On arrival in Spain we bussed it to the hire car company (Centauro Uno) who were absolutely excellent given my claims history, the fact I'm under 25 and the clincher I don't own a credit card. The car? well that was less excellent. A Pug 207 1.4 petrol. Now this was the first LH drive car I've ever driven. Plus I've had a sporty diesel for the last 3 years. The drive was less than smooth, painfully slow and the heavy frenchman drunk a tonne of fuel. Having said that, 2 hours from the Airpot to Albarracin isn't bad, if you go there try EMA to Valencia. We got sorted in our bungalow at the campsite and quickly realised that we'd forgotten our down jackets. No worries, one fluorescent site jacket later and we were ready to go out exploring.
The rest of the evening (6pm onwards) was spent runnng around Techos 1 & 2 psyched out of our minds at all the good looking lines. Sensibly boots had been left in the car.
Nat past Loskot
We wandered out past area Loskot and the view was pretty stunning. I recognized Klem's traverse and chalked it down as one to get on.
Monday - Tune up day. I started the day sensibly and took it steadily throughout but another wander to see the view left me below Klem's. Now before I go further this traverse is actually in a banned area between Jan and Aug, I'd left the guide in the car and managed to miss that fact until later on in the week. Whoops and sorry. I got involved with the traverse which starts on two or three juggy holes and then breaks leftwards on holds that look similar to Jerry's Traverse but there's no nasty top bit to stop you crimping. RESULT! After getting my foot stuck in a heel toe lock at the start I sacked it off and romped along the juggy crimps until the last 'Dyno', in reality its a big slap. I slapped, hit the hold but my bottom hand didn't feel right. I sat down for 5 mins and rested again. Back to the same point I slapped further left (ignoring the idiot line) held the hole, but something wasn't right, my right hand felt bad. Do I carry on for the tick or drop off? Day one, hour 3? I dropped off to see my RH index finger had split along the first joint. NNFN!
Monday - Tune up day. I started the day sensibly and took it steadily throughout but another wander to see the view left me below Klem's. Now before I go further this traverse is actually in a banned area between Jan and Aug, I'd left the guide in the car and managed to miss that fact until later on in the week. Whoops and sorry. I got involved with the traverse which starts on two or three juggy holes and then breaks leftwards on holds that look similar to Jerry's Traverse but there's no nasty top bit to stop you crimping. RESULT! After getting my foot stuck in a heel toe lock at the start I sacked it off and romped along the juggy crimps until the last 'Dyno', in reality its a big slap. I slapped, hit the hold but my bottom hand didn't feel right. I sat down for 5 mins and rested again. Back to the same point I slapped further left (ignoring the idiot line) held the hole, but something wasn't right, my right hand felt bad. Do I carry on for the tick or drop off? Day one, hour 3? I dropped off to see my RH index finger had split along the first joint. NNFN!
Klem's Traverse
So at the end of the day I had finished Klem's without doing the 6b top out and sensibly, I sat the rest of the day out. I was a little disapointed with the problem in all honesty. I'd wanted to do it since seeing a picture a while ago thinking it looked hard but played to my strengths. The reality is that it was a mid grade problem that played to my strengths. In the evening we explored the windy streets of Albarracin, which is packed with nice inexpensive restraunts and quaint bars and shops.
Albarracin Town
Tuesday was spent exploring Techos 1 & 2. These areas are great but you'll find that a lot of lines are flawed in one way or another. Namely the rock is soft at the top of the climp or low down on the climb, some end in the middle of nowhere and some have suffered due to loss of holds. Despite this there are a huge amount of quality, bulletproof lines such as:
Supermafos Macho
Lanky people miss out the crux but despite this its still a great problem up a gently overhaning wall. I got stuck on top of the boulder and tried to kill myself my topping out over the next roof (which was loose) before realising that an easy lip traverse gets you back to tera firma safely. The 6b to the left was Nat's main tick (below) and yet again she impressed me no end in powering up it with relative ease.
Supermafos Tacho
I ran around Techos 1 and 2 on the first few days like a kid at Christmas, ticking pretty much everything I wanted to try. Like a bow, Le Campana and many others which I can't remember the name off hand. The one problem I wanted to try, Cosmos, was still there tempting me despite my injury. As I walked over to it I quickly noticed that the lefthand hold you slap from isn't a crimp as I'd been told, its a pocket. A quick go at the first move out to this hold definately reminded me that pockets were OUT! Darn. Instead I pulled on after this move, crimping hard in the pocket wanting to see how hard the next move is. First slap I missed completely, kick Nat in the legs and end up crumpled on the floor. Next go the same. Next go the same. Then BANG! I hit the jug and once again pain was felt, this time in my palm. The jug you slap for on Cosmos is sharp and had taken a chunk out of my palm. I quested leftwards to the easy top out and dropped off, money in the bank. For people wondering, (dylan) its not 8a+ but neither (dobbin) is its 7C as you have been told.
