This is the history of the most important crag in La Pedriza, El Pájaro. Poineers of rock climbing in Spain talk about their adventures in this place.

Video reflexión clownclimbin nº9: power without control IS NOTHING.

Even now, when the topo is finished. This tangle of lines, grades, belays and rappels not intended to be the last word. They are just an invitation for any climber to discover their own ways. Because it is not clear that there is here painted lines follow the path of the first ascensionists or have further routes have been traced on the above. The important thing is worth climbing each route. And of course that this topo is not intended as the final word. Why follow the red line that someone has painted on paper? Maybe it’s better to make three pitches of one route and two of another. Or one of each one. Or climb a spiral way!

Download Black Spire Topo [pdf 11Mb]

“The Valley”. You have seen it thousand of times, but when you arrive there you think: shit!. This is a fact. Yor have listen thousand of histories about its hard and long routes, but it is not completelly understood till the moment of been there. Another fact. So, no matter what it is told here you must go there and taste it. Because what it is a real fact is that Yosemite is AWESOME.

Photogallery of Yosemite.

Yosemite is A-W-E-S-O-M-E, buy they proounce OLSON. The photo gallery is coming soon.

Are you going to climb to Bavella? Besides the 6 tips we saw you, here you have a few routes we have enjoyed. For sure there are many other routes hidden in the huge granite walls of the valley. And it sure there will be many more to discover on Bavella needles. Just for those who are willing to walk enough. Oh, and don´t forget the map if you want to get trackside on the first try. Good luck!

Photogallery of Bavella.

Bavella, one of that climbing destinations everybody knows, some have visit and almost no one climb in. Here you have some tips&trics to climb there.

You walk. More than two hours with the backpack to the brim, no trees, no shade. Once you get to the platform and raise your head, you realize that what you drop on it. In no case is a friendly ground. Everywhere you look it seems the sky. Galayos are field adventure.

You turn around and after a green metal door, step inside Victory Refuge. You let the pack on the floor, trying to plan ahead and everything makes you ordinary. There’s no room for your stuff, but there’s a place for everyting,

The shelter becomes a space of humanity. Logic and logistical difficulty make each element occupies a particular place. Every gesture implies, like a domino, another tab to be moved. This is the moment where your living space vanishes and find accommodation in knowledge sharing.

Photogallery of Victory Refuge

As we advance in the trailer made by our friend canalillofilms here is the photo gallery Torozo.

This is also the first time photos are published on a magazine before launching them here.

Photogalery of Torozo
Desnivel nº324

We spent all winter working with Canalillo Films,to record Escalada Sotenible video. We are proud to participate in projects we believe, and we are sure that both Canalillo and ESZC we´ll bring good news in few months. We hope you enjoy the film.

Qué es la asociación de escalada sostenible en la zona centro from Canalillofilms on Vimeo.

We could lie like scoundrels and say that climbing the Utah desert towers a breeze. A holiday destination with the same adventure as Orlando, but no. Approximations road, with real risk of crushing the door against a rock in the dry bed of a river, talus that takes an hour to climb, sun, heat, lack of water, very athletic rockclimbing on rock sometimes dubious and incredible summit. To successfully complete a trip of this kind it is mandatory to find tougth friends, those ones that remain humorous when a tire is flat on a deserted dirt road and can take many days without having a shower. Apart from all these little inconveniences climbing in Utah is an absolute blast.

Photogalery of Desert Towers

After many summers going to Galayos, virtually every weekene, it is important to ha a gook list of well-considered resons. So when you are asked by a friend, a coworker, a mother, a boss or a girlfriend you can get by gracefully and you will not look silly to go many times to the same site on which there is not a shred of comfort. A place inhabited by people who can not take a shower, because there is no running water, and supplies should be carried in a backpack because it cannot get even a donkey. So for a whole summer has been dedicated to asking people we met there: What is your reason for goint to Galayos?

