Pilar del cantabrico... Picos de Europa

Ola

Tengo un problemo : soy frances y hablo solo un poco español. Pero quiero escaladar el pilar del cantabrico este verano y me pregunto muchas preguntas... Hablas frances o ingles para me repuestar ?

En francais :
Quel équipement y-a-t-il dans cette voie ? Comment sont les relais ? Trouve-t-on des pitons, ou spits entre les relais ? Faut-il un portaledge pour dormir ?

In english :
What's the equipment in this route ? How are the belays ? Can we find equipement between belays (pitons, bolts...) ? Does we need a portaledge to sleep ?

Probo en español... :
Cual material hay en esta via ? Como son los reuniones ? Hay "pitons" o "spits" entro los reuniones ? Se necesitara un portaledege para dormir ?

Muchas gracias para las respuestas !

Olivier

You can find some information or pictures at DESNIVEL magazine(look up on DESNIVEL.COM) or searching in yahoo.

If you want to climb this route in AID CLIMBING, you'll need more gear (pitons,hooks, nuts, friends, and others)than in FREE CLIMBING.

The first pitches have lots of old "buriles" and you have to put some pitons, falcas (pieces of wood used to stuff holes before placing the pitons)or copperheads to complet the anchors. Topo guide shows a "non bolted" aid difficults, but the firs part has rivets in many of the parts.
The higher pitches have less gear placed, so you'll need more friends and pitons, and also RIVET HANGERS to clip som bolt-rivets also known as buttonhead bolts ( buriles).

The belays are not boomb-proof, as many of them have rivets (not bolts). You can complete them with pitons, especially at higher pitches.

Portaledge is not needed if you fix the lower pitches( at least until pitch 3-4, the most ovehanged part). If you are fit enough and try to climb free the easyier pitches or parts, you can reach the top in a long summer day. From pitch 7, climb turns easier. You can scape at pitches 8 and 10 or 11 ( to RAbadà NAvarro, better equipment and easyier to find the route), and from pitch
8 or 9 is better to climb in free climbing ( take care in pitch 8, has not many anchors placed)
Be careful with weather, specially during the descent by the south face, summer storms are very dangerous if one catch you during the rappels.

Good luck!

Hello !

Thanks for your answer. It helps me a lot. I've done a lot of research on the web , but most of the sites are about Josune and Iker climbing free this route. And the other are in spansih... and a speak just a few spanish !

Thank you again!

Olivier

One of this sites ( Desnivel) has a good topo wher you can check grades in Frre or aid climbing.

Take care if you choose free climbing! Even pitches about 6c or 6b+ are hard to protect and climb, pitches at the higher part of the route have not a lot fix equipement.

Good luck!

Thanks !

Yes i've already seen this web site, with a good picture and all the routes on this face.

We'd like to climb this route by aid climbing, not free, for the first nine pitches, I think. And then by free climbing. But our major problem is : can we climb the aid part by fixing the 4 first pitches the first day, then jumar those fixing ropes and finish the route the second day ? That's what we thougt about a portaledge, but with a portaledge, you need a hauling bag... and then it'll be less confortable on the free part...

But you tell me there is one rivets at each belay... good rivet or just old rivet... ?
And during the ascent, is it obvious aid climbing, or difficult to put protection and progression ?
On my topo, it's A2+ max. But sometimes this "+" is a bad sign... What does it mean here ?

Thanks again for all your informations. Very usefull !

Olivier

Most of the belays are bolted with old rivets...

We used the strategy you've said, just fixing the 4-5 first pitches and climbing the rest in a long day ( sleeping on the top and descending the netx day, we where carrying a backpack with two sleepbags and some food and water. If you carry portaledge probably you'll stay 3 days...ascending the fix ropes is a curious experience in la BERMELLA...