More laying in the sun was had throughout the week whilst avoiding the midday heat (climbing wise). We wandered around the banned areas and I was quite aggrieved to be missing out on these. The problems at penninsula look stunning in the flesh, ok on dosage they don't look amazing but standing looking at the long steep roofs I can't think of anywhere that offers such a range of independant climbs up ground such as this.
More laying in the sun was had throughout the week whilst avoiding the midday heat (climbing wise). We wandered around the banned areas and I was quite aggrieved to be missing out on these. The problems at penninsula look stunning in the flesh, ok on dosage they don't look amazing but standing looking at the long steep roofs I can't think of anywhere that offers such a range of independant climbs up ground such as this.
The view past area Loskot
The view from Penninsula (Bird Ban)
The next days were spent exploring the more roadside areas. Parking (covered in sh*t), Aeroline and Techos don Pepos. I think a blow by blow account of each individual tick might get bloody boring so I'll spare you.
In summary, Aeroline is like a small inclosure of gritstone classics
Techos don Pepos is another bulletproof roof in which a classic 7a takes the main line (of the same name).
A group of Bleausards were attacking this as I entered the area (like a sandstone version of the sheep pen) and I was soon invited to get involved. On my flash go I ended up eyeing up the final hold, unfortunately Mr French pointed out the handy nothing hold instead of the 'git big' jug next to it. After this I struggled to get to the same point again until finally I got my sh*t together and powered through. Later whilst resting I realised why the problem felt so hard. I wasn't on the correct line. The actual problem went down without a fuss.
Bug Train
Arasteredo is another larger area at which we spent a couple of days. I'm getting tired of typing now so basically its quite good with the problems being less on boulders and more on sandstone buttresses. Here's Nat on a poblem that she came really close to ticking but to no avail.
Nat's Project
At this area there is a proud line that I think everyone who's tried deliverance will love. Mardi Gras (7b+ I think?) the rock is the same shape as deliverance but the holds are numerous small crimps and poor smears. This leads to an all out leap to the top. The problem wasn't my cup of tea so I didn't really bother, the lines on the same boulder all between 6-7 are extremely worthwile and the highball 7a+ behind the boulder was like a board problem at the school although it was terrifying above my one, old and ruined Metolius pad.
Esperanza
At the same area the above problem is a classic 7a arete. It starts via a long slap from good positve holds. I seemed to be the only person to think that shouldering and locking the press was a good idea. After this you end up quite high with poor slopers having to get your foot up unervingly high.
Two people wrecked themselves on this problem whilst I was watching, one snapped something in his knee and clawed himself onto the boulder thus requiring a rope rescue. The other fell and hit the only hole in the mat badly twisting (nearly breaking) her ankle. Gulp. When it came to my turn I wasn't letting go.
Two people wrecked themselves on this problem whilst I was watching, one snapped something in his knee and clawed himself onto the boulder thus requiring a rope rescue. The other fell and hit the only hole in the mat badly twisting (nearly breaking) her ankle. Gulp. When it came to my turn I wasn't letting go.
Some 6b+ at Arastaredo
I range of easier steepish thuggy problems are also available close by.
Sol and Macia are two areas that I haven't mentioned. Sol features briefly in Dosage V with Jason Kehl demonstrating an Uber classic 7b, this has broken but is still climamble via a different sequence.
Sol and Macia are two areas that I haven't mentioned. Sol features briefly in Dosage V with Jason Kehl demonstrating an Uber classic 7b, this has broken but is still climamble via a different sequence.
'Funky Chicken'
The Spansih guy pictured above is crazy. He overheard someone saying Funky Chicken and for the rest of the day screamed Fucking Chicken at anyone he saw climbing. They do smoke an awful lot of weed!
Sorry for the post slowly dying into boring tattle, I can't really write "I did this", "I tried that" as on this trip I didn't go with a ticklist, I just ran around crazily ticking everything and anything I could get my hands on. If I bothered with 8a.nu anymore there'd be far too many entries to deal with.
If you're thinking of going to Albarracin, I'd suggest you do. The climbing isn't hugely extensive (i.e. its not FONT) but it is great and it offers you climbing unlike any I've experience before. If you climb well on boards, like crimpy holds and don't mind scrabbling over a slopey top now and again this is the place for you. The food is good, the wine is cheap, the climate is good (and all the problems are shaded). What more could you want?
Solid grades perhaps?
Sorry for the post slowly dying into boring tattle, I can't really write "I did this", "I tried that" as on this trip I didn't go with a ticklist, I just ran around crazily ticking everything and anything I could get my hands on. If I bothered with 8a.nu anymore there'd be far too many entries to deal with.
If you're thinking of going to Albarracin, I'd suggest you do. The climbing isn't hugely extensive (i.e. its not FONT) but it is great and it offers you climbing unlike any I've experience before. If you climb well on boards, like crimpy holds and don't mind scrabbling over a slopey top now and again this is the place for you. The food is good, the wine is cheap, the climate is good (and all the problems are shaded). What more could you want?
Solid grades perhaps?
No comments:
Post a Comment