In the Carnival holidays, some friends and I did a two week road trip thru Spain to visit some of the finest bouldering spots of the country, like Albarracín, Cogul, Cerviŕ de les Garrigues, Larraona, Santa Gadea and La Pedriza:

Albarracín:
Becoming one of the best known bouldering areas of Spain, it worth the visit and the returning back for more! It’s a complex of canyons called ‘’Pinares de Rodeno’’, in a brown/red sandstone hidden inside a beautiful pine wood. The rock is sculptured with so many crazy holds, forming everything from slabs, overhangs and roofs. Albarracín has it all! But because the rock is a little bit soft, people should be aware to avoid climbing short after rainy days and also respect the park regulations.

El Cogul:
It is in the middle of nowhere, in a very dry region with few trees. It’s so calm the place, which seems to be somewhere in Arizona or Utah! The rock is a grey/yellow compact sandstone that forms a small cliff among the road, with lots of sectors. The highlights are the spectacular roofs carved with pockets and the smooth rock texture.

Cerviŕ de les Garrigues:
I first heard about it after the X-Tone competition. The rock and type of boulders are pretty much similar to Cogul, as those two spots are only 20 km distant, but the big difference is that Cerviá is much smaller. Much of the hard stuff is located at the impressive sector ‘’La Final’’ and there also some nice lines in the sectors ‘’Onada’’ and ‘’El Sostre’’.

Larraona:
Situated in a gorgeous green hill of Sierra de Urbasa, Larraona remind a typical Swiss landscape! Hidden within the oaks trees are numerous giant egg shaped limestone boulders. Most of the climb is steep and powerful, in small pockets/edges and slippery foots, with drop-off finishes. It’s basically a good natural gym to achieve iron like tendons or get a tendinitis!

Santa Gadea:
Located in the Northwest province of Burgos, Santa Gadea is one of the best bouldering spots I’ve ever seen! Behind the small peaceful village of Santa Gadea de Alfoz, is an immense green plateau (resembling Castle Hill), filled with hundreds of grey / white sandstone boulders and cliffs, spread as far as the eye can see. The rock is so amazingly sculpture that the forms and shapes of the boulders, demand imagination to be climbed! Is kind of like Albarracín, but the rock is harder and there’s much potential for new lines.

La Pedriza:
Located about 50 kilometers north of Madrid, La Pedriza is an immense granite dome that rises over the village of Manzanares el Real. With lots of crazy granite boulders and superb slab walls, it’s a unique playground for any climber. Most of bouldering sectors are located along the hill, inside those beautiful woods of pine trees. The rock is solid and sharp crimpy, so the skins goes off quickly. It is the spot, if you are looking for overhangs, with perfect réglets lines going through!