When you think of rock climbing in Portugal, the last place that comes to mind is the Algarve.
But look a little closer, listen a little harder and dig a bit deeper and you will find that the south of Portugal has many of it's own little gems to offer. From 25 metres at Rocha da Pena for the more experienced climbers to deepwater soloing on the south coast and for the very first time an 11 meter beginners experience just outside Lagos to name a few.
This blogs intention is to document the climbing conditions for some of the many climbing spots in the Algarve. We at Extreme Algarve are proud to be the first extreme/outdoor sports company to actually offer a climbing experience to the complete beginner as well as the climber with a bit of experience.
Our first story here reflects on a day up at our brand new spot just outside Lagos.
Much of the rock in the Algarve isn't good for climbing as it crumbles quite easily. However a large 11 meter piece of limestone was discovered right on our back door, something we drove past each day and thought 'what if'.
So a crew consisting of the experienced climber/guide/instructor Wiebke, her husband Peer and another highly experienced climber called Pete set out to make heads or tails of this potential spot.
After much clearing of bush and prickly brambles as well as loose rock, the rock was finally good to climb.
Please read our story.
(Please note if you have never climbed before we strongly advise not to climb on your own or without that of an experienced guide or instructor)
So myself, Selmo (the owner of the famous hostel in Lagos 'The Rising Cock' and proprietor of the culinarily delightful 'Nah Nah Bah') and a German friend of Peer and Wiebke, Jens joined by our two guides/instructors Wiebke and Pete set upon this virgin rock - for the first time whoooooo!!!!!
Selmo in the Landy with the 'Rock' in the background (looks small eh?)
The not too bad trip up the hill
Thar she blows....
This size rock is regarded as a Grade 4A climb.
Safety was the first and most important aspect of the day. Here Wiebke was explaining the 'figure of eight' which was out lifeline knot.
This kind of climbing is called 'Toproping'.
this means that the rope runs through a steel ring embedded in the rock at the top and runs back down towards the person who is the belay at the bottom. A few metres up and it's a different story...
Selmo was an absolute climbing machine and was the first to climb to the top.
He also had us in stitches upon falling off one tricky bit he screamed 'Watch it!!' down to us as he thought he was on his way down, but off course he wasn't......it's all very safe.
Rock climbing isn't all just about the climber and Wiebke played her role as our belay and lifeline.
The rock presented 3 different levels of difficulty which is perfect for begginers.
Our climbing experience did not only include tips on different climbing techniques such as the 'Open and closed crimp' and the 'Layback' but also an insight into the fact you don't actually climb straight up the rock like you would a ladder.
Climbing shoes and a helmet were also very important.
When things got a bit tougher on the third and toughest of the climbs, we had to chalk our hands for extra grip.
Reaching the summit was absolutely awesome and you were blessed with a magnificent view.
All in all a great day out.
Give us a shout if you are interested and we'll hook you up.
