HISTORY
"ESCALADAS A SUL DO CABO DA ROCA" A BRIEF HISTORY
excerpt from ESCALADAS A SUL DO CABO DA ROCA by Paulo Roxo, early 2000’s
For an adventurous climber, it's easy to imagine a myriad of routes crisscrossing the granite cliffs that make up the entire coastal region south of Cabo da Roca. However, despite the enormous potential of this stretch of cliffs, only the ESPINHAÇO sector would, until very recently, attract climbers' attention. This phenomenon may have something to do with the history of climbing in Portugal itself. In the early 1980s, climbers in our country constituted only a small, select "tribe," and this limited the number of climbs. At the same time, the advent of sport climbing quickly contributed to diverting the attention of much of the younger generation toward a generally more "accessible" activity, as opposed to the more challenging traditional climbing.
Thus, it is no surprise that Espinhaço was, for a long time, more than enough to satisfy the ambitions of the traditional climbers of its era. For many years, this wall stood as the most emblematic landmark of difficulty in traditional climbing around the Lisbon area. Its massive roofs and the notorious dyke of decomposed gray basalt, slicing across the entire cliff, bestowed upon the place an undeniable aura of challenge and charisma.
Of the five main areas described in this guide, Espinhaço is both the tallest and the oldest. Its climbing history began with the opening of the Via Normal, completed on August 19, 1981, by Paulo Alves and Carlos Teixeira after several previous attempts.
The enthusiasm of that period culminated on May 20–21, 1989, when Espinhaço hosted a National Climbing Meeting. In preparation for the event, some belay anchors and exposed passages of existing routes were re-equipped, marking an important milestone in the sector’s development.
Over the following years, history slowly took shape with the addition of new lines. Almost all of these early routes to the top of the cliff relied heavily on aid, which was essential for negotiating Espinhaço’s steep roofs. But in May 1990, a turning point arrived with the opening of Lunática by Francisco Silva and Paulo Gorjão. Conceived from the outset as a free climb, this bold line set a new standard. With its difficulty established at around 7a, it quickly became a benchmark for technical climbing at Cabo da Roca—still a challenge reserved for strong climbers today.
In stark contrast to the philosophy of free climbing, “Cuba Livre” was born. Clearly inspired by big wall techniques, this three-pitch line was completed on January 9, 1998, by Ricardo Nogueira, with my own participation in the opening of the second pitch. To this day, it represents the pinnacle of aid climbing in the region, with its third pitch graded A3+/A4 due to the extreme exposure.
As a noteworthy note, it's interesting to note that the first repeat of this route was completed solo by Francisco Ataíde, confirming the high psychological level of this elite climber.
Today, climbing in Espinhaço is somewhat "haunted" by the severe state of degradation of the fixed equipment. Due to the combined action of the sea and wind—very active elements in these areas—all the pitons and many spits are transformed into veritable time bombs. Fortunately, many passages can be reinforced with the use of friends or nuts, thus enabling the more or less safe completion of all existing routes. (translator's note: most lines were rebolted in the meanwhile.)
Compared to the period that consolidated the history of Espinhaço, the period corresponding to the other four areas mentioned in this guide has a much more recent and interconnected chronology. The first steps of the "new wave" are partly due to João Dinis, a climber from the region who, during a hike, "discovered" the Baía da PONTA ATLÂNTICA. The sight of the "Parede das Tormentas" was enough to motivate him to make another visit, aiming to open new climbing routes. Soon, the first routes appeared. The "Diedro" and "Canal" routes appeared in the gaps that partially interrupted the opening of the largest of the first three lines: the "Cabo das Tormentas," three pitches long, resulting in one of the most interesting routes in the area. Indeed, its attractive second pitch, consisting of a strongly overhang face, originally rated A1+, was free-climbed and on sighted by Francisco Ataíde during the first repeat of this route in September 1998. Its grade has since been upgraded to 7a (hard).
Inspired by João Dinis's recent achievements and awakened to the prospect of the excellent climbing potential yet to be discovered, I began, together with Yolanda, to explore a "new" area. Together, we opened most of the existing routes in BAIA DOS NÁUFRAGOS. The highlight is the "Esquina do Vento " sector, in which the central routes begin from an original traverse within a natural channel through which the sea enters. A curious note is the existence of a wind corridor that constantly assaults the exact starting point of the route "O silêncio dos teus olhos," in an area measuring only a few square meters.
