Catalunya offers the perfect place to climb during winter months. With hundreds of south facing crags you can climb in a t-shirt but not get so hot you slip off all the holds. More over, the latitude means you can get a full days climbing in rather than sloping home at 3.30pm in the dark. This trip offers the same format as the Classic Gorges trip with a greater focus on south facing crags that are often too hot in summer and early autumn and more time for unwinding in the sauna in the evening at the Abella Eco-Refugi!

Like the Classic Gorges holiday, Winter Sun is designed to make the most of the full range of climbing and rock types in the area, with the accommodation being the only fixed part of the programme. There is a high degree of flexibility built in to allow clients to concentrate on their personal preferences. You can climb as much or as little as you like! At the beginning of the week we will meet all together to find out peoples priorities and levels so we can best meet your needs.

Each day our team will drive you to a spectacular crag and be available to advise you on route grades and styles so you won’t waste any time getting straight onto quality rock. You can pause to have lunch whenever you choose before enjoying further climbing and a well deserved drink on the way home.

Areas we climb in include:

Abella de la Conca : The village is surrounded by grey limestone crags a stone’s throw from our base. Here we find mostly single pitch sports routes, but with an increasing number of longer semi-equipped or trad routes thrown in if that’s your thing. From delicate technical slabs to sustained face climbing Abella offers 300 routes from grade 3 up (with more than half between 3 and 6c+). Being on the door step means you can keep returning to work a project, or take time out and enjoy the area.  The area has multiple walls with different orientations making it perfect for year round climbing.

Collegats:  This is the perfect sun trap. Conglomerate rock stores any sun rays to provide you with warmth throughout the day. T-shirts are often left at the bottom of the crag even in the middle of December. The rock offers stamina testing routes of all grades and its aspect looking down onto the peaceful river valley below makes you forget its winter.

Vilanova de Meia: This area is considered one of the jewels of Spanish multi-pitch climbing. The limestone walls boast an incredible array of both bolted and traditional routes from the relatively accessible two to four pitch lines of the Paret de Zarathustra and Pas Nou to the impressively steep and sustained face climbs of Roca dels Arcs. You can walk off the top of most of the multi-pitch routes. In addition the smaller walls offer numerous sports sectors with a full range of grades to suit everyone.

Alos de Balaguer:  Alos offers shorter more boulder routes which is great if you want to pack a lot into a shorter day. Low in altitude and a bit further south its south-facing crags are out of question most of the year. Winter offers a great opportunity to discover a crag where even world cup champions come and train!!

We will also be able to visit sectors in Camarasa, Coll de Nargo, Perles, Cubells, Ager, Os de  Balaguer and La Pauta. Many of these areas have newly developed sectors– so there’s always something new for our old friends.

Our holidays are not instruction courses and you need to be an independent climber able to top rope and belay safely and have your own climbing insurance to participate.  However, if you want to polish your skills or learn something new during these weeks why not add in a day of bolt on instruction?

Prices and Booking