Mallorca > Sa Gubia >
 
Albahida (Gubia Normal)*** 4+

Adjacent Climbs
<< Supernova, Spits 'n Giggles		 
Quan es sa Jose >>
[The impressive first 'close up' view of the climb, 2 kb]250m, 7 pitches. The most popular long route on the island is the spire-like ridge of Albahida. Climbing it is a full day's outing for most teams, including the long descent. The line of the route is a bit vague since it wanders around the rib, however most of the stances have fixed gear, if in doubt, just follow the easiest line. © ROCKFAX
Gear - There is some old fixed gear but take a small rack consisting of medium wires and a few larger Friends. Also take lots of slings for the numerous threads high on the route. Start at the base of the left-hand spur of the ridge by some red marks on the rock. Timings - Walk-in 30 mins; main ridge climbing 2 hours fast, 5 hours slow; upper ridge 30 mins unless windy; descent 1 hour. Total of 4 hours fast, or 8 hours slow. 1) 3, 30m. Climb the ridge by the easiest line, first right then left to a stance on a ledge. Quan es sa Jose goes direct above this stance. 2) 4, 25m. Move right then upwards with a hard move or two. Easier climbing leads back left around a rib to a recess. 3) 4, 25m. Climb direct over a small overlap to a scoop-ledge. Move out right onto the rib which leads to a stance at the base of a section of orange rock. 4) 3+, 35m. Climb up right past some loose blocks and then up a long flake/corner, past an extraordinary bolt, to belay on a ledge. 5) 4+, 40m. Climb direct past some trees to a steepening. Make a few hard pulls, past some pegs, and onto the rib (possible stance). This leads more easily to a scoop stance on some natural threads. 6) 3, 50m. Follow the easy-angled rib above, past numerous natural threads, heading for an orange bulge and a large stance. 7) 3+, 45m. Move right to a corner, then climb up over a bulge onto an easy slab which leads to the top. Gubia Variante - A right-hand start to the ridge can be made in three long pitches at about grade 5. No further details are known but the line looks fairly straightforward. Descent 1 - For the full summit experience, don't leave any gear at the base of the route. From the top of the climbing, scramble up the ridge to the summit - easy in trainers but harder if there is a wind blowing when you may need to rope up. Continue over the top and drop down the other side to reach a dirt road. This zig-zags down, past a farm, to the main road - see map on page 66. Turn right and head back downhill to the car (1 hour). Descent 2 - Continue along the ridge and over the summit as for Descent 1 but, before you reach the zig-zag track, walk leftwards under the Cara Oeste. Keep well away from the face and, instead, drop steeply down the scree and scrub-covered slope between the main face and another thin ridge opposite it. This is hard going and there is no real path, but relatively quick (30 mins from the summit). Descent 3 - Fast but tricky since you need to abseil down a line you haven't come up, which may have other climbers on it! Abseil down the last pitch. From here abseil down the right-hand (looking in) side of the ridge, down the line of La Ley del Deseo. Don't commit yourself to the first two abseils until you know where you are going. After that it is straightforward.

Photo: The impressive first 'close up' view of the climb © westmorland
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PUBLIC LOGBOOKS
This climb is in 122 logbooks, and on 8 wishlists.

Lovely route. Trainers all the way so nice and comfy! Prob soft vs?
jezb1 - 23/Apr/13

Hidden - AltLd - 23/Apr/13

auld al - AltLd O/S - 15/Apr/13

russtyg - 2nd O/S - 16/Nov/12

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 10/Oct/12

Brilliant route, probably about VS in real money. scramble to the top interesting too - Marie threw camera off the side
tomdude - AltLd - 04/Oct/12 with marie

Loved it! My camera lives here now :-(
marie_p - AltLd - 04/Oct/12 with Tom

Hidden - Lead - Sep/12

crystalchris - 2nd O/S - Aug/12

2.5 pitches only, got very windy so retreated :-(
Rols - Lead O/S - 22/May/12 with Fiona

