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Costa Blanca

Climbing Information

Grades

The routes in the Costa Blanca are given sport grades and tend to be consistent with other areas - grade conversion table. Certain crags like Gandía have reputations for harder grades, and certain crags like Sella are sometimes said to be easier than elsewhere but most of these anomalies have been removed by now.

Courses and Trips

• David Mora García - www.nuevoalpinismo.com
• Compass West - www.compasswest.co.uk
• Aqua Ventura - www.aqua-ventura.com

Gear

The vast majority of climbs in the area are sport routes, requiring a rope and a set of quickdraws. Amongst all the sport stuff are some routes that have less fixed gear, often with fixed belays, and some form of gear near the harder moves. There are also many longer routes in the area, some of which are fully-bolted and some which only have a smattering of fixed gear.

Here are some suggested racks of gear:
Sport routes only - 12 to 14 quickdraws and a 60m rope. 50m ropes will usually be long enough but take great care when lowering, some pitches are much longer than 25m!
Sport routes and one or two longer mixed routes - 12 to 14 quickdraws, one set of wires, a couple of medium Friends and 2 or 3 slings. Twin 50m ropes is the best option since this will allow you to abseil off. Competent climbers will be able to climb most of the mixed routes with just a rack of quickdraws and a single 60m rope although this is not advised if you are not experienced in long run-outs and descending by short abseils between insubstantial anchors!
Multi-pitch trad routes with abseil descents - 12 quickdraws, twin 50m ropes, a full normal trad rack including wires and Friends of all sizes and a helmet.

The ENP - The ENP was a protection system, developed by Rowland Edwards, which attempted to create traditional-style routes but with removable protection on the blanker sections. It was developed for routes on Puig Campana and later used in the Echo Valley and on the Toix Sea Cliffs. Recently Rowland and his son Mark have decided to replace many of the ENPs with conventional bolts, however there are still a few routes that use them. The ENP consists of a steel tube with a plastic washer and stainless steel spring behind it. A normal wired nut (Wild Country Rock 3) is key-holed into the tube and can removed the same way. When placed properly the ENP will give a solid runner but it should not be treated as a bolt.

Other Books

There have been a series of guides to the area over the years, both by local climbers and outsiders. Currently (Jan 2005) there are about 10 local guides in print to the area and these are listed below. Generally the local guides are cheap and cheerful productions with simple and often very basic information. Despite this, they contain more routes and crags between them than this book and buying a copy is a way of putting a little something back into the local climbing community. The two climbing shops in the area usually carry a good stock of guides. Alternatively check www.desnivel.es

La Panocha y la Cresta del Gallo, Guía de Escalaldas (2002) by Sergio Hernández Rodríguez and Francisco José Iniesta Gallego. A good topo-guide to this interesting cliff. 96 pages, colour photo-topos, €10.

Senderísmo y Escalada por la Vega Baja del Seguria (2003) by the Club de Montaña de Redován. A poor guide to the Orihuela area. Difficult to use and not very inspiring. 164 pages, b&w plus colour topos and line drawings, €15.

Escaladas en el Medio y Atlo Vinolopa, (1995) by Manuel Amat, Dolores Justamente, José Hernández, Juan Pedro Verdú. An extensive guide to the Alicante crags, but a little dated now. 164 pages, b&w plus colour topos and line drawings, €15.

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