I got the bug. Not an ailment, but an obsession with rock climbing. When Maggie and I first started looking at this trip to Spain, we were trying to decide what to do. Suddenly I remembered that Spain is a world renowned destination for rock climbing. A quick internet search yielded a solid climbing area not too far from Málaga – El Chorro.
Maggie and I are into rock climbing for fun adventures, rather than risking it all on super hard and dangerous routes. With some more searching, we found a 6 pitch 5.6 route (read: long and easy). That was all we needed to convince ourselves we should pack the climbing gear and visit El Chorro.
Multipitch climbing requires a few extra skills, namely anchors, belaying from above, and rappelling. Before we left for Spain, Maggie and I went climbing in the Jemez Mountains to brush up on our skills. We practiced on an easy route, and I’m glad we did. Even though we more or less knew what we were doing, the devil is in the details. Little things like carabiners getting jammed in bolt under loaded gear, or tying off the rope before rappel so you don’t drop it. These were good reminders since we hadn’t done any multipitch in a while.
28 February 2025
Back in Spain, we exited the train in El Chorro and began trying to navigate towards our AirBnb. A heavy rain had started falling. We walked a short distance to the main road, but quickly realized that it wouldn’t take us where we needed to go. Construction seemed to block the path, but after many frustrating and increasingly wet minutes, we finally decided to romp through the construction zone. We found the apartment, clapped the mud off our shoes, and settled in to escape the rain.
The weather was far from ideal, especially for rock climbing. We only budgetted two nights in El Chorro, one day to climb our objective. The disappointment grew as we read that climbing wet limestone is not advised…
The rain let up a couple hours before sunset. Maggie and I decided we should at least scope out the approach while the weather permitted. We geared up and ventured out.
It was cool and misty as we hiked up the valley on a dirt (mud?) road. Between the trees, we caught a glimpse of the towering cliffs that put El Chorro on the map as a climbing destination.
We left the road for a trail, continuing upwards. A few trail runners zipped down with friendly “hello” as each one passed. A little over a mile and half from the bottom of the valley, we crested a ridge and finally saw the rock we came to climb. It was a humble hump compared to the cliffs on the north side of the valley, but it looked like the perfect feature for us to have a little adventure.
With daylight quickly fading, we boogied back to our room. Maggie and I went to the nice hotel in town for a surprisingly fancy dinner. We set an early alarm, clinging to some optimism that we might be able to climb the next day. We reasoned, at the very least, we would get out for a nice hike in a beautiful location.
1 March 2025
Maggie and I hit the trail at 7:30 am, retracing our foot steps from the day before. We felt certain we knew where to go – up the road, take the trail over the ridge, and then it’s a short distance to the base of the climb.
Well… we hadn’t done that last short distance part. Staying close to the rock out crops we were met with cliffs. Skirting around the cliffs we found sketchy side slopes that was clearly private property… We could see the climb! But it just felt impossible to go this way.
We retreated to the trail and took the long way, an extra 2 miles around the back side of our little mountain. Luckily, Maggie and I enjoy hiking. We did worry about wasting too much time on the approach, but taking the extra time seemed to work out for the best. The clouds began to part by the time we found the start of the route. The rock was a little damp, but the Spanish sun was quickly drying things out. Schlepping all this gear to El Chorro was starting to feel worthwhile.
We tied in and I took the lead. The climbing was easy and straightforward. Generally speaking it was like ascending a giant staircase. Three or four moves to get up a step, then walk a few feet on a ledge to the next step, and repeat. Other than one exposed run out, the route was well bolted and we felt secure the whole time. Being ledgey, there was quite a bit of vegetation, and the occasional pile of critter poop, but their presence didn’t ruin the climb.
We were hearing and seeing animals above and below as we climbed higher. A sizable number of sheep in the farms around the mountain were bleating all morning. A steady “baaaah” could be heard for most of the climb. Around pitch two, a small herd of Iberian ibex galloped down the face we were climbing. A male ibex with large horns paused to keep an eye on us as we entered his home. It felt funny to be roped up next to these cliff dwellers as they were leaping up and down the same terrain with ease.
The view got better as we got higher. We were moving at a relaxed pace, but not wasting much too time. When we got to the final pitch, Maggie wanted to take the lead. It was a traversing scramble, hooking around the head wall. Maggie crushed it, and I met her at the final anchor. From there it was a short walk to the summit.
“Do you know how to say ‘summit’ in Spanish ?,” I asked. Maggie responded, “Umm… La CUMBRE!” I shouted it into the valley, hoping some other climbers might hear us. Maggie and I enjoyed a summit lunch with beautiful weather. Our favorite snack was the sour gummies we had picked up in Madrid, shaped like feet and toes.
Maggie found some pottery on the summit, and we determined that people must have been coming up here for a long time! It was so wonderful, we could have stayed all day, but eventually we decided to pack up and head down.
The descent started off with some easy scrambling down the back side. We reached a cliff and found the rappel anchors without too much trouble. Other than getting a little tangled in a snag, our 60 meter rope was perfect for the rap.
I brought the GoPro and recorded some footage from our climb. Check it out:
Maggie and I hiked out along the base of the main cliffs on the north side of the valley. We saw a decent number of parties climbing, but with the vast size of the area it hardly felt crowded. Even though we had more time in the day to climb, we couldn’t be bothered to pick out another route.
Maggie and I just enjoyed the easy downhill stroll back to the village. Home made dinner, dubbed movies, and repacking rounded out the evening. We were off to Málaga the next day.
I am super glad we made the effort to bring climbing gear and stay for a day in El Chorro! The village was quaint and charming. It was simply gorgeous and quiet in the valley. There is probably enough rock to climb for a lifetime there, ranging from the easy multipitch route we did to challenging roofs and caves. Despite our limited time, this little side quest turned out to be a major highlight of our trip to Spain!
Distance Over Time 