Montserrat - Over 3,500 Climbing Routes - Barcelona's Gem

Montserrat is quite the mountain if you can really call it that. I say this since instead of being like a typical mountain with sloping sides up to a summit or perhaps several psuedo summits, this one is literally made of thousands and thousands of rock pillars, and folded rock towers all made of conglomerate rock. Mapping a maze-like mountain like this would be a huge undertaking; and that is what climbing clubs have helped do over the past 100 or so years.

Now, Montserrat is not so large but the sheer density of the features is astounding. This is why there are over 35 THOUSAND bolted climbing routes in this park. That is more than you could likely do in a lifetime of climbing doing nothing but that. I should say though that despite the number of bolted anchors, they are very hard to see unless searching for them and the routes are generally not marked on the rocks (no placards and very few markings; thus, a guidebook should be used when selecting routes). So, in terms of aesthetic purposes, this is a non-issue.

A group of us met at the park and before we went climbing, Xavier really wanted to show us some of the park by taking a tour.

The group climbing up for some better views

The typical Montserrat rock pillars! Very very cool!

More pillars with a feature called the 'elephant' in the upper left corner

Xavier and Carol

Overhanging rockman

Some of the vertical faces allow for over 600m of multi-pitch climbing!

Very Cool!

Me, ready for some climbing!

Three routes going at once

Getting to the top on a good route. I should note that the rock at Montserrat is typically grippy but with only small little finger pockets and crimpers. So, even though this route wasn't vertical, it was still quite challenging.

Finishing off the day

Getting a view from the north side of Montserrat via a tour around the mountain by Xavier.

This was a very amazing place that I would love to come back to. Carol and Xavier, thank you very much for all your hospitality and for showing us some of the best of the best!
Cheers,

TNO

Climbing in the Pyrenees - My first 200m Multi-pitch

While on vacation down in Spain, Kim and I hooked up with Carol, an old friend of Kim's, and got out for some climbing close to the Pyrenees. Carol lives and Barcelona and really got into climbing and mountaineering through her husband Xavier who is a expert climbing guide (they just got married last weekend and are headed down to Portugal for a honeymoon cycletour trip!). Neither Kim or myself had ever down multi-pitch routes before (more than one rope length) so it was a new and rewarding experience for us. I'm definitely now hooked and would love to do some multi-pitch routes like 'The Chief' in Squamish when I return back to Canada.

Carol, Kim and myself on a 'warm-up' four pitch route. Since there were four of us, we used three half ropes with Xavier leading on both, then belaying Carol and Kim with Kim also climbing up with the third rope. I then cleaned the route as Kim belayed me from the top. It was a good system.

Kim making her way up

View getting close to the top!

Our 2nd climbing spot. 200m nearly vertical wall adjacent to a dam. Five pitches and super duper fun! The climb went from the extreme lower right up to a ledge right close to the top.

Many, many, many other climbing possibilities everywhere in the area.

Kim belaying Xavier from the bottom

Xavier and I at the top of the first pitch

The rock was just perfect; very grippy with no chalk required.

Kim and I hanging out with big Smiles!

At the top!

Heading down

Another perfect day!

Unfortunately, Carol got sick and wasn't able to do the 2nd climb with us which was too bad.
I'm defintiely sold on multi-pitch climbing now. It is much more about the experience and less about pushing the limits of your abilities like you typically do on a short 8m route. Not that multi-pitching has to be easier. It's just that climbing long easier routes quickly makes for a very fun time. Highly recommend it to anyone who has yet to try it!

TNO

Peaking out in Stavanger

As I mentioned in my last post, I had to stop running for a significant time due to a toe injury. This all stopped when I went down to France and with no bike, I had to get in some aerobic exercise. So, I brought my running shoes and started to run. At first I was hesitant with my toe and took it nice and slow to get the muscles working again. No fast sprints and no fast paces; just easy strides with escalating distances up to about 16km. I got in about 10 runs during the three weeks and while my fitness increased on my feet, my toe did not make a whisper. It is a great feeling to know that you are back to 100% this fuelled my passion for running once again. So, when in Stavanger for the weekend, I was able to get in a small peak run and traverse overlooking the Stavanger area (as above).

