Sweet Siurana

So long snowy Rodellar...

Thank goodness for good company, because after four days of torrential rains, snow storms and seeping tufas, I may of lost my mind.  Although our trip to Rodellar ended up being a wash, we did get in a couple of great days there which only fueled our psyche to return. Our friends Yasmeen and Rick flew to Spain to join the Can-Am tour and it was so great to spend time with them there too. They stayed with us in Rodellar for a week and followed us on our great escape to Siurana.

Graced with great company...

Although Rodellar was where we wanted to be, we also wanted to rock climb. Go figure. FYI: If it is raining in Spain, go to Siurana. Zero chance of seeping, winds dry the rock in record time and despite the more vertical nature of the rock, you can actually climb in the rain too. In hindsight, we should of been here weeks beforehand. I am just really happy it worked out eventually, as it is definitely the most beautiful area of Spain that we have visited this trip. We went out for a fun night on the town in Reus for our first night, as there was absolutely no accomodation available in Siurana or Cordunella during the easter chaos. Good times for sure, but sad that Rick and Yasi couldn't of stayed longer!

Yasmeen and Ricky :)



Our first peek at the town of Siurana.

On our first day in Siurana I climbed in a hail storm, but it stayed dry. I was psyched. Infact, the next 2 climbing days I also climbed in a hail storm. I was convinced that this weather was following me, and friends were convinced that I was bad luck. But it stayed dry!

The beautiful vistas of Siurana.

We did end up finding a great apartment in Cordunella de Montsant once the easter chaos settled. We are really enjoying the pace here, the towns, the vinyards, the scenery. Most of all, it has been really nice to enjoy time with eachother. It has been our first chance to be alone in a while and although good company is great, so is time alone together.

Siurana, the town on top.

The Refugio in Siurana has this adorable little restaurant and shop that they built into the cliff.

Kyle cooking yet another delightful feast. Thats my man.

So we caved a bought Faustino #1. The reserve. Lets just say it was worth every single penny.

The view from our apartment.

The climbing in Siurana has definitely been an adjustment from the juggy, pinchy tufa climbing that we have become accustomed to in Spain. Siurana is technical, spicey, bouldery and CRIMPY and I mean crimpy. My fingers have been screaming for days.

Another technical masterpiece.

The routes are absolutely stunning and follow tall water streaks with chalky paths that guide the way to the top.

The climbing is exposed and airy, which is wonderfully exhilerating.

The crags are busy, but that makes for lots of new friends, familiar faces and plenty of motivation. Also plenty of good people watching.

The signature water streaks of Siurana make for picturesque and inspiring lines.

With only a couple weeks left we have just been climbing as much as possible. Siurana has been great for that as there are so many amazing 5.11's and 12's. We have been bouncing around from crag to crag, sun to shade, slabs to faces, cracks to overhangs and sampling all of the tastes of Siurana limestone. And loving it.

The things to do on rest days are just as varied and accessible as the climbing is. Within a 10-30 minute drive you can visit vinyards, beaches, other climbing areas, national parks, historical sites, etc...

The small vinyard town of Escaladei

Wine tasting for two.

Spring time buds.

Another beautiful cellar that we visited. The owner spoke english and educated us about all of the different local wines and history while we sampled several of his different offerings. It was awesome.

The gorgeous vinyards of Catalunya.

The cliffline here is mesmerizing and nearly endless. This is the view from our hike up to Montsant, another beautiful climbing spot just 15 minutes out of town. 

Cool conglomerate stone at Montsant. 

 

The view from one of the main sectors of Montsant.

Montsant pocket pleasure.

Beaches of Salou

 

It has definitely come to that point in our trip in which I have started to reflect and accept. I am just thankful to still be able to push it a bit with this finger shit and still accomplish a couple "firsts". My goal of the trip however was to push past my 5.13b/c comfort zone and go for more 5.13a onsights. I haven't been able to do either of those things as I feel that every time I try to, it hurts or I can't fully commit. On the plus side, I haven't dedicated time like this to sport climbing in a while and it was cool to see how quickly I got back to where I'd left off, and with a slight setback. So there is hope :)

Kyle has been PSYCHED in Siurana. Pain free shoulder and lots moderates to climb.

 

Enjoying yet another amazing 5.11d

I have come over some mental hurdles this trip too. I vowed to at least try a bunch of 5.13d's here in Siurana, just to get myself over the mental stigma that I seem to have with them. It was really good for me to get on these things, work out the moves and push myself on that level. It is without a doubt achievable for me, just not right now, not in fingery Siurana. I realized this when I fell in love with a 5.13d called Zona O, but unfortunately there was one hold that kept irritating my finger. Not worth it, not now. I have a lot of routes to aspire to return to and I am feeling more and more comfortable now with this grade. So I am psyched for that. I found a 5.13c that I am in love with, it is a massive 38 meters of awesome. You climb 10 bolts of pumpy 5.12 to a 7 bolt finale that continuously builds on itself. It is pure power endurance on openhand crimps with really big powerful moves. Its really fun, it doesn't hurt and I look forward to getting back on it.

There has been no shortage of motivation around here, so even though I can't push myself to the max, we have gotten to watch some other climbers push it to levels that I cannot even fathom. There are so many strong climbers here and we were fortunate enough to witness one of the most incredible onsighters that I have ever seen. Our friends Gill and Steve introduced us to their Swedish friends and among these friendly Swedes was an incredibly gifted climber named Matilda Soderlund. If you haven't heard already, during her trip to Siurana and Margalef she onsighted three 5.13d's, three 5.13c's, and several 5.13b's. We were lucky enough to watch her onsight Pati Pa Mi 5.13d and she absolutely styled it. I have tried all of these routes and they are not mindless jug hauling, they are technical with really hard cruxes. It was inspiring to say the very least. 

Women here are crushing. It is really cool. Check out this sweet video of one of Siuranas/the worlds strongest women on the famous La Rambla 5.15a, here in Siurana.

Life is good but we are definitely getting a little home sick! Our friends Gill and Steve moved in next door to us, so we have a little bit of Ontario here in Spain to keep us happy :o) Time to make the most of the short time we have left here!  

Peace and love out to everyone xox Les