The "+" sign in the grades are due to the difficult on placing some coins. Using pitons and coins is better so yo can put a good protection every x metters.
In my opinion A3 is a difficult where pitches have not many fix protection, and all the pitch is almost aid climbing. The "pilar" pitches have lot of combinated climbing, mixing movements about V+ and A2 or A2+ ( higher pitches), and ocasional rivets without hanger. The difficult sometimes is to decide if you use aid climbing or free climbing, and then maybe the placement of protections is worst. Don't worry about ripping the pitch so there is always a minimum good protection in every part.

In lower pitches you will clip many rivets and ocasionally using hooks or pitons, but ocasionally...

I think that the compromise of the route is due to the long wall that climbs, the time, and the weather you can find ( rain and storms), not only technical difficults.

Ok !!!

Thanks for all ! That clear my mind ...; I want this route now ;o) !

I think we try to use the same strategy than yours. It seem to be lighter and more effiscient. If we will be too slow the second day, I see on the topo that it seems to be possible to sleep on some ledge (after pitch 10 or 11) ... but maybe I'm wrong...

Then you can confirm me that it's good to bring wood piece. How many of those piece have you brought with you ? And how many pitons ?

We thought to bring 2 sets of friends, 2 sets of nuts and micronuts, 8/10 hooks, 15/20 rivet hanger, pitons and wood piece (but don't know how many !), a set of coperhead, 2/3 birdbeaks, and all the normal aid gear (steep, daisy chain, rope,...)

Thank you again !

Olivier

We carried 20/25 pitons ( U,V and different shapes), 2 BONG BONG, and some soft pitons. We didnt have so many friends! by teh way, we used free climbing in many parts in higher pitches, especially when we where watching rivets to hunt just "running towards safety"...just until 6c or less...

About wood: we used a bag whit 15/20 different pieces, the size is from a matches box ( mainly) to a bong bong size ( one or two). it's just to help pitons to fit some overused holes...even you'll uses less pitons doing "flowers"...

I can'tv remember the ledges, but probabily we started thinking about vivouac nearer the top. I think there`s a probability to scape on pitch 10 or 11, to the right..check it...

probabily in the refugee they will give you better advices ( maybe updated), and you'll won't need to carry so many pitons or gear and get faster just with less weigth.

Ok !

I'll wait a little and write some mail to the refuge.

I prepar my gear like a gear pack for yosemite or norway big wall !

Thank you very much for all those advices. I'm sure now...; I must try !!!!

Have a good climb !

Olivier

Yo la hice el año pasado escapandome por rocasolano (hasta el largo 8 o 9 non me recordo). Usamos un juego de friends, otro de micros, uno de empotras y dos ganchos. No clavamos en ningun largo aunque nos toco hacer alguna salida a la caza de algún buril, pero nunca seria más de 6b. La verdad que fuimos demasiado ligeros con intención de hacerla rapido, y si me tocara repetirla llevaría lo siguiente:
1 juego de camalots hasta el 3
1 juego de aliens
4 ganchos variados
2 juegos de empotradores (o uno repitiendo los numeros pequeños, micros no hacen falta)
rivet-hangers no son del todo necesarios si llevas los empotradores, pero si los tienes y quieres usarlos, con 5 hay suficiente.

Lo de llevar o no clavos es una historia personal, pero lo ideal sería clavar lo menos posible para evitar que no se destroce mucho la roca. De todas formas para poder o no subirla sin clavar depende mucho el material que te encuentres puesto en la pared, por eso no esta de más llevarse una maza y algún clavo por siaca.

No controlo lo suficiente de ingles como para traducirlo todo, pero allá va un pequeño resumen.

English version:

Oliver, I have climbed this route the last year until the pitch number 8 or 9, and then we continued by the Rabada/Navarro route to the summit. We didn´t use pitons, but we had to climbed in free style to reach some rivets (never more than 6b).

We used morless the following gear:

1 Set of friends
1 set of microfriends
2 sets of nuts
4 hooks
5 rivet hangers

Some pitons could be necesary in fuction of the fixed gear placed in the route at this moment.

Good luck!! it´s a great route!!