The run started through this sweet orienteering heaven of open forest with large boulders EVERYWHERE! Would love to run a course in there!
Looking back at the peak I had just descended from

Nice backcountry lake with trail intersection

Nice open rocky trail back to the start

All in all, it was a great run and I am pumped about putting in some miles over the winter here. I even just made my own studded ice shoes for the super slippery roads and sidewalks in Trondheim so that I'll be able to stay on my feet and not injure myself again! Will review this process once I take them out a few times and take them for a spin. No ice yet but with temperatures pushing the zero mark at night, it won't take long until the streets turn into ice rinks (which is the norm here due to the weather hovering around zero all winter).

Happy Trails

TNO

Cabin Trip in Dovrefjell National Park

Last weekend, Kim and I rented a car once again and headed south with our friends Matthieu and Marion to the National Park of Dovrefjell. This park is primarily alpine with soft rolling mountains reaching up to 2200 meters and is inhabited by Muscox. While we unfortunately didn't see any Muscox, we did enjoy the sights and sounds of a landscape preparing for season of snow.

We headed up on Saturday and planned a 2 day loop trip with a short first day to a cabin (one of thousands that make up the cabin network here in Norway). We had a relaxing hike in and had a nice evening chilling out with some card games and good food. The next day, we did a much longer route that would take us up into the alpine and down a different valley back to our car. Everything went smooth and here are some good shots to give you an idea of the trip. Enjoy!

Old village still used for farming today. This was the location of our hytta (cabin).

The beautiful valley that we hiked up

Nice trail through the trees

On a stroll from the cabin and taking a break

The next day, hiking out of the valley; old village and cabin below.

The hike started with 500 meters straight up to get up to the alpine plateaus

Into the alpine

Despite bad weather surrounding us, we lucked out with some cloudy blue skies.

Marion, Matthieu, Kim and Myself

The moonscape landscape is barren yet beautiful at the same time

Some light rain gave us yet another rainbow

Despite having no trees or shrubs, the landscape is quite colourfull from all the low-lying alpine plants turning as the fall and winter approaches.

Starting to head down another valley

Very old farm houses made of stone, some wood and sod roofs (as is normal here in Norway)

TNO

Trondheim Countryside Road Ride

The other week, Kim and I decided to get out for a longish road ride on our commuter bikes to some areas around Trondheim that we had not yet visited. We set out with an informal plan and ended up going around some mountains, scenic lakes and road on some very quiet country roads. The weather was scattered but we ended up escaping the rain and even had some very warm sunny moments. With the daylight getting shorter everyday, the temperatures are also going down accordingly so any warm weather is currently being cherished by us! In the end, we more or less stuck to our intended route and clocked about 120km which was great.

Kim with one of many many rainbows we've seen in the past few weeks

Taking a short break on the shores of Andoya Lake

Kim making some friends!

Along the way we stopped and watched a sheep herding competition which was part of a Norwegien Cup Series. It was pretty impressive to see the level of control the owners had with their Border Collies! The owner stood on a platform up to about 800m away and instructed the dog to herd the sheep through a series of gates and finally to a ring where the owner would have to spit the sheep in two and put them in a fenced enclosure. Never seem anything like this before!

We had a great ride through the countryside and it reinforced to us once again just how nice this Country is just on the outskirts of any town or City.

TNO

Climbing at Hardmoen

A couple weekends back, we rented a car and headed west to a climbing spot called 'Hardmoen' with a group of friends. This location featured a 30 meter wall with a good mixture of holds along with some crack and an overhang section at the top of one route. As none of us have trad gear nor know how to use it propery, we top ropped the 30 meter routes and I led a shorter anchored route. I'm not too confident leading but am starting to get better at it with practice. All in all, despite the bit of rain we got, it was a great day of climbing.

The Hardmoen wall; Me going up the 30 meter route

Kim going vertical

Marion finding the best route

On belay

Marion going up to the overhang

Taking a break midway up the route

Salmon on the BBQ

Waiting out some rain with some good company!

TNO