UKC

What is the best guidebook(s) for Costa Daurada?
Mainly asking as Margalef seems to have many more routes in the UKC logbook than the 2002 Rockfax guide/online d/b? Is this the case for other crags?
We will be buying the R/F guide, are there others to fill in the gaps?

Also what is the standard rope length? Was thinking of taking of 70m.

Thanks John

In reply to j_duds:

Margalef is probably the most recently developed crag....the other main ones eg Siurana, Arboli etc are adequately described in the Rockfax. You can of course supplement with the local topos if so inclined.

70m rope is fine.

In reply to j_duds:

I would say that with 70m rope and the rockfax guide youl have loads to go at. loads!

In reply to Morgan Woods:

>"Margalef is probably the most recently developed crag"

Hasn't Montsant been extensively developed since the 2002 guide?

I think a 60m is fine for most (all?) of the stuff in the 2002 guide but some newer stuff requires 70m.

In reply to Morgan Woods:

is it worth buying the extra guide/topo for Margalef?
and can this easily be bought out there?

In reply to j_duds: theres millions to go at in the area, probably amongst europe's best spots. theres quite a choice of guidebooks too. depends where youre going, if youre going to be moving around then the Rockfax guide is probably ok but its quite out of date and i think only includes very limited info on some areas like Margalef or Montsant.

i guess it also depends on how long youre going for, if its a week or 2 then Rockfax should be ok. if any longer and concentrating on one area then id opt for the local guide though you could struggle with directions / area info if your spanish is non-existent.

wrt Margalef, yes i think theres been a lot of activity there over the last few years and it seems to be quite in fashion. certainly, there are some very cool spots there (check out the extras section of Dosage V and youll see Daila Ojeda on a great looking 8a/+ at Margalef, El Faustigador or similar). you can get the local guide (very simple affair) for 10 euros or possibly less at the refugio in Margalef - id say if youre going to spend time there then you definitely need to buy it.

you have to go to Siurana when youre there, its spectacular with some amazing routes: Can Piqui Pugui, El Pati and L'Olla are brilliant sectors.

local / other guides im aware of:

Arboli - cheap and simple (white pages, basic topo with names - same style as Margalef guide)
Siurana - simple, not black and white but not far off, and comprehensive but no descriptions or stars and the topos are quite abstract. worth having if youre staying there for a while
Montsant - new guide just out earlier this year, full colour and comprehensive. looked good in the shop

maybe best to get there and see how you go / what you think and where you want to concentrate on, you can always pick up guides when out there. as for rope, i think youd be fine on a 60 so a 70 will be fine for sure.

have a great time!

Sounds great thanks for all the advice.

Any routes i must look out for (in the mid 7s), i've been looking at routes like Bistec de biceps.

In reply to j_duds:

i thought sector L'Olla (where Biceps is) was pretty desperate....i couldn't touch the 7a next to Biceps so didn't even try it. it is more short and powerful whereas i prefer longer stamina routes.

you might want to consider Pizza de Pinya (7a) and Mandragora (7b) at Siurana.

the unnamed 7a at Margalef (no 10 in Rockfax) is brilliant.

In reply to Morgan Woods:
Are these longer stamina routes?
- i better get some aerobic training!

In reply to j_duds:

i tend to prefer longer routes is all.....depends what suits you. if you are operating in the mid 7's you should have no probs finding lots to do.

In reply to j_duds: what are your strengths? id bouldered quite a bit over the winter and found L'Olla really suited me (though typically im much better on long, sustained and steep stamina pitches). Bistec is brilliant as is Ya Os Vale though this is a touch harder at 7c. the 7a+ called something like Valga'm deu... at the same spot is really good too.

Isadora at Can Piqui Pugui is amazing - beautiful blue / grey limestone and quality all the way though very much 7b+. Hostia 7b at Can Melafots is cool. Petitona at L'Aparador (at least i think thats what its called) is beautiful and glorious to be on in the evening light, this is technical but very doable 7b.

i havent done much at the other venues in the area but if you want more Siurana recommendations let me know. oh, before i forget, Delicatessen also at Can Piqui Pugui is a high quality 7a+ and a must if there.

In reply to ksjs:

i had heard of a really good Valley 7a in the sector opposite L'Olla (not described in Rockfax) but couldn't find it....apparently near some iron access rungs....any ideas?

In reply to Morgan Woods: i think its the one that looks amazing: up a big orange wall with perma chalk almost directly opposite El Pati (so other end from L'Olla). i havent been over there but this might be the one you mean?

In reply to ksjs:

that sounds right....just seemed a bit hard to find from below.

In reply to ksjs: what are your strengths?

Short UK limestone routes (mainly in the Peak and N Yorks). Cruxy routes.

Although that said I loved the stamina fests in gorges du tarn! Bring on the pump.

In reply to j_duds:
If you go to Siurana, you want the rockfax and the local guidebook. the local guide has far mroe routes but its very difficult to identify the! If youve got the rockfax you can use the ones in it as a starting point at least.
Cant speak for anywhere else.

In reply to j_duds:

At the moment there is no decent guidebook for Siurana. You just have to struggle and hope to meet someone with up to date knowledge. Best crags are Espero Primavera, Grau Dels Massetts Dabaix, El Pati, Can Toni Gros, Laparador and Siuranella South. You could buy local guide and copy all the new routes from the Siurana campsite copies but there is no space for this on some of the pages. The Rockfax is many years out of date, though it can be of limited help if you go to La Mussara El Falco or Montral.

In reply to j_duds:

I'd recommend a day up at the Raco de Misa sector at Montsant. Stunning routes from high 6s upwards with one superb wall that had 3 or 4 7b/7b+'s next to each other. This was just to the left of big steep sector of the crag which has a bunch of 8a's and 8b's.

Not sure about topos, but I had a photocopy from an old copy of Climber. There's probably something on the internet now, but if not you can copy the topo down from the routes book at the refuge in Cornudella. I'd go with a 70m rope, OK for most routes but we still needed to split the lower off on a couple of routes.

In reply to martin heywood:

Toni Arbones guide was only written in 2003, with that and the rockfax you have plenty to go at for a few years.

In reply to martin heywood: oi Martin! what about Can Piqui? Siurana's showpiece surely alog with El Pati

In reply to j_duds: you should be fine at L'Olla then. there arent too many stamina monsters arent Siurana (Mandragora is maybe the only one that i can think of and this has a run out feel so its not so easy [for me at least] to keep on going regardless). ive had 2 trips to Siurana and really struggled on the first one. i think its very different (and for that reason arguably better) than many of the typical euro-limestone sport venues i.e. its quite technical and can be hard to onsight here.

stamina fests you should find at El Falco (Arboli) or Raco de Misa (Montsant) though i havent climbed at either. Margalef has great stamina stuff too: theres a great wall with several amazing 7s on it (think the sector is Raco de la Finestra or similar): Laverint D'Ombres 7b and Entretes, a tough 7a+, are sublime. theres also Magrana, surely amongst europe's best 6b+s

Great stuff. Thanks for all the recommendations. I'll check them out.

John