A second recon walk, on a sunny Sunday morning, led me to explore the BAIA DAS QUATRO PEDRAS region. The main option was a fallen, monotonous-looking slab visible from the top of this bay. My interest was waning, so after skirting this slab and descending to the tip of the chaotic spur of blocks, I came face to face with a beautiful wall, located on the other side of the bay and facing the sea, far from the gaze of "previous developers” climbers of yesteryear (there is verbal reference to a previous top-rope visit).
I immediately spread the word about this “new discovery,” and within a week I returned with Vítor Viana—another enthusiast of the region—for a quick visit, armed with a full rack of friends and nuts. That day saw the opening of the first line, À primeira dói mais, soon followed by Pirataria Desportiva. These routes marked the beginning of what would become the Promontório sector, which now boasts twelve lines in total.
Not long after this almost surgical development of Promontório, my attention shifted back to the so-called “monotonous-looking” slab inside Baía das Quatro Pedras. Carefully downclimbing the huge talus of massive blocks, I reached the base of the wall—only to realize that from below it revealed an entirely different character. What had once seemed dull from above now appeared striking, and any illusion of ease quickly vanished in the face of its true challenge.
Thus, in almost perfect sequence, the "Lobo mau " sector saw its routes grow to seven in number. Due to the characteristics of the wall, its difficulties primarily involve technical slab lines, with grades ranging from V+ to 6c+. Through an investment made by a small group of dedicated climbers, stainless steel equipment was purchased to equip the open routes in three more recently explored areas. Respecting the philosophy established by the early pioneers of Cabo da Roca, fixed protection was used sparingly—limited to belays, points of maximum exposure, or sections impossible to protect otherwise. The few fully equipped routes, are the exception to the rule, although they are beautiful exceptions such as "És muito linda (7c+)", "Equinox (7a)", "Pirolita (7c+)", and a short etc.
There is still new terrain to be explored in the Cabo da Roca region. And the proof lies in the "discovery" of a new sector in the early 2000s: BAÍA ESTREITA, where several possibilities exist. Over time, focus will likely shift toward repeating the hardest established routes and “freeing” traditional aid lines, particularly at Espinhaço. History, it seems, will continue to be shaped by these three elements.
One certainty remains: all the routes compiled in this guide, along with other “errant” lines, stand as an indelible legacy for future generations—a testament to a climbing region of unique character.
CLIMBING AT PRAIA DA URSA IN THE 1960s AND 1970s THE BEAR, THE BRIDE, AND OTHERS
Texts and accounts by Santos Vieira, Alexandre L. Garcia and Rogério Morais - translation by Hugo Castro Silva,
excerpt from LISBON CLIMBING GUIDEBOOK
The 1960s was a prolific period for discovery of outdoor sports by the Portuguese youth.
Although this was in line with the trend in the rest of Europe, in Portugal the exploration lagged behind because most of the population was disconnected from this sort of outdoor activity, and the whole country was isolated from the rest of the continent. Even though the country was behind by more than a decade, there was a concerted effort to find and acquire as much as possible from abroad - namely, sophisticated gear and the idea of freedom.
It was in this environment that speleology and mountaineering were born, in the midst of the camping movement (itself the fruit of a group of enthusiasts who fought for the recognition and legalization of the camping movement). This takes us back twenty more years: the Clube de Campismo de Lisboa (Camping Club of Lisbon) was founded in 1941; the Clube Nacional de Montanhismo (National Mountaineering Club - CNM) was founded in 1943 Porto; the Sociedade Portuguesa de Espeleologia (Portuguese Society of Speleology) was founded in 1948. The southern section of CNM established itself as an autonomous body in 1958 and became the meeting point for climbing forays around Lisbon.In fact, the early developments of rock climbing in Lisbon came from a group of young men from these clubs. Some of the most active members were Lázaro (a guide) and his son (from CNM in Porto), Daniel Crespo, José Avellar, Américo Condinho (the virtuous builder of speleology gear, truly the Portuguese Mr. Petzl), Armando Cardoso, José Ferrer, José Ilídio, Maldonado and a few newcomers such as Júlio Valente, Luís Filipe Baptista, and Carlos Santos Vieira.
