Roca Foradada

A couple of Saturdays ago, Xavi and me wanted to climb a route in Montserrat called "La Canal de la Moreneta" (I'd say that "canal" translates into something like a gully). I had made it out in my climbing book the day before and found it interesting due to the fact that its grade is IV+ only, something not too difficult for us, and also because of its appeareance: it's like a vertical scar in the otherwise quite solid rock face that marks Montserrat's North.

Way to "La Canal de la Moreneta", "Roca Foradada" in the background

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Making use of fixed chains

Apart from these positive feats there also was an important drawback, that is the not deniable lack of bolts. We therefore only expected to find very few belay stations throughout the 120m climb, but since we were keen to discover some new spot in Montserrat neither of us was familiar with, the decision was taken to give it a try.

An interesting way led us from "La Portella" to "La Canal de la Moreneta", passing just next to a famous crag called "El Sabre", which was about to be climbed by to other climbers as we were heading further towards our objective. Soon we found it. Our Canal turned out to of a quite difficult access. I'm not sure whether we tried it at the right place, but what to us appeared the easiest access wasn't easy at all. After some struggle with a 5m high obstacle of trees, bushes and much loose earth and rock, we gained access to a wall, were we encountered two bolts, but that otherwise had an intimidating look. There we started to use our gear and Xavi made the lead. After the second bolt, the only thing he could find was a dubiously looking root of a bush a little higher. He managed to get a sling around it, clipped the rope into a carabiner and ... slipped. Due to the fact that the root was rotten, it didn't even crack when it collapsed, causing Xavi to fall. The second bolt, as well as my belaying him, stopped his drop just 20cm short of Xavi slamming his butt into the ground. That was precisely when we decided to change plans. I only would get up to the second bolt in order to recover the two slings and then we would go to another famous landmark of Montserrat: La Roca Foradada (The Bored Rock).

(As a matter of fact, La Roca Foradada has earned even more fame this summer: a daredeveil called Alexander Polli jumped from a helicopter and dived through its hole with a swingsuit.)

The climbing book states some fixed chains leading up La Roca Foradada, as well as an installation for a 50m deep abseiling. This, together with the fact that neither of us had ever been at La Roca was sufficiently interesting to justify a go there. The chains were found and soon we stood on top of that famous landmark. After some photos we prepared to abseil. The  installation is to be found right in the middle of the bridgelike way that leads to the most exposed point of La Roca (easy access, abseiling to the southside - righthandside with Montserrat's wall in the back). 

Look at Montserrat's North face from top of Roca Foradada

We knotted our two ropes together and Xavi was the first to go down. It took a very long time untill he would indicate me that he had freed the rope and that he was ready for me to come down, but finally it was my turn as well. The abseiling was spectacular for it crossed the triangular shape of La Roca's hole from top to bottom, which made for some 20m of contactless floating. As soon as I hung free, I was greeted from below: a part from Xavi, there was a group of five attending the spectacle we were offering them. And then, I understood what had taken Xavi so long to free the rope, because hadn't it been for him, I would have touched ground in the middle of some very prickly blackberry bushes. He prevented me from that fate by pulling the end of the rope towards a safe haven, and as a matter of fact, some of the group of hikers had lend him a hand in the very same way moments before.

Nice guys

While we were recovering the ropes (with much trouble), one of the group offered us some most delicious wine and we had a picknick with them. They turned out to be really nice guys, some of them from Igualada and others from as far away as the Canarian island of Tenerife. One of them permanently shot photos, and I'm pretty sure that there must exist some cool pictures of our rappels, but unfortunately he hasn't yet sent us any. Even worse, we only let him Xavi's contact and now have no means of contacting him .....

...but regardless of whether we'll be able to get our hands on the photos or not, it was a cool day.