Our third van trip has started and so much has changed in one of our favorite bouldering spots, Alcañiz. I collected the best tips for a bouldering trip in Alcañiz. Enjoy!
Last trip we didn’t have time for blogging, cause I was working more. Since Weak Fingers starts to be rather big on Instagram, it is good to be back also in the blog world.
We get a lot of questions via our Instagram about the bouldering in Alcañiz, so this first post is all about Alcañiz bouldering. Here are the answers to 10+1 most asked questions:
1 Where do I get the topos (bouldering/climbing guidebook) for Alcañiz?
Mikael has been working (non-profit and volunteer) a lot with the local climbers and also with some visitors to develop new lines, areas and topos. Nowadays all the Alcañiz topo guides and bouldering information are found on 27 Crags.
27 Crags .Premium works so that with paying the Premium fee and using Alcañiz-topos the local climbing-community will get compensation of the work they are doing with the topos and all the development. With the Premium you don’t get only the Alcañiz topo but all the Premium topos like Fontainebleau, Albarracín, Rocklands etc.
In case someone is wondering, I don’t get any money for writing this (nor does Mikael), but I believe this system is nowadays the best way to make topos and guarantee the future of the bouldering in places like Alcañiz. Because all the guides are as up-to-date as possible and access information can easily be changed. Also in an area like Alcañiz which is developed every day it’s way better than a printed guide.
2. Is there any access issues in Alcañiz?
Usually people don’t ask this, but cause it is important, we can pretend that they do. There aren’t really any access issues, since bouldering isn’t yet that big of a thing here. But for the future, it is really important that everybody remembers the basic rules and respect the nature. It only needs one person and one time to change the state.
“Nowadays all the Alcañiz topos and bouldering information are found on 27 Crags “
So please remember not to leave trash behind, but rather collect trash, if you find some. Bury deep all your feces (this applies also to children and pets) !! Don’t make a mess, fire or noises. Don’t block roads or access to fields with your car. Respect the nature and all humans and animals. You know basic things, behave nicely 🙂
3. How do I find the sectors and the boulders?
In 27 Crags .Premium you can find all the parkings and paths to the areas and blocks. Topos work also offline, but remember to download the sector before hitting the stones, many areas have very little coverage or none at all.
4. Where can I stay the nights?
This is maybe the most frequently asked question. There are of course some hotels, but many of our climbing friends fly here and have a tight budget. If this is the case, I could recommend the Camping La Estanca. It is not in the center, but really close by and next to a lake. They have nice Bungalows and a cozy restaurant. Also they are open all year around and in the future there will be a possibility to get rental pads from there.
If your budget is less tight or you want a place from the center, many have stayed in some Airbnb- apartments.
5. How do I get to Alcañiz?
Well, this depends on from where you are coming and how. Most of our friends from Finland take a flight and rent a car. Alcañiz is located about two hours from Barcelona and four hours from Madrid.
Remember to take some insurance for your rental car. It is not only once or twice that there has been small incidents, when someone has hit the accelerator instead of the brakes etc. And in Barcelona it is not a good idea to leave stuff in the car without surveillance. There has been several robberies when someone has left their rental car unattended for less than 1 minute when paying fuel etc.
If you drive a van, we normally avoid the toll roads since we drive so slow.
6. What are the best lines and sectors?
Bujaa. Well this depends on the climber. I am climbing mainly 6’s and my favorite sectors are Anfibio, Arenal and Bulevar. Also we started to develop Santa Barbara this year, which has great views. Anfibio has now problems with the high river, but there are still a lot to climb.
Here are some of my favorite lines:
Anfibio (above water now): Asi si 6B+, Pan con aceite 6A+, Triton 6A+, Oso no dinamico (de pie) 6B, Lunatic Luna 6C and Sin Sangre 6C+
Arenal: Concha 6A, Romualdotegi 6A+, Tacto rectal 6B, Año del conejo 6 A+, Maximo quinto más 6A+, Después del Mate 6B+, Vectrex 6C
Bulevar: Animal sèquia 6 A+, Mone 6B, Borinot 6A+, El queso gruyere 6B+, El hombre mas fuerte del mundo 6B, La joya 6C
Mikael mainly climbs 7’s. His favorite sectores are Peche Melba, Anfibio and Arenal. These are some nice ones he can recommend:
Anfibio: Batman, el chulo 7A, Rubik 7B+, Los tres Pinos 8A, Placa Madre 6C+, vuelo de fangtasia 7B, Esquina Magnificulo 7A
Peche Melba: Pechamelba 7C, Solarium 7B+, Percussion 6C+, Abacus 7A+, Contre Nature 7B, Nature Humaine 7B
El Arenal: Arenal sound 6C+/7A+ (stand/sit), Fun People 7B+, A traves de los huecos 7A, El reloj 7A+, To the sky 7A+, El Motivao 7B+, Ojo de tigre 7C, Romotus 7B
7. Why should I choose Alcañiz for my bouldering destination?
Maybe you have visited Albarracín already many times and you want something new? Or maybe you want to visit a place, where you don’t have to queue for your project? From taste matters it is really hard to argue. Some people love Alcañiz and some people prefer Albarracín.
“I am climbing mainly 6’s and my favorite sectors are Anfibio, Arenal and Bulevar.”
For us since we are not so crazy about touristic destinations and we rather clean new routes and develop new lines, we prefer Alcañiz. For van people it is also a lot easier with big supermarkets and facilities close by.
8. How is the vanlife in Alcañiz?
Quite easy. So far we haven’t had any big problems. The country roads are sometimes in bad shape, but we have managed so far and found always nice spots to stay.
It is also possible to stay the night in the Camping La Estanca (6 €/van, at least in this season (2019)) and you can get everything from there. Water you can get for example from the city caravan park.
9. What is the best time to travel to Alcañiz?
You can never be sure about the weather, but there is almost never snow in Alcañiz and it rains very little during the winter. There might though be a lot fog or wind sometimes. Usually the best climbing season is from November until March.
10. Where do I get crash pad and help?
If you don’t bring your own Crash pad, you can rent one from Anfibios climbing. From Anfibios climbing it is also possible to get a bouldering guide in case you need one.
10+1. What else should I know? (restaurants, shops, tourist stuff, bakeries, social media)
There are a couple of restaurants we have visited. Los Alamos is on the opposite side of Lidl, a bit outside the center. The restaurant has an open grill and good grilled fish and traditional Spanish foods.
We have visited also Kebab Alcañiz, which is our climbing friend Jarmo’s favorite restaurant 😀 It has fast food and service.
If we go to the bakery, we go to the Panaderia Llombart in the city. And there are a lot of shops in the center in case you would need them. For touristic experiences, you could probably visit the tourist information in the center. In the center there are the church, park and castle (nowadays a hotel). You can also visit the under ground tunnels and go to see some wall paintings.
You can follow on Instagram #alcañizbouldering and of course Weak Fingers. You can also read our earlier post from two years ago: Bouldering in Alcañiz – The new climbing Mecca in Spain.
Nos vemos en Alcañiz!
On 26.1.2019 there is going to be a small get together and climbing festival in Alcañiz. You can find the information from Facebook.
Weak Fingers 