They mostly climbed in Arrábida, Sintra and Montejunto. For them, the aesthetics of the lines were more important than the climbing grade, that was seen as little more than an international table for reference purposes. Climbing gear was expensive and hard to find; this fact would greatly limit access to new routes as well as to new climbing techniques.
Carlos Santos Vieira (himself another talented "manufacturer" of climbing gear), had access to a high-quality metals workshop and began making different-sized pitons, wedges, aiders and hammers that would allow for a little more "airtime".
A Ursa / The Bear
Texts and accounts by Santos Vieira, Alexandre L. Garcia and Rogério Morais - translation by Hugo Castro Silva,
excerpt from LISBON CLIMBING GUIDEBOOK
During one weekend trekking in Cabo da Roca, this group of young and irreverent adventurers camped in Praia da Ursa (literally, the beach of the female bear). It was impossible for them, in the prime of their twenties, not to dream of the rocks that surrounded them — in particular, the pointy Ursa (the she-bear). They immediately began planning their climbs.
Santos Vieira registered in his notebook the date when he first saw the Ursa: March 1965. Its South face, overlooking Cabo da Roca, seemed too ambitious and required gear that they did not have. On the following outing, a few of them brought binoculars to explore the East side of the Ursa, which faced land. They also took the opportunity to study the tides, as well as a way to come back to land in case the ascent was done during a high tide. At that time, the passage between Ursa and land was quite deep, and very hard to cross when the tide was high and wavy. The rest of 1965 was spent in excitement and euphoria, trying to come by more pitons, wooden wedges and ropes. Ferrer acquired an 8 mm nylon dynamic rope 60 m long; Santos Vieira had a 9 mm white hemp 60-meter rope that came from France. The group decided to also take a 12 mm cotton rope that was 40 m long in case they had to set up a zip line to cross the high tide.
José Ilídio, one of the most capable climbers of the southern division of the CNM, was conscripted into the army. Therefore, Luís Filipe Baptista, another accomplished climber from Lisbon, organized a climbing party with Carlos Santos Vieira, Júlio Valente and himself as the leader.
On the dawn of February 7th 1966, about a year after planning began, the trio left the Casa Abrigo dos Capuchos (Capuchos Refuge) - then managed by the Camping Club of Lisbon, loaded with gear. By 5am they were at the base of the Ursa, and the tide was low. Because they did not know when they would descend, they set up a zip line with cotton rope, between the fishermen's stairs and a rock at the foot of Ursa that could be used to retreat even during a high tide.
Right from the beginning of the climb, the rock was quite brittle, most of the holds would break, and the climbers found that using pitons as protection would not be easy. Even though it is limestone, the rock underwent severe natural transformation from an eruptive streak that left it friable and crystalline, and most cracks that could be used to hammer in itons would break or crumble. For this reason, a lot of the time was spent cleaning the rock and removing detached fragments. The party wore ordinary construction helmets, which would soon become very useful when it came to protecting their heads from the constant rain of loose rock.
Halfway up, after climbing the V-shaped dihedral, the party could see that a few of their fellow adventurers had arrived at the slope next to Ursa. Among them was Armando Cardoso, who took the photo in the top of this page (Ursa summit, 07/02/1966).
The climb progressed in a slow and sluggish manner. As the winter afternoon rapidly settled in, Luís Filipe asked Júlio Valente to stay at a ledge below the summit so that they could, at least, try to leave while there was still daylight. It was about 4pm, and the sun was expected to set one and a half hours later.
This hard decision by the leader allowed the party to reach the summit, where, balancing on top of severely fragmented rock, they posed for the photo that they were certain Armando Cardoso would shoot, while all of their fellows waved at them from land. In one of the shallower cracks, they hammered in a 1 Escudo coin from 1966, to mark the event - this would become a tradition followed by many climbers in the subsequent decades. They then looked for a spot to place two U-shaped pitons where they would build a rappelling anchor with cordelette and proceeded to lower by the Northwest face where Júlio awaited.
From there, and after recovering the rope, they continued their rappel descent, passing the dihedral and the bottom part, using the hemp rope as backup. After the 14-hour-long climb, they reached the base of the route only to find that the tide was low again, and they could easily cross it. The party had successfully completed the first ascent of the Ursa.
Another account of Ursa'a first ascent
Account by Carlos Santos Vieira - translation by Bruno Ferreira.
The 1960's were fertile in happenings that created in the youth of that time a strong spirit of protest/ opposition, both towards the established regime as well as towards the state of sport development which was eagerly desired.