32 Reasons for going to Galayos

Have a few days and enough energy to visit the kingdom of off-widths and chimneys? Vedauwo is your place. Upon arrival it is striking that all climbers are hanging from the pack a friend’s number six. Some even have two. And that’s not counting the heavy artillery that’s in the backpack, which may include one or more “Big Bro”. To complete the team well taped hands and a few others with the subject of trouser with a few turns of tape. Disguised in this manner will escalate any delicate plates strips, but they will do bad things, putting half body inside a crack and dragging it all the way to the top.

Photogalery of Vedauwoo

Complete change of direction. No exotic travel or sleep in a tent in the middle of a desert. While in the middle of Old Europe things are not done this way. You have to rent a house, a car, sleeping on a bed and sometimes dinner at a restaurant. Just park your car seems that the guide has deceived you, because there is no climbable feature in sight, but after a five minute walk through the forest and a sandstone tower suddenly appears through the trees. All efforts have been worthwhile.

Photogalery of Vosges

What bigger disappointment! When going to Rock & Block at Buñol, we thought everything was going to end up with a fabulous mini-tomatina. Nothing at all. There were only world-class climbers really struggling. There were even prizes and a podium. We refuse to return to a so serious event.

Photogalery of Rock&Block

Video of Rock&Block

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is Sputnik Climbing sending “El Matador” at full speed. It’s hard to condense a place like this in a handful of phrases and a few photos. Always misses some image or some anecdote. But once again when you see on paper you are satisfied. A very personal look of great site that will hopefully encourage someone to visit.

Desnivel nº 311
Devil’s Tower Article

clownclimbingvideoreflection nº6:
Family and climbing life are not always easy to connect.

It is called Bulder King, but its name does not matter at all, as there are plenty of places like this everywhere. Usually a local garage or basement that after a few months of sawing and drilling, becomes climbing gym. From that moment and on amazing things begin to happen down there. For regular visitors is just routine, but anyone coming from the outside world think he just found a group of Aliens. Hands full of magnesium, shouts and people jumping from side to side or by suspension or pull ups.

Photogalery of Bulder King

But are not extrange people at all: They are your neighbor, your office mate or your children’s teacher. At first they felt the distrust of people in the outside world, but now look at everything with the confidence to be a companion training.

People from Bulder King

You can read in any climbing guide:”Climbing in Rockies is a serious business”. And it’s not false. Long routes, 4.000 meter high, and so far from the camgrounud. If that’s not enough, it will start raining al 12.00 every day. Hallett Peak, Petit Grepon and of course the Diamond in Longs Peak are trully a “serious business”

Photogallery of Rocky Mountains

Devil’s Tower was built by Martians. Sure, so extrage place can not appear by chance. It is not yet clear what was its function: a communications antenna, an UFO landing place or a positron cannon. Fortunately, since it was out of service, climbers have been able to use it. Clearly, ther must be extraterrestrial emanation remaining there, that makes this place so absurd as fun.

Photo galery of Devil’s Tower

Cómo cada verano, Hoyamoros se convierte en el refugio perfecto para los bloqueros mas motivados. Este año parecía estar todavía mas lejos…
Para celebrar el fin de la temporada, sumamos unas cuantas fotos a la galería de fotos. Y de regalo,nueva video-reflexión de Clownclimbing,”la posteridad es hoy”

Like every summer Hoyamoros becomes the perfect place for the most motivated boulder fanatics. To celebrate the end of the season, here you have some new photos in our photo gallery. And our last video-reflection: “future is today”.

Photo gallery of Hoyamoros

Mr.David Zapata “El Niño” just been he-himself
“Uhhhhhhh. Such a lovely place…”

Attention! question:
A place where you can climb in summer, long routes, short, sport and block. Where you can choose sun or shade, plaques and fissures. One, two, three …Say it again!
Welcome to Cavallers, granite extra quality in all its forms.

Photo galery of Cavallers

Galayos is in the cutting’ edge. Parking is full every week end and The Torreón rap down is jammed from mid day. What is happening in Galayos? Why people is changing Rodellar by Aguja Negra? Our reporters are now there, looking for answers.