Hidden - AltLd - 18/May/12

Matt Poole - AltLd O/S - 18/May/12 with Mark Dunn

JamieGreig - Lead O/S - 08/Apr/12 with Naomi Dodds

5 1/2 hours to summit, first lead on a multipitch (pitches 1,3,5,7), a fantastic adventure and stunning scenery.
mrteale - AltLd rpt - 27/Mar/12

Slick - AltLd - 24/Nov/11 with Kevin Vans-Colina, Isabel Evans

Hidden - 24/Nov/11

Hidden - AltLd - 10/Nov/11

Nice route with some good wandering route-finding on generally solid rock. The climbing is maybe a little forgettable but the situation and view is far from it. 4.5hrs start to car, the descent is longer than expected.
jkarran - AltLd - 09/Nov/11 with Smith

Lead pitches 2,4 and 6. Some interesting bolts in places, quite a few bits of tat. Definitely need a small rack, medium to large nuts and a few cams came in handy. All in all a very pleasant experience followed by the longest descent off the very top and down the winding path which seemed to go on forever! Took 5hours to reach the top by sunset, wrote in the book, then 1.5hours for the descent in the dark. Would strongly recommend the restaurant next to the parking ;)
Tala M - AltLd O/S - 23/Oct/11 with Matt Thomas

Fantastic climbing. Takes a whole day to climb this route we took about 4 and a half hours to climb the route and even more time to scramble to the summit and take the long walk down, which ended up in the dark. This route definitely needs trad gear amd some of the pegs are looking very old but the clbin is easy amf shouldnt be a problem. You should reward yourself with a meal at the restaurant by the car park afterwards though.
matthomas79 - AltLd O/S - 23/Oct/11 with Tala Murdock

What a great climb, absolutely brilliant, but weather red hot, so sweaty. The scramble to the top didn't really enjoy that, too hot.
Connorsgrandad - 2nd β - 11/Oct/11 with William Jackson

A great adventure! Debbie led P1 and I lead the rest. All the belays are either fully bolted or have big fat in-situ tat on bomber threads. Some of the pitches have in-situ threads, pegs and the odd bolt but take a small trad rack (particularly short slings for threads on the upper pitches) and/or be prepared for some long run-outs. We had perfect overcast weather so it was never too hot (unlike the rest of our week). We moved fairly slowly but steadily due to Debbie fracturing her coccyx two weeks before and made it to the top of the climbing in 4hrs30min, the ridge scramble took us 45mins and the walk back to the bar 1hr15min. Don't forget to sign the "guestbook" at the top!
UnkArl - AltLd O/S - 07/Oct/11 with Debbie

Debs - AltLd - 07/Oct/11 with Karl

Hidden - 2nd - Sep/11

quality day out and walk down to bar for beer. take loads of slings and wires 5,6,7,8 poss fr 3. Newish tat at belays and threads
lithos - AltLd - 04/Apr/11 with julie

started early to do this then started late due to an organisational cockup. did scramble to top and just managed to finish before sunset. sensational route, although very very hot.
pebbles - AltLd - Apr/11 with david dickinson

Hidden - 2011

Slick - 2011 with Isabel Evans

Different Steve - AltLd rpt - 18/Nov/10 with Sheila Norman, Mervyn Lamacraft

DaNo123 - AltLd - 18/Nov/10 with steve

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 01/Oct/10

isi_o - Oct/10

Hidden - AltLd - 19/Sep/10

Hidden - Lead - 19/Sep/10

AndyFunnell - AltLd - 19/Sep/10 with Ruth Creamer

Patrick803 - May/10 with Jacqui Marwick, Mark Lambert

Hidden - 24/Mar/10

Hidden - Lead - 2010

flytzen - AltLd O/S - 16/Oct/09 with Sean Worthington

What a fantastic climb, In MHO the start of pitch 2 is the hardest. even the scramble off at the top is fun
jayme - AltLd O/S - 08/Oct/09 with westmoreland

