In our new guide to La Hermida we reveal a bunch of great new spots and many of them have one thing in common…
Brilliant tufas.
So much so, that after her visit Caroline Ciavaldini christened the area ‘tufaland’…and it’s true that for the addict of this type of climbing there’s tons to go at.
So I thought it’d be a nice idea to rate the crags in terms of their overall ‘tufaness’ – the old and the new crags – to give a hit-list of venues.
1. Carcalosa – Just for the scale of the left wall Carcalosa has to be number one. An amazing crag and a ton of tufas to get stuck into – maybe the highlight being Dimensiones Paralela, 7c+, the super-obvious ‘train line’ tufas on the right wall.
2. Rumenes – Even with the emergence of other crags this is still some of the best tufa climbing around – and the first time the top wall is seen nearly everyone gasps; some in shock and some in delight!!
3. El Infierno – Like a supercharged Rumenes this is a wall simply covered in tufas. There’s possibly less ‘easy routes’, with the grades starting at 7a and above but this is a great venue and has shade in the afternoon…
4. Estraguena – All the routes apart from one take tufas at some point and strangely for a tufa crag none of the routes seem that steep. The routes have a good length and the grades are good for the ego and for onsighting too…
5. Cueva Hermida – Very good new venue – and the only downsides are that there are very few easy routes and that there’s not a huge amount either. A steep wall turns into a roof and the climbing is powerful and pumpy.
6. Cueva Corazón – Classic hardcore tufa/roof venue. Lots of top level challenges here in a superb atmospheric spot.
7. Pechón – Sea-side climbing with a good smattering of tufas thrown in. What could be better?
8. El Salmón – Not totally a tufa crag but the central section of the main wall has some really good, short mid-grade tufas and on the bottom wall there’s some steep, exciting routes too.
9. Cicera – Maybe known more for the wall-climbing rather than the tufas this still has plenty of impressive lines. Atlantis, Pacifis, and Veneno azul are all great.
10. Parelosa – Not all tufas but what there are have plenty to offer – possibly the best being Relatividad, 7c+. The whole crag needs a bit of traffic but it will be a popular hardcore venue…
11. El Lado Oscuro – Only a few tufa routes but of very high-quality and both Museo Coconut, 7c, and Gretaline, 8a+, are stunning.
You can buy our new guide here… http://bit.ly/BuyLaHermida
And you can watch our video of James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini in action at Carcalosa here: http://bit.ly/RocaVerdeRoadTrip_1