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Published: December 13th 2007
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El Chorro 50km north of Costa del Sol, El Chorro is a small village which landscape is dominated by mountains and cliffs, a gorge with 300m high walls and an electricity factory on the lake where there used to be a waterfall, hence the place's name. El Chorro is wellknown for adventure sports activities, especially climbing. It is one of the major climbing venues in Spain, offering climbing routes of all grades and styles, some of them very bold and challenging, which attract climbers from all over the world.
On my way to El Chorro from Altea (540km) I passed by Granada, saw the Sierra Nevada covered in snow and had to stop and get out my hood, warm socks, overal trousers and jacket. It felt freezing cold on the bike despite the bright sunny day.
The mountain and cliffs in El Chorro are quite impressive, looking high and steep. Vultures fly above the peaks, their wing span as large as human beings.
I worried about finding people to climb with as I got here. The campsite was quiet and it seemed virtually impossible to walk up the crag to set up top rope and climb on
my own. I soon met Charlie and Liz, from England and New Zealand, a bunch of really nice guys from Portugal and the easy-going Canadians Kris and Lawrence.
I've spent most days climbing and enjoying the weather with Charlie and Liz. They were great company. We were staying at the same campsite and had a few meals together. Charlie had his car and a comfortable caravan. He also drove us to do our shopping in town and to check the internet. Later Dario, from Red River Gorge Miguel's, Kentucky, joined us and paired up with Charlie for harder climbing routes.
It was great to meet Zé, Antonio, Pedro and Marco - the guys from Portugal. They are great climbers. We climbed together for a few days, had a cheerful meal at their tent with food prepared by the Spanish friend Marisa and her friendly husband. We also had dinner at La Garganta together, and I got plenty tips for my trip in Portugal, where I'm hopefully going to see them again.
I really enjoyed climbing with Chris and Laurence, a Canadian couple with surreal, fascinating stories about icy roads and tree-planting in remote areas of Canadian northern
territories where nearly everything has to be transported by helicopters, including thousands of frozen little trees which will stay frozen in the snow for months until workers turn up to plant them in the long summer days. Their job sounded very attractive up to the point when bear encounters and wild wasps came into the conversation!
El Chorro campsite is quite nice and very well located, with good crags just a few minutes away. The tree-top obstacle course is managed by Maycon and the snack-bar and shop is managed by Regiane, a smart and friendly young couple from Parana, Brazil.
The Caminito del Rey, on the walls of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes is an amazing, adventurous walk. Unfortunately the concrete walkway is in terrible conditions. A whole section has fallen down and what still stands there - a hundred meters high - is rustying and crumbling down. The walk is officialy closed by the Andalucia county but climbers have added bolts on the rock to which you can clip yourself using slings. It feels precarious but it's highly enjoyable.
Climbing in El Chorro is awesome! There are so many sun-drenched crags with beautiful routes to choose
from! I never imagined there could be a place in continental Europe so warm in december. Some of the nights were chilly but the days were beautifully warm. I've spent most days climbing from 10am to 6pm. It's hard to take a rest day when it's hot and sunny in such beautiful location! I saw no cloudy or rainny weather during the two weeks I've spent here. Lucky me!
Rock climbing is such a rewarding activity! It involves technical knowledge, risk management, physical skills for precise movements on the rock, strength, balance, focus and concentration to overcome fear and manage challenges... Plus, you meet some really nice people when you're climbing!
Would I have stayed two weeks in a place where there was no climbing venues around? I don't think so. Despite loving Valencia I only stayed a few days. Whether I'm climbing while I travel or just travelling in order to climb in beautiful locations, I've got to admit that rock climbing has been the main feature of this trip! Give me more of it!!!
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celso
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Looks beautiful and you are obviusly improving your technique!!These people never work?? Climbing in the middle of December hehehehe ;-)