UKC

Hi
Apart from the famous crags like Siurana and around Lleida, Riglos, Rodellar etc…is there much sport climbing very close to Barcelona (less than an hour from the airport). If so what are the crags?And what sort of spread of grades do they offer? Thanks

In reply to stickyfeet:
Montserrat is very close, though not sure it's your typical Spanish sport climbing.

http://www.climb-europe.com/RockClimbingSpain/Montserrat.html

In reply to stickyfeet:

I never went to look for it, but Spanish friends tell me there's a crag in the city somewhere

In reply to snoop6060:
Thanks yes that's about the only place I've found. I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinions on how easy it is to suss Montserrat out and find the sport routes without too much hunting around on a short visit (travelling light so no trad gear with me) and also how cold it could be - I've read winter climbing there can get pretty chilly - this would be mid-feb but I guess if its dry it'll be ok…

Anywhere other than Montserrat? Lesser known small sport crags for example?

In reply to stickyfeet:

http://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/miniguides/barcelona/

In reply to stickyfeet:

guess this is the place they were talking about

http://www.arcodep.com/topos.php?id=624

(in French)

In reply to GDes:
Thanks! That guide looks like what i need!

If anyone has personal experience/suggestions about these crags it'd be great to hear from you,
Cheers

In reply to Doug:

Thanks Doug!

In reply to Doug:

Since a big rockfall the actual cliff at La Foixarda has been covered in wire and climbing in banned. You can still climb on plastic in the old tunnel, but it is frankly rather grim.

The best sport crag within an hour of Barcelona is Gelida, which has a selection of excellent routes between 5 and 8a, with the most quality being in the 6b-7b range. The rockfax guide does a good job of getting you there but the topo is now very out of date. I suggest googling "Gelida topo" or "Gelida ressenyes" for some more up to date (homemade) images. Gelida is extremely popular and on a winter weekend you will likely be queuing for routes below 6a.

Two more okay crags near the city are Pas de la Mala Dona and Penya Ginesta. Both are in the rockfax guide, which covers them pretty accurately as they are both very old (and polished). Both are good in the 5-6c range, though Pas de la Mala Dona has two very nice 7b/+s going up through the cave.

Montserrat has plenty of sport climbing sectors on its south face. The guidebook is "Montserrat Cara Sur", which is now very old (maybe there's a newer one out? I'm not sure). Personally I find Montserrat sport climbing to be repetitive and boring, and I haven't been there for years, but there's a lot of it to go at.

The bouldering near Barcelona is very good with several spots within an hour's drive: Can Bruguera, Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, Savassona, Can Boquet and more. Topos and directions can be tricky to find though, if you're interested then send me a message through my profile and I'll see what I can dig up.

Have fun!

In reply to Alun:

This is excellent Alun, exactly the kind of info I need. We won't have much time so, whilst it would be of some interest to know about the bouldering areas, I know we won't explore them this time. So thanks for offering to have a rummage for more info but we'll stick to the routes.

You're the second person I've heard say that Montserrat sport climbing is repetitive. The area looks impressive at least! From your description, Gelida sounds like a good option, especially as the 6b-7b range is exactly where I'm at!

Thanks a lot. I'll have a hunt on google for those tops!