Montserrat, Catalonia·Spain
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons
Montserrat climbs like nowhere else: conglomerate pinnacles where you pull on embedded cobbles, up long multi-pitch lines to summits with a monastery below. Cavall Bernat is the pinnacle everyone photographs.
In season: Sep–May · Peak: Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov
Friction and nerve on rounded pebbles, often with spaced bolts; it is committing, adventurous climbing, not sport cragging. Autumn and spring are ideal; summer bakes.
Short single pitches close to the monastery, the introduction
Classic conglomerate multi-pitch, pebbles instead of holds
A row of rock towers on the northern side, quieter and longer
The free-standing pinnacle everyone photographs, climbed by its ridge
Train or drive from Barcelona to Montserrat. Bring a double rope, slings and a cool head — many classics are traditional in feel. A local guide is wise for a first visit.
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