The southern section of the CNM was inaugurated around the year 1958 and became the meeting place for planning climbing trips.
Its driving force were a group of young climbers such as the guide Lázaro and his son, trained at the CNM of Porto, Daniel Crespo, José Avellar, Américo Condinho, Armando Cardoso, José Ferrer, José Ilídio, Maldonado, and some newcomers, Júlio Valente, Luís Filipe, and Santos Vieira. We climbed in Arrábida, Sintra, and Montejunto.
Climbing gear was expensive and hard to find in sporting goods shops, which greatly limited access to new climbing routes. Since I had access to a high-quality metal workshop, I began manufacturing pitons of various sizes, wedges, etriers, and hammers, which gave us a few more “flights.”
On one weekend outing, we camped at Praia da Ursa. In my notebook I recorded the date of March 1965, when I first saw it. The south face seemed far too ambitious and required gear we didn’t have. We decided to bring binoculars (borrowed, of course) to explore the east face from the opposite hillside.
On another weekend we did just that and concluded it was feasible with the gear we had and were preparing to make. We also studied the tides and the means of returning to shore in case we came down with the tide full. At that time, the passage between Ursa and the mainland was quite deep, and with high tide and swell it was very difficult to cross.
That year was feverish, spent acquiring more pitons, wedges, and ropes. Ferrer had bought a dynamic nylon rope, eight millimeters thick and sixty meters long, and I had a nine-millimeter, seventy-meter hemp rope that had been brought to me from France. We also agreed to bring a twelve-millimeter cotton rope, forty meters long, in case we needed to set up a tyrolean to get across at high tide. Luís Filipe decided to organize a roped party with him, me (Santos Vieira), and Júlio Valente.
On February 7, 1966, about a year after we had planned the climb, we set out from the Casa Abrigo dos Capuchos, then belonging to the CCL, loaded with gear. It was five in the morning when we reached the base of Ursa. The tide was out, but since we didn’t know what time we’d be descending, we left a tyrolean set up with the cotton rope, stretched between the fishermen’s ladder and the rock at the foot of Ursa, to get us out in case we descended at high tide.
From the very first moves, the rock proved to be very friable, crumbling on most holds and making the placement of pitons for protection extremely difficult. Much of the climb was therefore spent cleaning and breaking off fragments of rock that blocked the handholds. We had brought ordinary construction helmets, whose bills we had cut off and to which we had attached chinstraps; they proved very useful against the constant shower of stones that kept coming loose from the wall.
Halfway up, past the “V” dihedral, we noticed some movement from companions who had reached the slope opposite Ursa, among them Armando Cardoso, the author of the summit photo shown here. The climb continued slowly and laboriously; the winter afternoon was fading quickly, and Luís Filipe decided to ask Júlio to stay about three pitches below the summit so that at least we could try to top out while there was still light. It was probably around 4:00 p.m., judging by the angle of the sun, with sunset expected at 5:30.
It was a difficult decision, but it allowed us, after a few more pitches, to reach the summit. Poorly balanced on extremely fragmented, crumbling rock, we posed there for the photo we knew Cardoso wouldn’t miss, with him and the others waving up at us from the ground. We stuck into an exposed crack a one-escudo coin from 1966 to mark the event and leave proof of our passage. We then looked for the best place to drive in two “U” pitons, set up an anchor with several slings, and rappelled down the northeast face to meet Júlio. From there, and after retrieving the rope, we descended the dihedral and the final section, always rappelling and with the added safety of the hemp rope.
We reached the base and managed to cross just as the tide was rising again. Thus we completed about fourteen hours on this first ascent of Ursa.
A Noiva | The Bride
They started early and carried a light load - only Morais had a (small) backpack. The route was soon found to be dangerous due to unstable and loose rock. On one section of the wall, Alexandre pulled free a 15 kg stone, forcing the rest of the party to squeeze themselves against the wall in order to avoid injury.
At their waists there was little more than a hammer, a few pitons and carabiners, all precious gear bought at the Vieux Campeur in Paris. Only Abreu wore a helmet. Slings harnesses were not yet available, these would only be introduced later, after a course in Portugal with Alphonse Darbellay, and so they were tied-in at their waists and ascending by placing pitons that the second team would remove. Whenever they ran out of equipment to ascend with, the whole party would wait until the last climber arrived and handed the recovered gear to the leader.
