Siurana

Siurana – Climbing in Catalonia’s Crown Jewel

My aim for this trip was to explore as much rock as possible, and to find that one line that would both push my limits and be inspiring at the same time.

I found it to be a very hard task, and I couldn’t find that one line out there that answered both of my desires. That is why I decided to leave the Santa Linya and Oliana region, and go climb more in the south of Catalonia in the mega climbing mecca – Siurana.

The Village on the Mountain

Siurana is a small village on top of the mountain deep in the region of Sierra de Montsant. It’s a huge climbing area with more than 1000 routes. Just below Siurana there is the town Cornudella de Montsant, which became my home for this trip.

In the past years I always avoided Siurana because the climbing here is notoriously known for being very technical on small holds and crimps (which I don’t like). The rock angle varies between dead vertical to slightly overhanging. Siurana is definitely not my style and it put a spotlight on my weakness, but I decided to give it a go. It’s all about leaving the comfort zone, isn’t it?

Finding My Place in El Pati

For the first week I was getting used to the place and style of climbing. It is a beautiful place and Cornudella is a sweet little town with a nice community of climbers both local and long-term foreigners, so I felt right at home pretty fast.

After exploring the sectors of Siurana, the sector that drew my attention the most was Sector El Pati, home of the famous route La Rambla 9a+. But except La Rambla, the wall holds many other classics like: La Reina Mora 8c+/9a, Kale Boroka 8b+ and many more.

Meeting Sonnie Trotter

A few days into climbing in El Pati, I had a lot of luck to meet a fellow Black Diamond athlete and awesome climber – Sonnie Trotter with his wife Lydia and cute little Tatum.

Climbing with Sonnie has been a lot of fun. I knew his climbing abilities for a long time, but meeting him in person and having the chance to learn from him is a great experience. I feel very fortunate because he is a brilliant and strong climber but also a really great guy.

“Sonnie putting on his tight shoes for some of the smallest foot holds I’ve ever seen.”

Adventures Beyond Siurana

We teamed up for a few days and went climbing mostly in Siurana but also made a few trips to Margalef for trying the king line “Era Vella”. This route is so amazing: steep, 50 meters with continuous climbing and no stops. The route was bolted by Chris Sharma and is considered a mega classic.

We have also been climbing onsight in the beautiful Sector “Raco de Misa” at a crag called “Montsant” which is situated high above Cornudella with stunning views of the Montsant Valley.

• Raco de Misa – Beautiful sector with pockets and technical climbing
• Falconetti 8b+ – Daila Ojeda crushing this classic
• Hidrofobia 8a – A flash that felt good!

Finally, A Project

This past week I decided to invest more time in routes here in Siurana, and I think finally I can say I have a project in the El Pati sector.

I believe that soon I will have more great and exciting updates from Siurana!

See you soon on my next update.

Ofer

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Note: This post was originally written in March 2015 during my climbing trip to Spain. The photos from this trip showcase the beautiful limestone walls of Siurana and the surrounding areas of Catalonia.