Page 23 - 2019 AMA Summer

Up front, a massive thanks to Jim Greaves for pulling the trip together ably supported by 2IC Terry
Wright and exped equipment manager Shane Moore. That everything went so swimmingly is in no small part due to their efforts, patience and their collective well-tested sense of humour!
The concept of climbing in southern Europe through the winter months is, for good reason, tried and tested. The giant limestone cliffs, an abundance of well-bolted sports routes, superb access coupled with great affordability makes the area iconic for climbers of all abilities.
And about ability, I consider myself as a born-again climber, returning to the lifestyle in 2015 having taken time off to do the normal things such as family, career and operational commitments. So COSTA CLIMBER 19 was born and a perfect opportunity to stretch off and improve prior to the 2019 trad-season. Slightly nervous about being the oldest or least athletic climber, such fears were totally unfounded with the group dynamic working perfectly and all climbing within a grade of each other.
The concept was straightforward, get ourselves out to Costa Blanca for 10 days, stay at the climbers’ mecca of the Orange House, and get out climbing everyday. Whilst other accommodation options are available, including the vast array of tourist hotels in near-by Benidorm the advantages of staying at the Orange House are numerous, not least being relatively isolated (from the said tourist hotels in Benidorm), being self-contained and self-catered, the high likelihood of meeting and mixing with other climbers or spending an evening being entertained by ex-soldier, Orange House owner, moun- taineering legend and raconteur extraor- dinaire, Richard Mayfield.
The Orange House is a self-catered guest- house, a short walk from the mountain
(L-R) Rich Sullivan, Jamie Waddington and Shane Moore conducting Defence Diplomacy with US students at Alcalali
village of Finnestrat and well off the beaten track and tourist trail. Traditional coffee shops, tapas, narrow streets, white washed fincas and orange trees await you in a place characterised by a simpler, slower pace of life. Perched at just under 1000ft the village square looks
‘Perchedatjustunder1000ft the village square looks down to the neon glow and skyscrapers of Benidorm’
down to the neon glow and skyscrapers of Benidorm which has the appearance, at least from this quaint mountain side community, of a mad-max megacity!
Dominating the area and overshadowing the village is Puig Campana (4600ft) a not untypical geological feature for the region which form part of the wider Gibraltar Arc, stretching from the west in Andalucía through the inner Iberian peninsular. These limestone giants burst out of the land and sea with almost sheer vertical
faces, formed by the collapse of the earth’s crust and the folding and thrusting in the cretaceous period, the southern most element of the range can actually be found as far south as Morocco. Whilst the rocks are 100m years old the Orange house is altogether more modern with a mix of en-suite rooms and shared bunks, a pool, large well-equipped kitchens, al-fresco dining and the obligatory high speed (free) wifi.
Decent climbing starts virtually on the doorstep at near-by Sella. There is a mix of easily accessible crags and, by pushing slightly further along, land owned by Richard where he has meticulously cleaned and bolted several private crags. Because of the geographic proximity and seclusion we returned to Sella several times with all group members bagging a minimum of an on-sight 6a.
Of particular note was New Years’ Day, conservatively graded at 5c. This sin- gle-pitch monolith is amongst the finest climbs in the region. Grippy ledges give way to big exposed moves with fine
Costal View from Sierra del Toix
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