Their efforts to climb the most direct line required them to do some backtracking in order to climb horizontally to the left, which put them much closer to the vertical rappel line . On the more direct line, the rock was progressively more insecure, the reason it would end up being abandoned four or five years later, (in favor of the South face climb).
They spent nine and a half hours on the wall, and had they not registered the time on their climbing notebooks they would not believe how long it had taken. Alexandre also wrote ”Note: Very dangerous because of loose rock”. When asked to recall their memories, there is no mention of fear or doubt; only the sound of the wind, and the magnificent rattle of the pitons' song, along with the sulfurous smell of the hammered rock.
The two summit photos were lost for many years, and it was even published that the first ascents of the Noiva were in 1975. One of the photos (that was missing for an additional two years) shows details of the preparations for the descent, where Alexandre is hammering a piton for the rappel- a single piton and a cordelette to recover the rope. This piton is the only tangible sign of this conquest. Leaving this piton behind was not done lightly by the party, given how hard it was to put their hands on good gear.
The first roped adventures of the group that would one day do the first ascent of the Noiva were during BEC's speleology outings in September 1970, with Alexandre Lugtenburg de Garcia and Américo Abreu. In January of the following year, the group started experimenting with mountaineering activities (Penedo dos Ovos, in a picture dated January 10th, 1970) during a workshop on the fundamentals of mountaineering. In the summer of 1971, Alexandre and Américo rock climbed with António Nunes Morais and Gaspar Dias … the party that would conquer the Bride was established.
The party met the Bear and the Bride on September 15th, 1971, during a quick foray to Pedra Nova. They returned on the 26th, after three days climbing in Serra da Estrela,to climb the Ursa that had been opened to the small world of Portuguese climbing just five years before. They came back on the 4th of October to observe and survey the walls of the Noiva, and no later than the following day, October 5th, 1971, they proceeded with the ultimate attack on the impressive Bride, which at the time was commonly known as the Ursa do Norte (the Bear of the North).
Without much discussion, they had chosen to climb the wall that faced land (where the rappel line is nowadays), that seemed to have an easier and more direct line than the sinuous alternatives of the South face, with its traverse and frequent angle changes.
The party started off as two separate teams, that would climb together on the final sections of the route:
Alexandre Lugtenburg de Garcia
Américo Abreu
Gaspar Dias
António Nunes Morais
Meanwhile, in parallel with these very active young men of the Southern division of CNM, a group of even younger men progressed in the Brigadas Especiais de Campo (Special Field Brigades - BEC). Even though the BEC was part of the Mocidade Portuguesa (Portuguese Youth - an official organization for young boys, with compulsory membership, founded during the dictatorship period), it had little to no political connections which allowed the group to enjoy some freedom of thought and ideas. Besides rock climbing and mountaineering, the group was mainly focused on speleology (the Portuguese Society of Speleology had been founded more than 25 years before, and by this time speleology in Portugal was already at a mature stage), alongside diving, piloting sailplanes, and sky diving - activities that at the time were seen as "extreme..
Espinhaço
Brief chronicle of trad climbing at Espinhaço by Filipe Costa e Silva
- translation by Hugo Castro Silva, excerpt from LISBON CLIMBING GUIDEBOOK
This is Cabo da Roca! This is Cabo da Roca! That's what the wind repeatedly says, as it whirls over the coast. It's here that the horizon cannot be contained in a gaze, where the West becomes sunset, and the endless distance promise! that which can only be accomplished in dreams. A frontier place, sometimes in chaos, sometimes in peace. A place like no other where the sea has so much of the sea, the sky so much of the sky, and between them cliffs of golden granite.
This is Cabo da Roca! This is Cabo da Roca! — so the wind seems to proclaim as it whirls over the coast. Here, the horizon defies a single gaze; the West dissolves into sunset, and the boundless distance holds the promise of what can only be fulfilled in dreams. A frontier land, at times in chaos, at times at peace. A place like no other, where the sea is wholly sea, the sky wholly sky, and between them rise cliffs of golden granite.
Following a steadily descending path, you come upon the ruins of the Fort of Espinhaço. What now amounts to little more than fragments of wall and the remnants of the vaulted roof of its magazine was once a proud stronghold, an integral part of the defensive system guarding the Tagus sandbar.
