SIERRA DE GUARA / AREAS TO CLIMB

Areas to climb

The Rodellar climbing area offers more than 400 routes in 35 sectors for all climbing styles. All the sectors are easily reached on foot from Rodellar. The sectors are mostly located in the River Mascún ravine where there are inviting pools for bathing, often at the base of the climb.

Area

The rock here is limestone. Rodellar is particularly renowned for its large vaults and overhangs with large chutes. Most of the routes are long and taxing but spectacular. There are also many caves and small walls requiring short but energetic climbs and vertical walls with technical routes of 40 metres and more.

There are also places for bouldering, especially the small caves, although if you are not interested in climbing with ropes, there are better places to go.  Most of the climbing routes are grade seven and eight, up to 9a+, where a number of 6b and 6c routes are interwoven with easy routes.

Rodellar

Rodellar and the Mascún Canyon are very famous climbing destinations, where climbers from all over gather throughout the year, especially in spring and autumn. The Rodellar rock, made of gray limestone with holes and vaults, offers athletic and spectacular routes, standing out for its overhangs. With impressive geological formations and crystalline waters, the Mascún canyon offers an incomparable environment for physically demanding climbing, with degrees of difficulty between the seventh and eighth degree.

Alquézar

The Vero river canyon in Alquézar offers numerous walls of excellent limestone. Near the town, there are sport climbing routes of up to 40 meters in length and high difficulty.

In recent years, new high-quality sectors have been opened, such as San Pelegrín, where climbing is prohibited from April to July due to bird nesting. In addition, on the great walls of the canyon, there are classic climbing routes, such as those of Tozal del Vero and Tozal de las Macetas.

The Alquézar school is very popular in winter due to the southern orientation of many of its routes and the favorable climate, protected from the wind and fog of the Ebro valley.

Olvena

The Olvena Gorge is a canyon in the Pre-Pyrenees formed by the Ésera River, located between Barbastro and Graus. Throughout its 8 kilometres, there are numerous limestone walls and towers of excellent quality, with some areas of conglomerate, which offers more than 20 different sectors and many opportunities for new routes in the future. The N-123 road crosses the gorge, facilitating access to most sectors, and a local road allows you to reach the town of Olvena, located on top of the rocks.

The Olvena climbing school is known for combining outstanding sports areas, such as Garrapatillos Alto y Bajo and the Crestas de la Cruz, with long routes on the Pared del Santo Cristo, where the popular Frixis route stands out.