Welcome to Malhamba - Into the unknown.

Terredettes (or more specifically Sector Bruixes) has been well publicized recently as the latest sport climbing mecca in Spain. Steep, long, dripping with jugs and tufa’s; sounds brilliant! Here’s one persons opinion…

Firstly, and unsurprisingly, the climbing is very good. 30 metre pitches on great holds, steep but not too steep, moves that make you feel like a hero etc. Second, it’s super accessible; a short walk in, good rifugi nearby, all the routes right next to each other. Third, there’s plenty of other climbers around, so it’s easy to find a partner, and practically impossible to avoid truckloads of beta coming your way. All sounds perfect I’m sure, but there’s a but…

The best comparison I can think of is doing your shopping at Tesco. It’s all there laid out for you conveniently, you know what you’re going to get, and even though you don’t like to admit it, the quality of your most basic requirements is pretty good. But the problem is it leaves you feeling a bit empty. Wouldn’t it be great to find a little butchers that sells brilliant sausages, and a tucked away deli that does the best cheese you ever tasted. Well climbing has nothing to do with shopping, but somehow Terredettes is a bit TOO convenient.

Soft grades are all very well, but you cant beat the satisfaction of just managing to claw your way up a sandbag route. Big jugs are fine, but it’s not REALLY climbing is it? Proper climbing is crimpy walls, weird moves, bouldery roofs and all that jazz. Having loads of folk around to tell you what the best routes are and how to do them is fine, but what about those brilliant days when you go and check out a tucked away crag, and find hidden gems all over it. Catalunya is stacked full of places like this, so much rock it makes you want to cry. Crags where you won’t see a soul all day. Where you’ll have pristine rock, quality routes, and stunning views all to yourself.

So, my point; Terredettes is very good, especially if you’re on your own, as you’ll easily find partners at the rifugi. It’s a great place if you just want to wip yourself into shape for a week, or at the start of a trip. And it’s a good spot if you’re just passing through and fancy a quick hit. But when you’re sitting in the bar in the evening and see a couple of lads stride in, wild eyed, fresh from one of the nearby big walls, you’ll probably want to go exploring elsewhere (maybe here???)

Logistics:

Who is it for? You need to be climbing at least 7b, preferably 7c, otherwise you’ll run out of things to do very quickly. If you climb 7c+ and above you’ve got at least a weeks worth.

When to go? October to March. Can get very hot in the sun, so you may need to keep climbing to the morning and evening.

Where to stay? Rifugi Cellers, at the Train station does great cheap beds with hot showers and a bar that does food. This is the climbers hangout, so be prepared for a LOT of climbing chat. It’s very cheap to stay there, so please don’t camp outside. They’re trying to run a business, and offer a very good service. If you do camp outside then at least spend money in the bar on meals and drinks. There seemed to be a few too many people taking the piss when we were there; help them out