Margalef

I spent most of the picturesque 4 hour drive from Rodellar to Margalef trying not to puke every time we went around tight turn or stopped suddenly.  We rolled in around 3PM on November 1st(Day of the Dead), noticed a big party at the community center and quickly found our hotel, El Tres Pins,

which was oddly decorated(They had a couple of mounted Javalina heads),

 a bit ghetto(they had a vending machine that kids could get lighters from),

and didn't allow Wentworth(sorry Matt),

but seemed quiet.

After unpacking, we strolled the quaint, hilly streets

and checked out the Refugio/Hostel, where you can buy a Margalef climbing guidebook for 15 Euro.

They had some old school graffiti style climbing art at the Refugio.  

 This one kind of looks like me...

Life was good.

Until that night, when we sat down for dinner and realized that every evening, El Tres Pins morphs from a quiet sanctuary to a mad house complete with horrible food(like pig cheek),

paper thin walls, springy beds, slamming doors, and hoards of people that crank the television so loud you can barely think(or have a conversation).

Plus, that Day of the Dead  party I mentioned earlier, turned into a rave that blared all night long.  Until Doug stormed out of the hotel at 5:30AM, walked across town and told half a dozen teenagers to shut it down.  Go Doug!

Bleary eyed, we headed up the canyon and got out first view of this unique and stunning area.

After a short uphill approach, we reached the Racos de les Tenebres sector and got out first taste of Margalef climbing.  We warmed up on a couple of tweaky vertical 11's, and then moved down the hill to a steeper wall.

Here are some of the best pictures of me on a route called La Corva de la Felicitat 12d.

And Ted on Magic Festival 12d.

At the end of the day, Seth and I decided to try a 13b called Sativa Patatica.  This route follows the curving crack in the picture ab was one of the best routes of the trip!  Here are a couple of Seth.

And me on the same route.

After another horrible meal and a tough night at El Tres Pins, we went to the Finestra Wall.  This is one of the premier sector at Margalef and the crowds were crazy!  I tried El Fustigador 13c, and decided it was too hard to redpoint in a day, so I spent the rest of the day trying to onsight without much luck.

With rain in the forecast, and fully aware that more terrible food and rough nights at El Tres Pins awaited if we stayed, we decided to flee Margalef and drive North to Terradets.

Rodellar- Camino, Ventanas, Surgencia and more Grand Boveda

The next few days were spent checking out the different walls at Rodellar and set the tone for the rest of the trip.  There would be no projecting on this trip.  We were on a mad dash to see as many walls as we could!

First we checked out the aptly named Ventanas(Windows) Wall.  This area is home to the classic El Delphin 13a, which climbs through the belly of the right arch in the picture below.

Below is a close up of the arch.  If you look closely, you can see the monastery on the hill in the backgroud of the first photo.

A close up of the same Monastary.  I really wish we'd had time to hike up there.

 After warming up, we all tried El Delpin.  Here's Seth crushing.

Here's a couple of me.

Seth and I also tried another unbelievable route called A Crabita 13b.  This route follows the black streaks up an overhanging blunt arete feature on perfect tufa pinches to a crux at the end and some easy but very pumpy climbing to the top.  I was tired from all the other climbing and had to climb "a muerte" to get this one done.

The next day, we decided to warm up properly(and see another wall!), so we went to the Camino Crag, a pretty, slightly overhanging wall with very slippery routes ranging from 10c to 12b.  Below is a picture of Ted enjoying a 10d at the right end of the wall.

From the Camino Crag you can also see how El Delphin got it's name.

Since the Grand Boveda is so good, we decided to return.  Unfortunately, things were still very wet.  However, this didn't stop us from finding some great routes.  After hunting around, I decided to try El Sepes 13b.  This route climbs a very big tufa past a bush, to a large roof and then continues up the headwall to a runout finish.  Since I was tired from the day before, this was another "a muerte" ascent for me. 

 I also saw my first extreme mullet.  I'd heard stories about the abundance of funky hairdos in Spain, but nothing could have prepared me for this...

 
It was the first of hundreds and I wanted to take pictures of them all, but it just felt rude.  I am currently growing my hair out so I can return to Spain with a proper mullet.

We also watched Chelsea Rude battle for a redpoint on Geminis 14a.  Here are a couple of videos of her last try on the route(I stopped filming during rests).  Keep in mind that she's about 6 days on, tried the route about 3x's a days and has been falling off the last hard move of this 30+ meter route for a couple of days.  Plus, she never used ibuprofin!  This girl is tough!

A little higer!

So close!!!

Since the Grand Boveda was soaked, and we had heard so much about La Surgencia, we decided to check out yet another crag on our last day in Rodellar.  The climbs are up to 50 meters long and about 35 or 40 degrees overhanging.  Here's a picture, with a finger for scale.

A closup of the right side.

Most of the stuff was a bit too hard to do in a day, so we stuck to "shorter, slabbier" routes.  With the clouds rolling in and rain forcasted for the next few days, we made the bittersweet decision to leave Rodellar and seek dry rock to the East in Margalef.

Rodellar- Getting there and the Grand Boveda

With sprirts high,

we flew to Madrid(Doug a little restless),

 

picked up our cars(Seth might be trying to figure out how to reverse),

figured out how to get to Rodellar(Alan looking overwhelmed),

and started driving(saw lots of anatomically correct bull silhouettes).

I hadn't even been in Spain for a day and I was already starting to miss the good old USA.  Thankfully, there was something to make me feel a little more are home.

Since we were all delirious because it was 4A.M. Boulder time, we stopped in Guadalajara(Spain) and got some much needed coffee and pastries.

After 5 hours of driving, we finally made it to Rodellar and checked into the Valle de Rodellar.  This is a new hotel/restaurant/grocery store that is about 20 minute hike from the first climbing areas at Rodellar.

 

With evening setting in, we went for a hike and saw the sleepy village of Rodellar,

the climbing (here is a video of the Grand Boveda).

and our first close up look at the rock.  Tufas!!!

We also ran into some friends from Boulder- Kynan, and Chelsea.

I was also shocked by the strong odor of poop that wafted about the crag and the copious amount of toilet paper just 5 feet off the trails.  Rodellar needs a composting toilet!

The next day we went back to the Grand Boveda and did a stunning parallel tufa route called Sopas de Ajo 12c.

Here's Ted "Muy Señor" Lanzano, lovin' his first taste of Spanish tufas.

Some of the other guys warmed up on Commander Coña 12c.  Here is a Seth Sandford on the lower half.  Apparently this is a rough warm up

After warming up, it started raining really hard and the tops of almost all the routes got soaked, so we were forced to try whatever was dry.  So we got on another amazing tufa route with a bouldery lip/mantle crux called Nanuk 12d.  Here are some pictures of Ted midroute,

and Alan "Loose Cannon" Bishop at the crux.

Seth also made an impressive ascent of a "short" 13b and I tried Colliseum 13b, but wasn't able to get to the top because it was wet.  With the light fading and the rain still coming down, we hike back to the hotel, ordered paella(which probably took over an hour to get to the table) and got our first taste of how long things can take in Spain.

SPAIN!!!

I am taking a 3 week trip to sample some European limestone. We fly into Madrid and will drive North to Rodellar.

After 5 days, we will drive East to Terradets and stay there for about a week.


The last week of the trip will be spent at Margalef.


Then we drive back to Madrid and fly home. That's the plan, but I may fall in love with the blue streaked walls and never come back...