Alcaidesa session
Near the end of last year, Andy and me headed over to Alcaidesa to check out the newly opened boulders there. Local enthusiast James has been around all the boulders with industrial vegetation removal tools and has cleared space enough to get at the rock without getting ripped to pieces by brambles and other Spanish spined vegetation.
We did a bit of warming up before heading for the most obvious boulder in the whole place and probably the best line of Alcaidesa. It’s a 6B with a hard start and a big pull from a crimp to a crimp with a pull to another crimp and then finishes over the top with a couple more crimpy moves. It favours people who like crimps. Bit of highball feeling near the top as you would definitely hurt something if you fell from the top. Especially at my age!
The rock is super solid and feels great.
James did it first and after watching carefully, I couldn’t claim an on-sight but was able to flash it. Which felt really good. Felt about right for 6B. In the guide it gives it 6C but we agreed this was too high.
hey up, good to see some Alcaidesa action. was climbing up there a couple of weeks ago and bumped into the dude who cleared and numbered all the rocks 10 years ago. he showed me some new crazy lines so have got some good projects lined up for summer. he also said that by the end of the year a bouldering guide book is going to be published covering andalusia which would be ace. also hoping to clear some more routes.
Jim
March 4, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Cool. If you’ve got some new lines I’ll get in touch with Andy and we’ll come over. What kind of grades are the new lines? Have you done them yet?
Journo
March 7, 2011 at 8:23 am
the major new line i am working on is easily the hardest problem i have attempted at Alcaidesa. it is on the same rock as 84 but just around the corner and to the right. it starts with a jumping double handed slap/pinch and then onto a super painful mini jug. that is as far as i have got but it continues up the arete. there are a few other cool new problems that are also really hard, still not loads of variety though as i need to clear some new rocks. once the weather has cleared let me know if you want to check em out.
Jim
March 9, 2011 at 11:38 am