Rodellar

Rodellar is tufa-climbing paradise, a perfect destination for climbing holidays. Climbing huge overhanging walls is the most natural thing to do in this little village and everybody does it. 

Rodellar is more than just a climbing village though. It is a place with a special atmosphere. It is not just climbers who gather and live in Rodellar, it is a unique mixture of fanatic climbers and people who appreciate being in nature and living with slightly different values than most of today’s society. Rodellar is a little village with only about 30 locals but it is full of life. In summertime you can go climbing or canyoning but you can also attend joga classes, learn African dance and enjoy concerts and other cultural events such as flamenco shows or climbing presentations. 

It is located in the National park of Sierra de Guara, west of Barcelona about a 1 hour drive from a small Arragones town called Huesca. The whole area of Prepyrenees has great scenery. It is a hilly area full of rivers and gorges, which has made the area a world-class destination for canyoning as well. 

In Rodellar there are about 400 climbs bolted in two gorges: Mascún and Alcanadre. Even though it provides all the grades and vertical crags as well as big overhangs, what makes the area special are its tufas, huge caves and long and steep stamina routes. Alcanadre gorge is awesome but a little more remote and more difficult to access which makes it less visited. Nevertheless, climbing in Piscineta or Glacier is more than worth the hike!  Mascún gorge gets busier, especially in Rodellar's high season but it does not matter how busy it gets, it still is amazing. Climbing up 40m routes, which make it all the way up through the caves such as Gran Boveda and Surgencia is a feeling impossible to describe. 

Walking from the village, you get to all of the Mascún crags within 20 minutes which makes it possible to climb in two or three sectors in one day. Especially on hot, sunny days you will appreciate the possibility of having a refreshing swim in one of the beautiful ponds when going from one crag to another.  

As mentioned above, there are lines of all difficulties from 4th grade to 9A but Rodellar's best lines would be from 7Bs to 8Cs. Tufas, slopers, pinches, jugs, knee bars, dropped knees, heel hooks, dynos and a lot of endurance are Rodellar classics.

For many reasons it is considered to be a great spot to climb in Summer but in fact, the conditions are much better in late Spring and early Autumn. In Winter it is too cold and usually wet too as the tufas take their time to dry out after a couple of heavier rainfalls. The temperatures in summertime (especially in August) often don't drop below 30 degrees, which makes climbing the athletic long lines quite difficult. What makes Rodellar different from other areas in Arragon or Catalonia is the cold river very close to the crags and the fact that Rodellar is 'fanatic' even in Summer when everybody goes climbing even though it is too warm. Another disadvantage of summertime in Rodellar is that it gets too busy and not just with climbers so if you can choose, go at another time of year and risk a bit of rain. At the end of the day, if it rains in Rodellar you carry on climbing anyway! 

Rodellar is easy to get to. You can get a flight to Barcelona, Girona or Zaragoza and then hire a car (there is no bus that goes to Rodellar). You can then put up your tent in the campsite Mascún, rent a room in a climbing refuge in Kalandraka or rent an apartment in Hotel Valle de Rodellar and then forget about the car! There is another campsite down by the river called El Puente, which is used mainly by people who go canyoning as it is further away from the crags. There are three little food shops where you can get basic climbing gear as well but you will pay higher prices. If you feel like eating out, you can choose from many options.