November in the UK is often a 'lost' month from a climbing point of view, unless of course you are into wet v. diffs or undisguised epics on harder routes. So like many others this year Harvey, Jill, Lynne and myself travelled south to the Costa Blanca to sample the delights of warm sunny Spanish rock whilst those at home mopped out their cellars following the seasonal floods.
Travelling cheaply by courtesy of Air 2000 we arrived in Alicante and collected our hire car (a Citroen Zsara Picasso and clearly an upgrade) for the short drive to just south of Calpe in the heart of the Costa Blanca climbing area. Sun met us almost instantly and it was not long before we had walked up the Penon de Ifach to admire the views of the Calpe coastline. The next day, however, we were climbing seriously and chose Sella for initiation into the steep, bolted limestone that characterises the Costa Blanca. Almorranas Salvajes, a 4+, was our first climb, but it was not long before we were knocking back the classic 5 and 5 plusses of Speedy Gonzeles, Con Mallas and Aqui no nos Dejan Aparcar. Looking for more excitement, we then climbed an unknown route, which we also graded around 5+, but an attempt at a polished grade 6 was aborted at the first difficulty about three bolts from the ground. Being a popular area many of the lower grade starred routes are polished at Sella, as Harvey convincingly demonstrated when he speedily descended from the start of the appropriately named Speedy Gonzales before managing to clip the first bolt.
With so many crags to choose from we visited Toix West on our second day; a whole 20 minutes drive from our accommodation and with a 2 minute walk in. Despite the easy access and the high quality of climbs we had this crag to ourselves for most of the day. We started on the two pitch Red Route II (5,4+) with its awkward route finding on pitch 2 and found bypassing the overhang an interesting experience for a grade 4+. We followed this with Green Route II (5,4+) in truly exciting situations, surmounting the pronounced flake on pitch 2 in a position of almost unbelievable exposure. The 45m abseil down the main face for both routes was also impressive! We finished with Renou, a slabby full-length 5-, before heading back for well earned beers. An active building programme is likely to change the character of this venue quite dramatically, so visit it soon before it becomes part of a housing estate!
Looking for somewhere different again we chose Peña Rubia for our third day. This inland crag was a somewhat longer drive, but the 2 minute walk in, extensive views and high quality rock more than made up for this. Once again we were on our own. We climbed the crag's single pitch classics, Placa Solar (5+), Maria A (5+), El Ultimo Yeclano (5) and Caru (5), as well as the two pitch Chimet (4+,4+) and El Vuelo del Mono (5,5) before again calling it a day and returning home. An attempt on the 6a overhang of El Ultimo Yeclano (alternative finish) was foiled when a hand hold broke to leave me swinging in mid air, a further reminder that some of the less well used routes can have hidden, and sometimes unpleasant, surprises.
On the next day we chose the mountain environment of Puig Campana where we intended to climb the unbolted Tricolomania. Despite all our planning, however, we got it wrong and it was not long before we realised that we could no longer distort the route to fit the guide book description. We just had to face it – we were new routing again! Nevertheless, after the loose choss at the start of the second pitch the subsequent corner was a delight. The third pitch led to an airy outcrop on the spur that we were climbing, and signalled the end of any technical climbing. Moreover, it was an obvious place to have lunch and enjoy the panoramic views. But it is all very well making these new routes, but you still have to get off, and this was a mountain, not a little crag. A gnarled tree came to our aid and with some trepidation we abseiled into the vegetated and very chossy gully to the right of our route in the hope that we would find a solid belay for the second abseil. No such luck, however, when at the end of the rope I was 5m short of the intended tree. With sharp limestone above I didn't fancy a pendulum traverse to an adjacent tree, so out with some nuts and the likely scenario of leaving gear behind. With Harvey alongside we discussed the options before Lynne joined our crowded stance. His suggestion that we try to find a thread runner sounded ideal and Lynne managed to locate one in a small cave a few metres higher up. Moreover, a short prussic meant that we could abseil from a tat sling, a solution that more than satisfied the more economically minded among us. With all gear retrieved the abseil was completed and we departed for coffee in Finestrar. Here less generous members of the team thought that we should call this climb 'Buckle's Folly', but I though that something like 'Adventure Rib' was much more appropriate!
Perhaps humbled by our experience on Puig Campana we visited Toix East the next day. Here we had an even shorter walk in and could easily have belayed from the comfort of the car. We didn't, of course, and walked across the road! The bolts here looked a bit sea weathered (and home made) but still we opted for the classic Via la Fina (5+) leading to the obvious cave at mid height. Climbing to the spacious cave was straightforward and I was soon belayed to every bolt and natural feature in sight. Harvey followed but having previously hurt his foot decided to retreat without attempting the second pitch. Lynne then joined me in the cave to begin the interesting exercise of swapping belays in the cramped tunnel. As I was checking the state of the dubious bolts Lynne chose to recite the story of a climber who was seriously injured after stripping a bolt not too long before – strangely doing nothing to enhance my confidence for the reputedly difficult exit from the cave. Suddenly the bolts seemed even more home made (rusty bolt plus a piece of chain-link fencing) and I was having serious second thoughts about this next pitch. Perched out from the cave and clipped to the first bolt things suddenly looked very difficult and I balked.
Back in the cave we prepared the abseil. I was getting used to this now with another bit of tat tied off to everything in sight, but this time Lynne was doubting the strength of the chord that I had just laboriously cut in two and demanded that I added the other bit. Well easy come easy go I thought (I'd picked this bit up in the Alps along with the rest that had been used so far) and two bits were clipped to everything in sight before we abseiled off. Needing a confidence booster we selected the Yellow Route graded at 4. Bit tough this I thought as I lay-backed the smooth scoop to reach the first bolt. Getting exciting I thought as I traversed from the second bolt to the third (and last) on somewhat thin polished holds. Getting scary I thought as I climbed up from the last bolt through loose steep ground, wondering whether the gear I had placed would really hold a fall. But all was well as I traversed back to more solid ground to reach the exit crack and a manky belay bolt. Trying an alternative technique Harvey struggled to avoid the lack-back and finally followed my approach to the top. Lynne likewise succumbed to lay-backing the lower part of the pitch.
By this time two fit Scottish lads had arrived and were climbing something hard near the cave. Clearly an accomplished pair, despite the knee wobble on the crux. But really nice guys who even retrieved my two bits of tat! Meanwhile Lynne and I were tackling Spölli (5+), which we climbed with confidence boosting ease. By this time the two Scottish lads had attempted another hard route and were now fighting it out on the Yellow Route. Harvey was obviously enjoying their struggle (as struggle they did trying to avoid the lay-back) even reminding them that three pensioners had just climbed it in better style than theirs. To add insult to injury he even told them how to do it! Their verdict? Never a grade 4, more like HVS! We went on to do Heti, a grade 4 route following the unusual features up the wall to the left of Spölli. We finished just in time to see the other pair complete the Yellow Route. We left with smug grins and a feeling of vindication.
The next day was our last and we had intended to climb Via Valencianos on the Penon de Ifach. A few dark clouds convinced us otherwise, however, and we returned to Sella. Here, despite rain stopping play for an hour and a half we climbed Dime Dime (4+), Paquñecos I (4+) and II (5), Two Nights of Love (5+,4+) and Los Refugiados (5). The latter was an excellent climb on which to finish, delicate technical moves up a steep wall with just enough polish to add to the excitement.
We climbed using the Rockfax guide, and this was more than adequate for a week in this wonderful area. Others were using the Chris Craggs guide, and this is the one that I would recommend since it has more comprehensive cover, particularly in the lower to middle grades.
Derek 12th November 2000