UKC

The best crag you've never seen.

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 MischaHY 09 Sep 2016
Had you heard about epic German sport climbing outside of the Frankenjura? Nope, me neither... Until recently, that is. Turns out the Swabian Alps are an epic combination of cheapness, easy access and epic routes on good quality rock. I've written a blog about it that you can check out in the link below.

http://atouchofgnar.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/the-best-crag-youve-never-seen.h...

Any other European gems hidden away that I should know about? Which climbing destinations do you think are undervalued by us Brits? We've got to make the most of them before Brexit stops all the fun
7
 d_b 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

I could tell you but then I would have to kill you.
1
 Bulls Crack 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

I don't know...obviously!
1
OP MischaHY 09 Sep 2016
In reply to davidbeynon:

Excellent response :')
 Lemony 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

It's not in the UK but I reckon a lot of brits would love Suesca in Colombia. It's a mix of sport and trad on a massive sandstone crag with routes up to about 120m and a two minute walk in.
OP MischaHY 09 Sep 2016
In reply to Lemony:

Sounds amazing!
 alexwolf47 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

The North of Spain (Cantabria, Asturias & Leon) seems to be largely overlooked in favour of more popular destinations in Spain. It is the only region in Spain i've climbed in so can't compare it to other places. But there are cheap places to stay, awesome food, cheap flights (albeit not the easiest place to get to depending on where you are in the UK) and most importantly amazing climbing of all types in stunning situations.

Haven't been to a busy crag there yet, the bolting is really good and there are loads of options depending on the weather. Everything feels at least a grade or two harder compared to sport climbing i've done in the UK though!
OP MischaHY 09 Sep 2016
In reply to alexwolf47:

Cool! Sounds excellent. I found Spanish grading very different to that of the UK... Only I found it easier! It's such a different style of climbing.
 Dom Whillans 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

craig y forwen?
 alexwolf47 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

I guess it depends where in Spain as well, spoke to a Spanish climber in N. Spain about the grades there and he said that when people came from Catalunya they found everything a little harder! Doesn't really matter when you have quality routes at every grade though!
 stp 09 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:

Interesting article and a good idea for a topic. It's good to spread the word on new areas though a few more photos and a bigger route selection would have helped. Maybe some topos of the best bits would give a greater overview of the area.

In terms of other areas in Europe I think there are probably loads and loads. It seems many British climbers have a pretty narrow view of foreign destinations, focusing almost exclusively on the more fashionable, honeypot destinations like Kalymnos and El Chorro.

France, our nearest neighbour, has a huge amount of rock yet Brits rarely seem to climb there much at all nowadays. Places that were in vogue 20 years ago seem forgotten about yet the climbing is still fantastic. Buoux, Mouries, Chateau Verts, Briancon, Loubiere, Cantobre, Sugiton etc. I heard there is an area similar to Ceuse and not that far from there but I don't even know what it's called, never seen an article or even any photos before. The Verdon climbing has been massively expanded and there was a whole Grimper magazine a few years ago that was just topos to new areas there.

Greece is now being developed with some massive areas to climb at. Mallorca is meant to be very good.

I saw a video of sport climbing in Lebanon that looked very good but I've never heard of anyone going there.

Switzerland? Austria? Those countries are almost made of rock. Must be so much there.
 SenzuBean 10 Sep 2016
In reply to MischaHY:
Have been in the Polish Tatras the past week. The rock is absolutely stunning (both granite and limestone multipitch, within walking distance), and I didn£t see many climbers (thousands of walkers, half a dozen climbers). I think climbing is only allowed on designated areas, which is a shame as some of the features were breathtaking.
The Slovak side might have better access - not sure
Post edited at 09:50

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