We Are Explorers: Consuelo in Siurana
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We Are Explorers: Consuelo in Siurana
In October 2020, my friends and I were looking for new places to visit to celebrate that we could travel again after the first COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. We had climbed a lot around Barcelona, but we felt it was time to organize a bigger trip.
October is too hot to go skiing or mountaineering (which would have been my preferred activity), so we decided to stick with climbing but make it an overnight trip to add some adventure. No matter who we asked, everyone kept mentioning the sport climbing mecca: Siurana, so we decided to give it a try!
Siurana offers a variety of tall limestone walls that have routes ranging from beginner to the cutting edge of sport climbing, with routes rated up to 9b. Of course, in our case, we wouldn't be near any of those routes. My friends are good climbers, climbing up to 7b+, but I'm much newer to the sport, confidently climbing around 6a+.
By Philipp Klein | Professional Photographer
We packed the vans with ropes, gear, and food, and headed off to Siurana for two days of climbing. After setting up base camp at the local campsite, we headed straight for the tall and intimidating walls of the Siuranella Center.
At first it was cold and windy, but as soon as we started climbing the sun came out, allowing us to tackle the first routes. We were instantly struck by the beauty and length of each ascent, with some routes extending over 30m. We took turns climbing and explored the different routes all morning. As the sun began to set, we moved to the eastern sector of Siuranella Est, where we continued climbing until the sun went down. The entire first day was exhilarating, I rushed around looking for new angles to take photos for each route.
We spent a quiet and clear night at the local campsite, where some of us slept in the tent and the rest stayed comfortable in their vans. I remember it was one of the first weekends it got very cold at night. The next day we started off on the right foot, waking up to more sunshine and a great cup of coffee. We left the campsite and headed towards the next sector, La Reina Mora. The approach was almost a climb in itself. There was a narrow path that wound through the dense vegetation that required using both hands for balance. Once we arrived, the bright walls reflected the heat and we were transported to a hot summer day. We quickly got to work on the wall. It was great to be a group of six climbers because we could set up ropes on three different routes without having to wait for someone to belay us.
As the day went on, it became clear to everyone that our favorite route of the weekend was "Estoy Vibrando" (I'm Vibrating), a 6a+ climb that wasn't particularly difficult but featured a beautiful crack running the entire length of the wall. Sometimes it snaked around, but sometimes we had to climb directly up the crack. We liked it so much that we set up a fixed rope on a nearby route so I could climb to a viewpoint and take pictures of the rest of them. It was hard work, but it was worth seeing everyone's smiles when I showed them the resulting photos.
Looking back on these adventures and being locked down again makes you appreciate these trips even more. I'm so happy we did it when we could, and we're already planning the next one as soon as we're allowed to travel again.
