Page 51 - 2019 AMA Winter

The ‘Old’ Camino del Rey - El Chorro
EL CHORRO (SPAIN)
Again, a very simple destination to access due the amount of flights into Malaga airport. The climbing is superb but a little less ‘adventurous’ than it used to be with the upgraded Camino del Rey. Accom- modation is less plentiful than the Costa Blanca but is climbing focused if choosing the right one. Huge amount of single pitch and multi pitch climbing in a mostly rural setting. There is an excellent Rockfax guidebook available for the immediate area and a broader coverage provided in ‘Andalucía Sport Climbing’.
COSTA DURADA (SPAIN)
An area I’ve yet to sample in depth but holds the world class crags of Siuranna and Margalef amongst others. Simple access through Barcelona and accom- modation is plentiful. A hire car to sample the broad range of crags would be useful unless basing yourselves near the ‘mega’ crags. As an addition to this section and being very near Barcelona is the other worldly Monserrat, a venue discussed as a future AMA rock climbing destination.
COTE D’AZUR – CALANQUES & MONACO (FRANCE)
When I first visited the Cote d’Azur I was blown away by the volume of rock available to climb, this is one of the birth places of ‘sport climbing’ and less popular (for the British) now than it used to be, which is shame because it is a phenomenal place to climb. Access is via Marseille or Nice Airports (amongst others) or taking the Route de Soleil straight down through France. I only had a fleeting visit to Marseilles Calanques but was blown away by the rock features and positions. Definitely on my (extensive)
Commando Rat Lines – Malta
Costa Blanca
Tete de Chien – Monaco
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 51