UKC

I'm heading over to Chulilla at the end of November and have read on some sites that an 80m rope is strongly recommended. Has anyone here been over, operating in the F6b - F7b region, and found this to be the case?

I already have a pretty new 70m single rope, chopped once so far, and would rather not splash more cash just for the extra 10m, if it won't give me access to that many more routes in that grade range.

Also, I'd be grateful for any info in general on climbing there. I read on a recent thread that the topo is currently out of print and unavailable locally (I've emailed Steve Crowe asking about info in this respect.) so if anyone has a copy they'd be willing to part with, please let me know.

In reply to Fraser:

Plenty to do on your first trip without resorting to an 80m rope. It only tends to be route extensions >7c that need the big rope. I'll be out there at a similar time and will only be taking a 70m.

The topo is not in print - presumably another is in preparation.

You can find lots of topo on:

www.climbmaps.com

In reply to Ally Smith:

Great, that's perfect to hear, thanks very much. I'll get you a pint if we meet, you've just saved me £150!

Excellent link too, it's much appreciated.

In reply to Fraser:

70ish meters is plenty for almost everything - as Ally said, the ultra long lines tend to be extensions in the higher grades. Caveat emptor of course... just make sure your belayer ties down the end of the rope!

When I went last year, the guidebook was still widely available (refugio, local tourist information / village "tabac" / or in our case, the landlord of the apartment brought over a copy). Steve Crowe's "bootleg" guide is a good accompaniment for recommending routes (if a little star-crazy). That said, chances are anything you get on 7c-7c+ and around 35m long will be magnificent... and surprisingly on-sightable. My on-sight grade went up by 3 grades at Chulilla (and not just on one occasion... I repeatedly hit the new high). So the grades are either a bit soft or the climbing was just very well suited to my physiology (good at short spells of intense crimping with intermittent rests on jugs) - so don't be afraid to try something harder than normal.... you might surprise yourself.

Anyway, that's a wee bit off-topic.... (or off-topo!). When I went, I found that there were a fair few routes that were not in the guide especially in "mega tufa land" - the Chorreras sector of the north-west facing El Embalse gorge (home of the area classicPim Pam Pons). These, which include a fair few routes in the low 7s, which are in these topos - I hope you find them useful (saving photos on my phone of other folks copies of these really helped make sense of which climb was where):

http://chulillaclimbing.com/crags/

In reply to thebigfriendlymoose:

Thanks for the confirmation, it all sounds very promising. I'd read on someone's trip write-up I came across that he thought the grades were a bit soft too, but who doesn't like their ego massaged whilst on holiday!? I'd seen that link you showed before but for some reason, not quite in the same format. I'll still try and get hold of the topo when I'm there, but these other resources will be invaluable as a stand-by.

This'll be my first decent trip in a couple of years, so it's great to have a specific target to train for at last. Thanks again.

In reply to Fraser:

The grades vary Fraser. Some sectors are proper hard - mostly those close to and on the same side of the river as the village, while others are soft. The last guidebook actually makes reference to this describing some sectors as 'old school'.
The guidebook is out of print and none were available in local shops earlier this year. There is a copy at the refuge. It has a lot of errors in the newer sectors.
Climbmaps.com is very useful though a little awkward to navigate.
I found the best sectors in the 6c - 7b range were Chorerras in the gorge near the reservoir (shady all day) and Muros de los Lamentaciones opposite the village (sunny).
Its a brilliant place. You'll have a great time.

In reply to pete johnson:

Thanks for this, good to know there are some firm grades there too! I think I read that the bolting on some of the upper sections of certain crags is quite sparse so that'll make it a bit spicier and probably feel harder too. Should put some hairs on the chest! Really looking forward to checking out a new area; previously I've only climbed further south in the Costa Blanca area.

In reply to Fraser:

Since your 70m rope has already been chopped l would seriously consider an 80m or a big knot in the end of your old rope!

In reply to Steve Crowe:

There'll be a knot for sure. Some friends are arriving there a bit before me so I'll get the scoop from them as to the necessity for an 80m rope, cheers.

In reply to Fraser:


I'm intrigued by this. I usually find chopping the rope comes pretty close to the end of its life, not when its still pretty new. Once I start chopping, it seems like a bit more has to be chopped off every week or so.

I just had my first 80m rope and what I like is that now the sheath has started to go at the ends I just chopped it in the middle to make 2 40m ropes. These ends that were the middle seem considerably better than if I'd chopped a bit of the existing ends.

40m covers almost all climbing walls and the majority of sport routes (esp. in the Peak). So I think an 80m is worth considering just for this. Only downside is that its a bit heavier and takes up more room when lugging to the crag.

In reply to stp:

I think the rope in question is about 6 months old now and has had a fair bit of use indoors and out. It's the falls and, more specifically, the hauling back up that wears it out the most. I'd agree about the rope wearing quicker once you've started chopping the ends, possibly as the core and sheath are more likely to have separated by then. I have a 70m unicore Joker which is maybe a bit better in this respect, but it's been chopped several times at both ends as it's so soft, so now won't be much more than 50m.

Re the length issue, I mostly train in Ratho, where a 40m rope is almost useless, so I need something a fair bit bigger which will take several chops and still allow use on 25-30m long routes. Even outdoors, I'm nowhere near the Peak (so don't climb there), and if I ever were to do so, I've got a 30m wall rope which is suitable for shorter routes, be they indoor or outdoor.

In reply to Fraser:

Hi, Im a climber in the 6a area.....looking for a n intensive climbing holiday around Christmas. Is Chulilla for me you Think? I do long multipitch routes and sport climbing. Is there any trad climbing in the area?
Thanks

In reply to Jill sindholt:

I've not been yet, but the information I've found so far suggests no routes locally ate more than two pitches, and even those are few and far between. At Christmas if probably go further south to Costa Blanca, there are probably more routes there in the 6s for you to aim for.

No idea about trad in Chulilla I'm afraid but I reckon if there is any it'll be very limited indeed.