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 08/Oct/09

Return visit, no hangover this time and slightly earlier start. Very still and shocking heat but beautiful climb. Tin box at top to record ascent, nice touch.
darren hudson - AltLd rpt - Aug/09 with David Ford

prycey - AltLd β - 06/May/09

Spence22 - Lead O/S - May/09 with Charlie

Brilliant route. Would give it HS 4b as the pro was always good. Just got back to the car before the rain started!
Conan - Lead O/S - 25/Apr/09 with Lindsay

Ken Taylor - Lead O/S - 20/Apr/09 with Richard Munro, Rob

I led the two easiest pitches, 1 and 6
Sdouglas - AltLd O/S - 20/Apr/09 with George Wostenholm

gordon henderson - AltLd - 10/Mar/09 with Chris Morris

CMorris - AltLd - 10/Mar/09 with gordon henderson

Lead Pitches 2, 4 & 6, soloed the scramble at the top
Andy White - AltLd O/S - 07/Mar/09 with Eefu Thong

smudge - Lead O/S - 06/Mar/09 with Dan Poulter

Favourite Climb
djp1 - 2nd - 06/Mar/09 with smudge

Hidden - 2009

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 30/Nov/08

2hrs 10 to top of ridge. Really nice situation, and the scramble to the top completes it.
Sankey - AltLd O/S - 10/Nov/08 with Luke

thebigfriendlymoose - AltLd O/S - 10/Nov/08 with Stephen

Lead the full 7 pitches of GLORIOUS climbing in an amazing atmosphere. Route has at least 4 fully bolted belay stances, others consisting of natural threads. Also numerous bits of in-situ gear, ranging from old slings and pegs, to 'home made' bolts. Scramble at top is almost as long as route itself, taking us at least 3-4 70m rope lengths in windy conditions.
rusty_nails - Lead rpt - 07/Oct/08 with Ben Johnstone

cliffy - AltLd O/S - Oct/08 with Darren Cook, John Baddeley

Hidden - Lead O/S - Oct/08

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 30/Sep/08

Andy Chubb - AltLd - 30/Sep/08 with Joe Killick

Too hot and bad hangover. Take lots of liquid for this one. Probably August ain't the most sensible time to climb! Bailed after a few pitches
darren hudson - 2nd - Aug/08 with David Ford

Hidden - Lead O/S - 02/May/08

Hidden - 2nd - 02/May/08

Apart from a few old pegs and bolted belays, very much a trad route. Take plenty of slings for the threads higher up. Some long run outs over very exposed rock. A great days climbing.
brady - AltLd O/S - 16/Apr/08 with Phil George

Alternate pitches with steve
PhillipG - Lead O/S - 16/Apr/08 with Steve

Tony Little - Lead O/S - 15/Apr/08 with Claire

red-poppy - 2nd O/S - Apr/08

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 16/Mar/08

Great day out. Took a long time due to route finding. Gets windy!
Reeges - AltLd O/S - 16/Mar/08 with Nick Saunders

Made our way up the arete in 7 pitches, then abbed down the 5+ sport route in 4 pitches with 2 hanging belay stances. Great views, and easy climbing with significant exposure at times.
rusty_nails - 2nd O/S - 21/Dec/07 with John Higginson

Hidden - Lead O/S - 17/Nov/07

Led second pitch only Alison led the rest.
martinbath - 2nd - 17/Nov/07 with Alison Rhodes

