Ari and I headed off to Montserrat to have another go at an easy multipitch route we’d been eyeing up recently. During our first attempt we’d found the base of the climb but due to an unusually hot (once in 100 years apparently…) April day we’d opted not to climb. This time the temperature was a pleasant 20-something-low degrees and we were fresh from a week of easy climbing in Sardinia.
The route in question is named Vía Laietana, 18 d’Octubre, which is a reference to unprovoked violence carried out by the Spanish police against members of the Catalan public that were in favour of Catalan independence. The route is an easy three pitch climb with the hardest section a short chimney graded V (UIAA) on the last pitch. The route has an obligatory grade of IV+.
With two half ropes and our harnesses jingling with quick draws and three cams (which we’d later not use at all), we walked the 10 minutes or so from the car park up to the start of the route. We roped up and I lead the first pitch. The climbing was not hard and the distance between draws was acceptable. There wasn’t much to hang on to though with the pitch being mostly about foot placement. Like all the rock in Montserrat, it’s conglomerate, i.e. round rocks embedded in a more uniform rock, like rice-bubbles in chocolate. The pitch goes straight up before traversing to the right to a pair of bolts without chain.
Ari climbed up to where I had built our first anchor using the two bolts. I swapped from guide mode and belayed her from my harness as she kept climbing. The second pitch was also straight forward and went straight up the rock with two or three bolts. I climbed up after her and we swapped again. The last pitch headed up and then to the left. The crux was the chimney, which was quite nice and was well protected.
Ari completed the climb and we set up to abseil. Using our two 60 metre half ropes we were able to abseil all the way back down to the base of the climb in one go. A nice short climb and introduction to multi pitch climbing in Montserrat. Probably a bit easy to be fair but perhaps we’ll pluck up courage and try something longer and harder next time.
