spectacular 6a/6a+ of my life, huge slanting undercut corner huge holds, see 29 July post on https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lemon-House/37597784135 )

In reply to jonny taylor:

So is it possible to moor your boat offshore after you've dropped off your climbing stuff? (And found a willing volunteer to do the swim)

Or did you leave someone in the boat and get them to come back and pick you up when you did it?

In reply to Peter Herold:

6b max, 5c obl sounds do-able! More incentive to do a bit of training for the trip!

Thanks for the info Peter, I am swerving towards Ogliastra. Is Surtana and Monte Oddeu reachable in a day trip from Baunei or Santa Maria Naveresse? It looks like most of the stuff we're interested in, is around Ogliastra. But I did also wonder about some of the multi pitches at the above venues. We have got about a week and a half, so we could always have a week in Ogliastra and then move to Cala Gonone for 2-3 days at the end of the trip.

And thanks for the inspiration, that looks like a great route!

In reply to Elsier:


It was possible back then, at least. Once you're out there, the boat hire people should be able to tell you.

"Thanks for the info Peter, I am swerving towards Ogliastra. Is Surtana and Monte Oddeu reachable in a day trip from Baunei or Santa Maria Naveresse? It looks like most of the stuff we're interested in, is around Ogliastra. But I did also wonder about some of the multi pitches at the above venues. We have got about a week and a half, so we could always have a week in Ogliastra and then move to Cala Gonone for 2-3 days at the end of the trip." They are but it's 75-90 min drive, better to stay in Dorgali to climb Surtana and Monte Oddeu.
We always recommend people walk to Cala Goloritzè, it makes a great day out and sometimes sea conditions don't let the RHIBs land, Cala Goloritzè is worst than the other Cale in this respect and if you're staying near Baunei it's not far to drive to the parking. Have a nice time

In reply to Peter Herold:


Gutted! If I'd known that we'd have gone for it when we were over!
Anyhow, to the OP - you climb the same grades as my wife and I and there was certainly enough for us in Oligastra without all the new routes that have just been put up (ask Peter about them). 'Route of the trip' for us was 'Sound of silence' at Surtana - well worth the twisty drive up from Oligastra. You could combine it with a walk up to Tiscali to make a nice day out. The walk down to Cala Goloritze is worth doing, it's one of the best beaches in the world.

In reply to Toerag:

Thanks for all the info everyone, it sounds amazing, I'm really looking forward to the trip now.