Built in the mid-17th century (the earliest known blueprint dates to 1693), it remained armed until 1831, when it was decommissioned and stripped of its iron and bronze cannons, its muskets and arquebuses, and its powder kegs, shells, and pellets.
From that day on, battered by the relentless rains and winds of the harsh coast, it crumbled stone by stone, until, in the long-vanished year of 1978, a group of climbers came upon the abrupt wall atop which the fort still stands.
Old and new conquests
Despite its mere 100 m, the Espinhaço wall has its own greatness lent by the sea that makes climbing special. Besides the perfect days, when it's cold, the rock sticks like sandpaper and shines like gold, with a tranquil sea and clean skies, there are the other, more usual, days.. Those are days when the sun burns, or gray days with the ever-present humidity that gobbles up chalk and gives us cold sweats as one hand looks for a cam while the other slips away from the hold. And in the background, the sea incessantly roars and intimidates us when we've barely left the anchor and stopped hearing our belayer to instead hear the gigantic washing machine. Still, climbing in Espinhaço always leaves us feeling good and many of the routes are hidden gems.
The first conquest of Espinhaço belongs to Paulo Alves and Carlos Teixeira in 1981. After two previous attempts, it was on September 19th that same year that the two climbers, with a varied set of 18 pitons, a set of nuts and already wielding one or two camming devices, finish the Normal route in nine and a half hours, It's worth referring to Paulo Alves's notes about the route as a historical record: "The more delicate part of the route, very beautiful, generally speaking, is the third pitch (aid) with bad pitons, runout, and less than vertical toward the left. We had already left four pitons there, and I placed eight more; two sections using #3 cam.”
After three hours the key pitch was done and the hammering of two bong-bongs at the anchor could be heard. To reach the top of the wall all that was left was an easy III-grade climb. The wall had been beaten, and a decade of conquests began. After three the key pitch hours hammering of two bong-bongs at the anchor could be heard. To reach the top of the wall all that was left was an easy Ill-grade climb. The wall had been beaten, and a decade of conquests began.
The new lines came out of the effort of many climbers that progressively forced the path, piton by piton, aider by aider, fear by fear, pitch by pitch, from one adventure to the other, sometimes taking more than a year of spread-out attempts by different climbing teams. Among the most active climbers were, to name some, Jorge Matos, Vasco Pedroso, Carlos Teixeira, Henrique Cabreira, José Luis Carvalho, Nuno Pardal, Luís Fernandes, Francisco Silva and José Pereira.
P. Alves stands out, almost always present in all attempts or ascents that are nowadays literally the classics of the classics. One such route is the impressive Transatlantica, first climbed in 1987 with J. Matos. A sort of Titanic of routes, whose name is well earned given that it crosses most of the wall with the ambiance of a voyage above the sea and really good feelings of an imminent shipwreck, that to this day still demands respect. In fact, this route should be considered as a trip to a museum of climbing art, where one can find not only the customary pitons and spits, but also the elaborate olive or cherry wood wedges, stuck in the large cracks. The whole route teaches us, as we climb it and imagine the firsts that did it, the meaning of tipping one's hat!
In October 1989 Paulo Gorjão would free Imaginária (7a) introducing this wall to hard free climbing, trumpeting a new era, one that demands a higher level of fitness and climbing technique. In the beginning of the 1990s decade, F. Silva opens the route Lunática (6c) from above and frees it with Paulo Gorjão. It's no longer just about conquering and beating the wall, but of changing the objective to the way it's climbed. Against this "free" wave, the opening of the route Heróis da BD (A3), by José Carlos Sousa, João Garcia and João Gaspar in 1996, sticks out, as well as Cuba Live (A4) by Ricardo Nogueira and Paulo Roxo in 1998, repeated in the same year by Francisco Ataíde in rope-solo style.
As the new millennium arrived, the days of aid climbing were numbered. The climbers that came to try the old routes brought new words in their minds: free, hard, redpoint.
In 2001, F. Ataíde partially bolts Tomatada (8a+) that departs from the second pitch of Transatlântica heading straight toward the most aesthetical prow in the wall, a solid and smooth overhang that would turn out to be a hard nut to crack (redpointed in 2005 by F. Ataíde). From this new mentality and the possibilities that the new protection gear offers, some lines are opened in full-trad style such as the cheeky Telefuncken (7b), Cavalgar o tigre (7c)or Esta via não é para velhos (7c+ - “No route for old men”), true trad pearls. For this new generation, it represents finding the real beauty of trad climbing: a clean progression, and the challenge of removable gear, where more than conquering, more than difficult moves and redpointing, there is an ethical and aesthetical way of climbing that is indissociable of the trad game itself.
