Xmas and New Years on Tenerife, again in Poris de Abona.
Lot's of climbing and enjoying the sun and warmth, some hiking and trail-running and game playing.
Late start, at around noon, because G had a call in the morning and we had to swing by the climbing shop to get the newest guide and some clothes. ;-)
Then, climbing at Tamadaya (of course).
The routes (numbers from the new local guide):
Climbing all day in Fantasma.
- 48 THC IV+ (Shocking how hard this felt… getting used to this rock, and being on rock at all, took a bit)
- 52 Spagat V
- 33 Prejucios V
- 30 Unicornio V-
- 29 El Piquéno Putliz V+
- 28 El Arbolito V
- 26 Universo Parallelo V+
- 27 La bavaresa me tiro 6a+ (Toprope)
- 35 Der Gummi 6a+ (A toprope)
Climbing all day in Fantasma.
Many of the routes, particularly in the middle of the gorge, are showing that they are loved. ;-)
The routes (numbers from the new local guide)
Climbing at Guasiegre Medio
This is a new, to us, area. It’s not in the new book, though the routes had clearly been up for a couple of years. Very quiet area, beautiful arena, entertaining 30 minute approach through the gorge.
The routes, numbers from website; they say the difficulties are provisional, and we can’t assess, so who knows:
- 3 (V-)
- 4 (V)
- 5 (V-)
- Toprope play with the crack 3 and 4
- 63 (V)
- 62 (V)
- 59 (V)
- 61 (6a, toprope)
- 56 (V, G only)
- 52 (V+, G, A toprope)
- 42 (V)
- 41 (V)
- 37 (V-, trail running shoes G, A toprope in sandals)
- 38 (V-, trail running shoes G, A sandals, G speed climbing toprope)
- G: Playing on the face under the bolts from 38 in toprope… once through the face, once up the crack.
Climbing at Guasiegre Medio
This is a new, to us, area. It’s not in the new book, though the routes had clearly been up for a couple of years. Very quiet area, beautiful arena, entertaining 30 minute approach through the gorge.
The routes, numbers from website; they say the difficulties are provisional, and we can’t assess, so who knows:
- 2 Adventure airline (5a). Very 3D and fun
- 1 Dowistrepia (5b). Also 3D
- 3 Espolon walker (5b, both lead and toprope to do the crux nicer). Crux on a face
- Playing in toprope on the steep arete in front of 3
- G looked at 6 Dizfrazados, but it wasn’t clear if it’s actually bolted all the way to the top and the beginning looked sketchy and dirty
- 7 Amor e emancipacion (6a, G lead, A toprope). Very fun route with a physical bouldery beginning and a tricky bit of slab/crack almost at the end. This one was adventurous: it’s not mentioned in the topo, but the route is maybe 32m long and we have a 60m rope. So G had to setup a quick belay at the third bolt, and bring A up to him before she could toprope it. When A was done, G took and easy down climbing solution (*not* via the bouldery beginning!)
Day 4, 24 Dec 2022
Climbing at Polegre
Since the style is different (slabbier) than yesterday, A decides to start with a 4. Her head isn’t in it, so she gives up. G goes up, finds it quite difficult as well, gets to the top with loads of “there’s no way this is a 4”. G comes down, checks the topo again, realizes that the route is actually a 6a+… nice warm up! A does it in top rope with different beta at the beginning. G tries to repeat that beta, breaks a hold, and can’t repeat.
Here there’s only the photos online; I’ll try to name the routes the same we did last time.
Climbing at Polegre
Since the style is different (slabbier) than yesterday, A decides to start with a 4. Her head isn’t in it, so she gives up. G goes up, finds it quite difficult as well, gets to the top with loads of “there’s no way this is a 4”. G comes down, checks the topo again, realizes that the route is actually a 6a+… nice warm up! A does it in top rope with different beta at the beginning. G tries to repeat that beta, breaks a hold, and can’t repeat.
Here there’s only the photos online; I’ll try to name the routes the same we did last time.
- Sector 2: 2 (6a+, G lead, A toprope)
- Sector 2: 1 (V)
- Sector 2: 4 (V+)
- Sector 1:1 (V, G top rope a second time because it’s just so nice)
- Sector 1: 3 (6a)
- Sector 1: 12 (6a+, A top rope first, then lead. G lead, then top rope to try slightly riskier beta)
- Sector 1: 5 (V+, both lead, then G top rope to try riskier beta)
Day 5, 25 Dec 2022
Planned rest (from climbing) day. Trail run along the coast.
Day 6, 26 Dec 2022
Unplanned rest day. It rained like hell in the morning and was cloudy all day.
Day 7, 27 Dec 2022
Climbing at Tamadaya
The routes:
- 3, Aussie Oi (V-)
- 2, La via de Tito (V+, G found it surprisingly hard, A managed pretty easily, G repeated in top rope)
- 1, La croqueta (V+, neither of us could do this in lead, but we both managed in top rope.