It is always a joy to see the work printed on paper, especially when you’re a dinosaur that has not adapted completely to digital. The script does not change: climbing, travel and take to heart as much as possible ourselves, but it seems that some would have liked it: some pictures in Desnivel nº 300 and an article from our walk through Needles in the number 301. So you want to work!

Desnivel nº 300
Desnivel nº 301
Needles Article

Two months of careful planning for the Italy climbing trip are, suddenly, in danger. It rains, but not a couple of showers. Hole week! Don’t panic. The cousin of a friend of my mechanic had told me the close to Roma there is a great cave, where it is possible to climb even in the rain. And it is fully true. A great place to climb in the rain, plenty of every grade routes, and of course of tufas.

Photogalery of Sperlonga

A glacial valley lost into the mountains. A heavenly spot with its own creek and boulders. It sounds like a promised land, but all that is good has a price to pay. There is a huge walk to get there.

To get there with your pack full of food, sleeping bag, mattress, burner, camera, flashes and also the crash pad is something almost rather more suitable for alpinists than for mere mortal boulderers. But there is an strategy that never fails: to deal goods with your friends. And as any good boulder plan, the more we are, the funnier.

So you know

Get together a good gang, trickle them, deal your things and gift yourselves a trip to paradisePhotogalery of Hoyamoros

We wanted to go climbing at Needles even before knowing its name. Now that we have climbed there, we are sure it has been a success. Pictures of climbers in yellow rock did not lie at all. Color is so intense that it does not seem real and routes are so vertical give vertigo. Even now, seeing photos, are putting me the creeps. Full quality!

Photogalery of Needles

Point the nose of your brand new racing car to Yosemite National Park and you floor the accelerator. The wheels chirped in all curves up to Olmsted Point. No time to lose! But maybe a better idea to take it easy. Respect the speed limit lest you end up starring in a chase like movies. And no one is happy having a portrait of the front and side holding a number. But once you’ve installed it’s time for action. Willing to enjoy everything and have fun every single day. These “domes” of perfect granite are ideal for people just looking to have fun.

Photogalery of Tuolumne Meadows

Click, click, click, click (shoot camera), tac, tac, tac, tac, (typing keyboard), discussions about points of view, angles, styles, phrases and expressions. Lot of phone calls, meetings and many, many emails to obtain the result: eight pages of text and photos. A little, very personal, view to a very unique place: Casal Pianos.

Desnivel nº 289
Casal Pianos Article

Climbing in Kalymnos is very easy. You live in a flat just 20 minutes walking from the climbing crag. Every day eat good things for dinner, swim in the sea and island people is very agreeable. And of course, the routes: long, great and very well bolted. But be advised: Not every route have tufas! In so a great ambiance you only have to worry about climbing and resting.

Photogalery of Kalymnos

Technology dominate our life. An e-mail full of information on a new crack crag in Portugal, with plenty pictures of course. Another e-mail asking for information to Isabel Boavida, who answers with very valuable links to other websites. And just another e-mail to prepare a “Kebabmeeting” at the offices of Clownclimbing: to decide when, how and what to do in Portugal. Final decisions taken in the course of an e-mail string and it is time to take action… It is time the Portuguese cracks.

Photo galery of Casal Pianos

Why a trad guy like me is in Albarracín? The longest climb is 21 feet, the rope is not needed and at the top of no boulder you can see the horizon at infinity. I came here to do what everybody does: jump, cross, heels, jam, mantle, forward somersault, back somersault, fall on the mat, laugh and finish the day with both your arms aching from climbing. As a friend described it: “This is an amusement park”. But better, I never get tired of comming here. The roller coaster is different every day and is hidden among the pines. And the crash pad is much more comfortable than the rope for a nap! Comming back to Albarracín? for sure.

Albarracín photo galery

Clownclimbing leaves the rope at home and carry the pads and all photographic gadgets to go to cold Albarracín. Here is the Making off of the gallery we will publish in the coming days.

ClownClimbing Albarracín from clownclimbing on Vimeo.