Present and future
With the old routes freed, Tomatada redpointed and repeated, the Tiger ridden and tamed. Are there no more challenges left in Espinhaço? Quite the contrary, each new triumph opens up new perspectives and teaches the gaze to look for new limits. Helped by the constant evolution of removable gear, the barrier of the impossible takes several steps back, and where before one had to be fearful, have balls of steel and copperheads, now all you need are two or three of the modern micro-cams. One of the best, albeit specific, feelings of these challenges is the mix between doubt and optimism of the possibility (or impossibility) of freeing a once-aided route. Somewhat anxiously trying cams in the rarest of holes, all of the nuts that the crack promptly spits out, the mental calculations of percentages between "bomber" and "just there for decoration", and in the end taking the positive outlook and accepting the uncertain risks. This way, while some of the old terrifying routes become a walk in the park, the broadened horizons promise new challenges for the future, because we all need to have at least one line to dream about or one line that does not let us sleep.
Traditional climbing is without a doubt the terrain of freedom. And it's up to climbers to safeguard their own future, not falling victims to Cesare Maestri's deadly sin, and leaving space open for the big dreamers. for those that need absolute empty rock, space for today's impossible. Is there anything sadder, for someone who's looking to escape the limited logic of sport climbing, than finding a wall peppered with unnecessary bolts? Routes signaled like urban streets, marked with bolts blinking in the sunlight telling you where to go like policemen with shrill whistles, ready to pierce the eardrums of the freedom of movement… Because if walls can be reduced to mere physical challenges and to machines that stretch the limits of muscle fibers, they can also be something else that transcends a simple challenge equated by a number. Walls can be a stage for inner demons, a chess match against ourselves a dark cave and a balcony over our inner abyss, a circus’s fuss that may someday a wake in the presence of the dead that may someday be us, free offices of vertical psychoanalysis, clarions that awake, from the depth of their sleep, unknown heroes of beasts made of fear, envy and dark things.
When at the end of the day, in the dusk of a sun sinking in the Atlantic, we leave from the top of the wall of Espinhaço, it's as if we are coming from a theatre where we played our true role. And the sun, in the West, is the drop of the curtain over ourselves. The days in Espinhaço are always special.
Biscaia
excerpt from CLIMBING IN BISCAIA - CABO DA ROCA by Fernando Pereira
The coastal cliffs of Cabo da Roca collectively boast routes of high quality and historical significance for climbing in Portugal. Reportedly, there are approximately 15 sectors or clusters of sectors stretching from Praia Grande to Praia do Abano, totaling over 200 routes.
This guide presents a small group of sectors, discreetly collected near the town of Biscaia (Malveira da Serra - Cascais).
For lack of a better toponym, it was named after the nearby town – Biscaia – and presents itself to potential visitors as an opportunity to master some useful technical resources, given the special characteristics of its routes. Its routes start from exposed positions above the sea, climbing some of the most capricious granite of these cliffs. The rock features an abundance and variety of hold shapes and natural protection possibilities, resulting in climbing that is both challenging and highly enjoyable.
The hope is that by publicizing this area, we'll uncover a little more of what lies in this part of the coast, home to routes as old as they are, unfairly, under-visited.
It would be a winning bet if this publicity served as an incentive to simply climb the routes, so as to avoid an unfounded lack of demand and to ensure that the (little) fixed equipment doesn't rot before serving more than a handful of pioneering pitches.
Climbing the coastal routes of Cabo da Roca is, in essence, a self-reversing tribute: an opportunity to engage with climbing history while celebrating a unique cultural and outdoor experience.
Like other coastal areas, Biscay doesn't accommodate many visitors, much less those who have been depositing their household waste over the years. It would be good if we could reduce this trend, with whatever means we can. We are grateful for the help of everyone who, through their contributions to the Equipping Society, made the placement of rings possible, and to all who collaborated in the creation of routes.
This guidebook is dedicated to the few enchanted climbers who, surely for decades, have seen these slopes, which initially looked so unpromising, as an illusion, from which they extracted and shared lines of character and beauty, especially to someone who once wrote, "Vary, Damn!"