Aresta Brucs at La Saca Gran

Me and my buddies on top La Saca Gran

I think it's the first time that Xavi and me went climbing and everything turned out well: we found our way without getting lost, easily made out our climbing route, got to the summit without encountering major difficulties, got down again without getting killed and, most important, were able to recover the ropes without them getting entangled or stuck ..... even the weather conditions were ideal, so why don't you click here and read on?

 Our day's aim was the Aresta Brucs line of La Saca Gran, one of the ultra classical climbs to be done in Montserrat's Agulles Area. As you can see in the following picture, once more taken from Escalatroncs, the line is reasonable easy, exactly what we had been looking for after far too long a time without touching any rock.

Route description from Escalatroncs

Xavi, just after having negotiated the vertical drop

Instead of taking the normal walk to La Saca Gran, we decided to go up through El Canal del Ninet, a steep canyon equipped with fixed ropes that allow to directly attack Montserrat's North Face. From a trip some months ago, when we climbed La Filigrana, we knew that there was a diversion in the canyon leading to the right, roughly into the direction of La Saca Gran, so we decided to give it a try.

This alternate canyon turned out to be even more spectacular and funny than the one that passes by the Ninet. Its upper part is a narrow pass between two walls that continously turns steeper, only to end up with a totally vertical passage. The fixed ropes are of great aid there. I put off my rucksack and by means of jamming my body between the rock walls squeezed my way up through the obstacle. Once I had overcome the narrowest point, the task got much easier and after securing myself at a close-by tree, I was ready to pull up our packs.

Shortly after, I was joined by our backpacks as well as Xavi. We didn't exactly know where we were, but to our right there appeared to be an easily climbable Agulla, as the rock columns are called in that area.

View from La Bandereta

Our lookout point turned out to be La Bandereta, a crag that we thought was beyond our actual climbing skills, for the lines toward its top are not what I'd call easy. Neither Xavi nor myself had been aware of an alternative route up there. From La Bandereta we already could make out La Saca Gran, which on the panoramic photo is the rock to the very left, the one partly covered by a tree. On our way to our day's climbing objective we had to overcame two minor obstales, the short climb down from La Bandereta...

"Way" down from La Bandereta

... as well as another steep, narrow but otherwise short chimney. Since I forgot to detach a sling from our belay-tree, I actually had to pass through this one a total of three times...

"Way" down from La Bandereta

Probably it would have been wiser to abseil from the top of La Bandereta, but we'd been too lazy to get out our ropes and the necessary gear.

A very short walk then led us to La Saca Gran, just to the starting point of L'Aresta Brucs-line. While we were sorting out our gear, two guys passed by, who had just finished their climb of the same route and we talked a little. Then, things got serious and it was Xavi who led the first pitch. He was fast, and soon it was my turn to follow him up. I led the second pitch which apart from the first 3 or 4 metres wasn't difficult. Then, again, it was Xavi who led us to the top. The most difficult passage turned out to be exactly as the two guys we had met at the bottom had told us, which was good, for Xavi knew where to expect a much needed, confidence inspiring bolt.

Left top: L'Agulla de l'Arbret, center: La Filigrana

Xavi on his way down La Saca Gran

On top La Saca, Xavi and me agreed, that a climb like this one was exactly what we'd been in need of, because during our previous climbing attempts we actually hadn't done much climbing... a reason more to enjoy the view as well as our little picknick from our highly emblematic lookout point.

The following rapel  left us right next to a rock called La Saca Petita. No climbing was needed to summit that one - a few steps sufficed. Yet another steep and narrow chimney, the day's last, brought us down to the Agulles-main-hiking-path where we called it a day. About three quarters of an hour later we were back at the car and on our way home.