UKC

Anyone found a place to get a guide for Ponoch near Polop in the Costa blanca. Yes, the rockfax guide has some of the routes in it but not all. It looks like a great venue. Anyone help?

In reply to Marts:

We sell the guide book here Marts..

Just let me know as we have only got a few left..

I will say thought that they are all trad and long hard routes!!!

No one we know has climbed it yet and enjoyed the experience...

Sam Orange

In reply to Marts:

The sports shop on Calpe High Street stock the local guide.

And it is a great venue!

Neil

In reply to Sam M: Why aint they enjoyed it then, looks like a great place.

In reply to Sam M: We're staying in the Asmoladora finca in the back of the rockfax guide, that anywhere near you lot, whats the weather like?

In reply to Marts:

Hi Marts

You are no-where near us, you are quite a way up the coast and inland, nice area though..probably an hour to get to Sella..

Weather at the moment nice but still a bit too warm in the sun.

Not sure why people didn´t like Ponach, maybe they just didn´t expect what they got!

Sam Orange

In reply to Neil Foster: Planning to go there soon. Which routes did you do? We were wondering about the *** E1 (really long, but not sustained) and the ** E2 (quite short,on the righthabd side). Can't think of the names right now.Have you done them?

In reply to Marts:

Hi there,
I've got some local guide books from the area, this includes Ponoch, Torre de enmedio and Tozal de Levante.
I don't remember exactly the price but will be between 12 or 13 Euros.

The problem of the ponoch is that is a great wall (near 500 m) and the logistics are very important. There are not easy routes and the descent is a little bit difficult. But I recommend to climb there.

If you need more help, please let me know. Neil Foster has climbed there and I think he had a good experience.

Yours Sincerely

David Mora
Mountain Guide

In reply to Sam M:

I thought it was very atmospheric and some good climbing (we did the bolt route Gorilas en la Roca, which had some excellent pitches on it).

But boy was the rock sharp, on much of it, unlike on other crags in the area I've climbed on where you get a bit of that kind of thing. I might be soft (no, I am soft), but by the end it was hurting to pull hard on some finger holds, and my poor little toes in my old thin and comfy pinks were not happy.

Is that what you meant about people not liking the experience perhaps?

In reply to John Gillott:

Despite what the guide says, I would guess most folks find the routes longer than expected!

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Yes, that's also true. When I say 'did' the route, I should admit that we bailed out half way up the last pitch as darkness began to set in. It was a good job we did: not being equiped with torches we were glad of the little bit of light left that enabled us to find the final abseil station or two!

In reply to Heike: I've done the E2 on the RHS. A perfectly good route which I enjoyed. See my comments at
http://www.rockfax.com/databases/results_route.html?id=16944

for a bit of detail. The approach to the crag is pretty reasonable, and the descent is easy to find and follow.

HTH

In reply to Chris Craggs: I'm taking my lass, its going to be her first multipitch experience so was wanting some easier grades than are in the book. E1 is far to much for her. I'm just planning to get her exposed, high. A confidence builder. I want her to have the mountain experience, instead of the crag experience so she knows what I'm banging on about when taking about that magical feeling of absolute exposure.

In reply to Marts:
I'd recommend Espolon Central Direct on Puig Campana - about HS and an absolutely stunning route.

In reply to Marts:

Take her on the Ponoch for starters and I don't think she will be your lass for long!
Have a good un,

Chris

In reply to Simon Caldwell: I was looking at that but think it may be a bit of a struggle to get up n down in daylight at this time of year. Whats the descent like anyway. Walk it or abb?

In reply to Marts:

Then don't even think about Ponoch!


Scramble then walk. It's possible to ab but I wouldn't fancy it. The scramble's marked, and has cables at the hardest places, but can be hard to follow in fading light.

I've done it twice, in March and April, when there's similar amount of daylight to October - the second time we only just got off the hard bit of the descent before dark, but were quite late starting. Get up early and you shouldn't have any problems.

In reply to Marts:

The Ponoch is definitely not a place for someones first multi-pitch.

Espolon Central is a very long route. You can do it at this time of year but start early. The descent is a walk. Check out some tips on my website:

http://www.geocities.com/costablancaclimbing/puigcampana.html

Adrian Bates
Costa Blanca Climbing
http://www.costablancaclimbing.com

In reply to Chris Craggs: Oi, whats with the gorillas on ponoch, christ thats not gona help my lasses confidence. She won't believe its a wind up. Please reasure her, lol.

In reply to Adrian Bates: Maybe your right, I'll probably try and find a route that is easy to escape off if things get a bit mad for her. IF ANYONE IS GOING TO BE OUT THERE BETWEEN 1st n 16th NOV WHO WANTS TO DO ONE OF THE BIG ROUTES DROP ME AN EMAIL. Should beable to give her the slip for a day.

In reply to Marts:
Or there's always Via Valencianos on the Penon - that's shorter, it was January when I did it first time and there were three of us (though the 2nd time we did it we somehow managed to finish after dark!)

In reply to John Gillott:

I just remember quite a few people last year coming back knackered and with the Puig and the Penon so easy to access etc etc why would you try something else!!

Sam Orange

In reply to Simon Caldwell: Yeh,looks more like it. I'm being a little bit selfish I suppose. It's not worth the worry. I'd rather she had a climb where she isn't shitting herself allthe way up. So much to do in this book though, not going anywhere though is it, well never know around the costas these days!

In reply to Sam M: Just want to see the gorilla, lol.

In reply to Marts:
The Ponoig, Torre de Enmedio and Tozal de Levante have diferent kinds of climbing.Short and long, bolted and difficult aid climbing.You can abseil routes or you can abseil the mountain, never walking.Flor de Luna or Valencianos I think are the easiest routes.
You can climb all year round, it depends on if you can climb fast or not.
Ask David Mora for the guidebook, the best one the Tudela's one(in spanish, but easy to understand).You have also the Edwards routes.
Probably Ponoig has the best long roues at Costa Blanca.But not so easys as Puig Campana, which is more scrambling.(It has good routes too)

In reply to Heike:

I’ve done Puton Verbenero (scary first clip!); Diversion (home to probably the hardest 6a+ pitch on the Costa Blanca!); Estado Emocional with its intimidating top pitch which looks impossible, but is all there once you commit); the magnificent Gorilas En La Roca, Miguiel Xirimita (with its intriguing foot traverse on the top pitch); Café Licor and Heroes Del Silencio.

I’ve still not topped out as all the routes I’ve done retreat by abseil below the summit, but I hope to this coming Xmas on Concidito Madrileno, a new route left of Heroes Del Silencio which David Mora kindly sent me a topo for recently.

I love the place! Get the Tudela guidebook and go exploring. You know it makes sense!

Neil

In reply to Neil Foster:

Cool. Can't wait til christmas!