Hidden - AltLd - 11/Sep/07

Hidden - AltLd O/S - Sep/07

JPGR - AltLd O/S - Sep/07 with Andrew Newbie

Hidden - 2nd O/S - 27/Jul/07

Hidden - Lead - 27/Jul/07

igneouscarl - AltLd O/S - 20/Jul/07 with Tom Stahl

Right Hand Variant (grade 5).
sam coward - Lead O/S - 16/Apr/07 with Helen

Somerset swede basher - AltLd O/S - 09/Apr/07 with Dave, George and Stuart

pitch 2 of Quan es fa fosc
Anna Horrox - AltLd - 08/Apr/07 with Clive Greenwood

clive-greenwood - AltLd O/S - 08/Apr/07 with Anna

Climbed in torrential rain
Stuart Johnston - AltLd O/S - Apr/07 with Dominic Sellers, g taylor

excellent route. worth scrambling up the final ridge to the top and walking off.
brianrunner - AltLd - 03/Mar/07 with martina

kevin k - AltLd - Mar/07 with dan, dave

danny 7a+ - AltLd - Mar/07 with kev ,dave

katie75 - AltLd - Mar/07 with dan, dave

John 'B' Hutchinson - Lead O/S - Mar/07 with Colin Bell

highclimber - AltLd O/S - Mar/07

Kyuzo - 2007

Wayne S - 2007

snowcat - AltLd O/S - 02/Nov/06 with David Gale

Hidden - 2nd - 09/Oct/06

khawk - AltLd - Apr/06 with WH

sam coward - Lead O/S - Mar/06 with Tim

steve mee - AltLd - Mar/06 with Alan James, Mich Mee

C,S,C,S,S,C,S,C
Toreador - AltLd O/S - 07/Apr/05 with Carmen

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 03/Apr/05

Big and long and memorable. Dodgy first pitch.
kevinknights - AltLd O/S - 14/Jan/05 with Alison Parker

Hidden - Lead - 24/Feb/04

liabilityliz - Lead - 19/Sep/02 with Xavier

The Pylon King - AltLd - Apr/02 with Laura

The Pylon King - Lead O/S - Mar/02 with Laura

abbeywall - AltLd - 26/Oct/01 with K

Hidden - AltLd O/S - 26/Apr/01

Epic descent in the dark, lost each other, Joe had no head-torch, constantly nearly going over precipices, ran out of water, etc...
chrishedgehog - AltLd O/S - 11/Feb/01 with Joe Thompson

tjekel - 2001

Mark Riley - Lead O/S - 01/Nov/00 with Milly

Hidden - 10/Sep/00

P 1-3 only
richard31 - 2nd O/S - 19/Apr/99 with Colin Urquart, Darren Pallett

Hidden - AltLd dnf - 03/Nov/98

Chris Ellis - AltLd O/S - 27/Apr/97 with Louise Pellett

Hidden - AltLd - 28/Mar/97

The route went well, except for the fact the gear wasn`t that great! on the Descent John decided to jump off a wall and break his ankle!! Oh dear!!
wadey1973 - AltLd - 11/Dec/96 with Paul Dickinson, John Caulper

Did 5 version (may be next route) but to top of ridge Led P1, 3, 5, 7 Fantastic
stevieb - AltLd - 10/Mar/96 with Kelvyn James

jacque - AltLd - 1996 with Simon

Andy Say - Lead - Nov/95

Hidden - AltLd - 24/Aug/95

Hidden - Lead O/S - Apr/95

shark - Lead - 22/Mar/95 with Sonia

Hidden - AltLd - 1993

Users with this climb on their wishlist are:
Hidden, mrteale, Tom Moore, boywonder, razzorbuzz, oliverthomp, Hidden, Hidden
Voting
Total votes cast 54
hard 50 of 23
50 of 23
easy 50 of 23
hard 4+4 of 23
4+15 of 23
easy 4+4 of 23
hard 40 of 23
40 of 23
easy 40 of 23
3 Stars30 of 31
2 Stars0 of 31
1 Star0 of 31
0 Stars1 of 31
Bag of .....0 of 31
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Style of ascent

Lead26 of 122 (21.3%)
Followed13 of 122 (10.7%)
Alt Leads71 of 122 (58.2%)
Unknown12 of 122 (9.8%)

'Climbed'58 of 122 (47.5%)
clean O/S57 of 122 (46.7%)
clean β2 of 122 (1.6%)
clean rpt4 of 122 (3.3%)
dnf1 of 122 (0.8%)