Page 36 - 2015 AMA Autumn

There can be no doubt that the Costa Blanca is the place to go for a Winter sun sports climbing trip, but after many trips there in the last four years I was keen to try somewhere different. So after a bit of online research I opted for a Summer climbing trip to Croatia.
Where to go
The National Park of Paklenica is at the heart of Croatian rock climbing and is known as one of the top European rock climbing areas. Paklenica is a place of outstanding natural beauty, situated close to the sea near Starigrad-Paklenica.
Style of Climbing
Total No. of Routes
Up to 4c
5a to 5c
6a to 6b
6b+ to 6c+
7a to 7b
7b+ to 7c+
Over 8a
Single-pitch sports routes
Multi-pitch trad routes
The rock climbing is very varied from single pitch sports routes to big wall rock climbing routes up to 350m long, catering for the absolute beginner to the most experienced rock climber. In total there are over 340 routes here on good quality limestone rock, of which the majority of the routes are bolted.
There are over 170 single pitch sports routes mainly located at the entrance to the park, only a few minutes walk from the car park. The rest of the routes at Paklenica are multi-pitch with a mixture of pure bolted routes to trad routes requiring the placement of nuts and cams. The classic Anica kuk face has some big wall multi-pitch climbing up to 350m long.
The National Park is ideally located in a very steep gorge which provides shade or sun depending on your preference all day long. Coming from North of the border, I am not hugely keen on sunburn, so found the shade very welcoming. There are even a multitude of routes where you can belay whilst standing in a stream!
There is an entrance fee for the park, but it is very reasonably priced ranging from less than £5 for one day or a 5 day pass at just over £14.
When to go
The best time of the year to visit Paklenica is from April through to late October. The winter can be very windy and wet, whilst in the high summer it can get very hot, though there is always shade to be found in the sports climbing area of Klanci to the north face of Anica kuk. The graph shown below provides the annual temperature range.
Guidebook
The best guidebook for the area is called
“Paklenica” written by Boris Cujic and
published by Astroida. The majority of the routes described in the guidebook are shown on good clear topo diagrams. Each pitch is graded (using French grades) along with the overall length of the route. Published in 2013 (6th Edition), the text at the start of each crag and/or section is in Croatian, German, Italian, Slovenian and English text. The book is widely available online.
Grades
There are a wide range of grades to suit all levels of experience. The routes are generally very well bolted where it matters. It is advisable to bring a small rack of extra wires and cams to supplement the
176 17 35 63 32 15 8 6
44 25 3 8 5 3 0 0
Multi-pitch sports routes
125
13
17
39
27
12
14
3
34 ARMY MOUNTAINEER