Rodellar
Rodellar is a major climbing area based around the beautiful little village famous for its gorges and canyons. There are over 40 cliffs alongside the river Mascun, where the climbing is mostly steep, well bolted, on good, and often tufa'd limestone. There is not much to offer in the easier grades, a few mid grade routes, with the majority of the routes in the 7a to 9a range. The area is well worth an extended visit, if your arms are up to it. The best seasons are spring and autumn, the winters are too cold and the summers too hot. The cliffs lie on both sides of the river, so it is always possible to find a crag in the shade or in the sun, as dictated by the weather. The tufas can seep after rain, particularly early in the year. Rodellar itself is a sleepy village during the climbing season, with the main entertainment self made by the climbers. Basic provisions can be bought at the Mascun camping site, or at the Aparthotel including guidebooks. The nearest large town is Huesca, about an hours drive away.
Crags in this region:
Title | Description |
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Rodellar - Aquest any si | Located just round the corner from the 6s of Criminal Tango, Aquest any si picks up where that crag left off, with a bunch of fine grade 7s. It is a relaxing place to spend the day, with an easy riverside walk, beautiful views of the Dolphin, and bathing possibilites right next to the crag. The routes are not quite so relaxing, being steep and sustained, well worth the visit. Gets the shade mid morning . |
Rodellar - Bisagra | An excellent cliff with a handful of steep wall climbs on good rock. Gets the sun after about 2pm. |
Rodellar - Café solo | A short steep crag that has the advantage of being easily accessible from the village, faces north and is next to a beautiful meadow with a nice swimming pool in the river. |
Rodellar - Criminal Tango | Steep climbing with a few excellent tufa climbs in the mid grades. Getting polished |
Rodellar - Culo inquieto | A small cave with a few short steep routes that has the advantage of shade in the afternoon and being very close to a lovely bathing pool and beach that gets the sun in the afternoon. |
Rodellar - El camino | A useful crag to avoid the sun in the morning and develop your technique on steep, crimpy, polished, well bolted limestone. El camino is an excellent crag although over the years some of the routes have probably got harder. Despite this there are still some fine lines, and perhaps the largest concentration of grade 6a to 6c routes in Rodellar, even if they feel more like 7a. The ease of access makes it good for those who have limited time. |
Rodellar - Furia Latina | A small crag next to the river that stays in the shade and is useful as a warm up for harder things, or as challenging routes in their own right |
Rodellar - Gran Boveda and La Nuit des Temps | Gran Boveda is one of the premier crags in Rodellar with numerous steep and long routes from 7b upwards, and very easy access. It does not get shade until the afternoon, so a relaxing start to the day is posssible,and due to the nature of the routes, you can look forward to a rest day the day after. Being close to the river it gets less wind than some of the other cliffs, an advantage early and late in the season, but means it can get hot when the temperature rises, despite the shade. |
Rodellar - La Fuente | The sister crag to Furia Latina has some of the easiest routes in Rodellar, and they face North, so remain cool in the summer. You might get your feet wet early in the season, the starts are straight out of the river! |
Rodellar - La Surgencia | La Surgencia is an impressive cliff at the end of the Rodellar valley, where the Rio Mascun is met by the Barranco del Andrebod. It is a crag of two halves. On the left steep climbing on dark tufa'd walls, on the right a huge 50m overhanging white face. Both halves require climbing from 7a and above, right up to some of the hardest in Rodellar. It faces north and north east, and so gets little sun. |
Rodellar - Las Ventanas and El Delfin | El Delfin is a hole in a huge limestone wall that when viewed from the North looks uncannily like a dolphin. It gives it's name to one of Rodellar's most photographed routes, a 7c+ that climbs up the lip of the arch. El Delfin also has a few middle grade routes, something which are in short supply in the area. By contrast, the adjoining Las Ventanas has some of Rodellar's hardest routes. An expanse of overhanging white limestone, offering many quality routes. |
Rodellar - Pince sans rire | A lovely crag with some shaded warm ups for the morning, and sustained test pieces for the afternoon when the sun has slowly moved off the right hand face. The routes on the left look scrappy and loose at first appearance, and although most of the loose rock has disappeared, they should still be treated with care. By contrast the right hand face is a huge sweep of rock consisting of excellent steep tufa climbing. Admittedly becoming polished, but this does not detract from the quality of the routes. Good technique, stamina and a certain amount of push pay dividends here. |
Rodellar - Piton d'o Cuervo | The impressive pinnacle between Temps des Nuits and Pince sans Rire has some excellent short routes on it's left hand side, and longer, harder ones up it's front face. Most of the crag gets the shade after about 2pm, the cave sections are in the shade a bit earlier. |