- 6, La Cleta (V)
- 5, Donneiz mois la persoise (V+)
- 10, The flying fox (V+, we both really like this one)
- 15, El cedro (6a, both in lead)
- 47, Cross over (6a, G in lead, but he screwed up the beta at the very end and grabbed the chains, then we both did top rope) This is one we’ve been looking at and admiring every time we came, but this is the first time we had the confidence to try it.
Day 8, 28 Dec 2022
Climbing at Tamadaya. We had so much fun yesterday and now that 6a’s are on the table, there are lots of new routes possible.
The routes:
- 48, TCH (IV+, A only) we wanted to warm up on Flying Fox, but was being climbed
- 10, The Flying Fox (V+, both)
- 47, Cross over (6a, G in lead… no screwups this time. A top rope). This is a super nice route (thus its popularity). The transition onto the face seems tricky, but A found great beta for it. The face bit is super easy, with great feet and jugs. The very top is trickier.
- 43, Paquita Style (6a, A started the lead and then came down. G lead, then both top rope, A 2x top rope). Awesome layback section in the middle that took a bit of mental push to get through on lead.
- 40, Sin escaqueo (6a, A started the lead and then came down, G lead, then both top rope). The slabby part can be defused a bit by stemming. G’s initial solution was high effort and sketchy, but A found better beta later.
Gear note: G was climbing in a new pair of Tenaya shoes that he bought because his Katanas are developing a hole in the toe. The new shoes worked well.
Day 9, 29 Dec 2022
Climbing at El Hoyo. It’s fun to abseil into a climbing area. :-)
The routes:
Day 9, 29 Dec 2022
Climbing at El Hoyo. It’s fun to abseil into a climbing area. :-)
The routes:
- 21 Al loro con el berolo, (V+, both lead)
- 25 La jamonica, (V+, both lead)
- 24 Fisurini (V+/6a, G lead, both top, A top 2x). This seems more 6a than V+
- 27 … (6a+, both lead, A onsight, both toprope)
- 28 Vadefrente (6b, trying in toprope… G managed to do all the pieces in two different tries)
- 10 no name (V+, too greasy feeling at the beginning, we didn’t even really try)
- 17 El quinto pino (6a, getting to the first bolt feels really exposed and scary… gave up)
- 35 Aroa (6a+, another dodgy beginning, gave up)
- 46 La subida a la Guancha (6a, G lead, both toprope)
- 48 Kong (6a, G lead) G fell on this one but landed on his feet on a ledge without weighting the rope… does that count as onsight? ;-)
Day 10, 30 Dec 2022
Climbing at Guasiegre Medio
This time we approached from the top, which is a quicker/easier approach, though the parking is minimal (we were early).
The routes:
Day 11, 31 Dec 2022
Hike
Climbing at Guasiegre Medio
This time we approached from the top, which is a quicker/easier approach, though the parking is minimal (we were early).
The routes:
- 1 Dowistrepia (5b).
- 2 Adventure airline (5a).
- 10 Cuarto compartido (combined the 4c and 5b pitches into one). We called this the adventure route since it required some faffing around to avoid incredible rope drag. Oh, and there’s a 2m section of offwidth in the 5b part which reveals that we really don’t practice offwidths. Yikes. Andrea was complaining more or less constantly while doing it and then, immediately on finishing said: “that was fun”. Shyeah, type 2 fun. G was even more cramped in the crack and didn’t find it particularly fun. ;-)
Day 11, 31 Dec 2022
Hike
Day 12, 1 Jan 2023
Climbing in Tamadaya
The routes:
- 33 (V)
- 32 (6a, A gave up at the first bolt, G wasn’t motivated to try)
- 29 (V+, both lead), then G played around a bit with the start on toprope to try and get the super bouldery/slabby start right
- 19 (6a, both lead, A fell a couple of times at the crux)
- 20 (6a, G lead, A toprope)
- 21 (6a, G toprope). G took a detour around what seemed to be a really powerful crux move. So instead of super powerful he had to do a dodgy transition back onto the route
- 37 (6a, G lead, A toprope) fun route with lots of interesting movement
- 29 (V+, G lead) this time trying different beta from another couple for the bouldery/slabby start.
Day 13, 2 Jan 2023
Climbing in El Rio (first time here for us)
The routes:
- 94, (V-)
- 96 (V)
- 95 (V+), by this point the sun was too warm for G, so we moved further into the canyon
- 48 (V), fun route above a puddle (which the rope always landed in when pulling it down)
- 52 (V+) a bit adventurous since it was almost too long.
- 93 (V+, A toprope because it might rain), nice footwork route
- 91 (6a, A lead, G toprope because it was raining), nice route for footwork at the bottom and then a fun undercling corner at the top
Day 14, 3 Jan 2023
Hike in El Medano and flight back in the afternoon.
We had planned to pack up, leave the flat and spend the morning climbing before driving to the airport in the afternoon.
However, it rained during the night and in the morning (not in the forecast), we checked out Tamadaya, but the rock was still super wet and it started to drizzle.....thus, quick change of plans and drive down to El Medano for a beach-walk.
Surprised at how busy and crowded El Medano was; hike along the promenade and beach (lots of wind- and kite-surfers), hike up La Montana Roja (lots of people), picnic lunch up to; hike back down and along the beach (even more surfers).
:-)
