New Year Trip to Suirana

Hi guys just thought I would pen a few words about my recent 11 day trip to Suirana in Catalunya, Spain. I headed out on Boxing Day and arrived in the campsite late that night after a full day's travelling from Exeter via Liverpool airport that morning! I had rather optimistically decided to camp this trip but did not fully appreciate how cold it was going to be. My sleeping bag was a 4 season down one but was totally outclassed by the bone chilling cold experienced. Luckily some friends lent me a duvet and in combo with about 5 layers of clothing, it was doable. It was good to go back to basics and suffer a bit, makes you appreciate the finer things in life back home! Mucking in to cook in the miniscule cooking area every morning and night with all the fellow climbers was a good experience. Many a tuna/ pasta surprise was concocted in the cramped quarters to replenish diminished glycogen reserves. 

Migranya 8b - Credit: Charlie Egan

After a day or 2 to shake off Christmas excesses, I started to feel good on my main goal for this trip, Migranya 8b, a steep, powerful testpiece in Sector L'Olla at the head of the canyon past the famous La Rambla 9a+. I had tried this in 2013 but didn't quite have the level for it back then and despite being able to do all the moves OK, it had remained unticked since then. I learned from one of the locals that a left hand handhold on a crucial sloper in the lower half of the route had crumbled away since I had last tried the route so it was harder now into the bargain! After a couple of days reworking it and some beta tweaks, I started doing links from the end of the crux to the top and felt my route fitness suddenly come back after a period of mostly bouldering in November/ December.

The crux traverse on Migranya 

For once, on New Year's eve I resisted the temptation to go overboard and after a nice celebration in the bar where we sipped some beers, had a glass of cava each and ate 12 grapes in close succession on the stroke of midnight, I eschewed the dubious pleasures of a night out on the tiles in Cornudella and headed to bed at 1am. After a rest day of reading and chilling, the next day it was business time and I headed up to L'Olla with Alex to do battle.

Migranya - the crux

Video of Migranya

I had been close to getting through the crux move before New Year but a heel toe cam for my right foot seemed to be holding me back on the sloper move and I would always fall just short of sticking the next move. After a rethink, I decided to just use a heel rather than a cam as well and bingo, it worked. I stuck the crux and swung my way to the shakeout below the halfway roof. After a minute shaking out, I embarked on the still tricky exit moves which involve a crank on a 2 finger pocket and a dicey stab to a powerful gaston for the left hand. Thankfully, my time spent working the links on this section was not wasted and I got through this section to clip the chains. I was a good feeling to get this one ticked and be project free for a while.

Post send on Migranya

Send burgers and beers

The rest of the trip was spent getting some mileage in as it is sometimes nice not to have the pressure of a hard send to deal with and just enjoy some classics and there are certainly plenty around these parts! I had failed on the last move of the classic arete of Lua 7c 5 years previously due to a hold snapping and remember taking a huge whipper so it was cool to get revenge on this one. Also, Outback 7c+ was an enjoyable steep route which I remember sitting on every bolt of on a previous trip! I was close on the retro flash, falling off the final sequence but had to settle for a next go send.

Outback 7c+, Sector Negociee Credit: Buster Martin

After another rest day, I wanted to have a go at onsighting the classic Pren Nota 8a on Sector Negociee, which is a long steep wall with the crux near the top. I had a decent go but didn't get as far as the crux after trying to rest in a 'non-rest' before the real rest a bolt higher. I don't think I would have got through the next bit onsight anyway so was not too fussed to lob off. I hope to get better at on-sighting with more practice in the future as I have not done as much of it as I would have liked. No redpoint stress here, it all stays at the crag! I got the route next go which was great fun and a reminder of how pumpy these rigs can be - best not neglect the stamina training I reckon.

Sectors El Pati and Primavera

After a short rest, we headed back round to sector L'Olla to finish off the short but powerful Pota d'Elephant 7c+ which I had tried a couple of days previously. This has a couple of cranks on some pockets and some short lived tufas before a funky pull up onto the top slab. I then had a good flash go on Anemone Nipapa 8a but was stopped cold by the top crux moves, which are pretty hard for an 8a! I had another go just before it got dark but didn't have much left in the tank, one to come back for.

Pota d'Elephant 7c+

That evening in the bar, it was nice to hang out with the Brits I was lucky enough to spend time with this trip and sip a few beers. There was a good crew out this year, all supportive of each other and their projects, which is one of the awesome parts of trips like this.

Buster on Copa di Cigala 8a+

The next morning was my last so it was a slightly frenzied dash down to Can Piqui Puqui sector, which I had not yet visited this trip for a go on Gigololo 8a+, the right hand version of the ultra classic Anabolica 8a. Gigololo was another one I had tried 5 years previously. I sussed the crux moves briefly and had time for one burn but the exertions of the previous day were still in my arms and although getting through the roof onto the headwall, I got shut down by a big move from a pocket to a crimp. I don't feel too bad about this as I got back and had a peek at the 8a.nu comments on the route - apparently this move shut down a young Adam Ondra in 2006! I feel a little gutted nevertheless that I didn't have time to rest and have another burn but I had a plane to catch so leaving such thoughts til next time, I marched up the hill to my waiting hire car and before I knew it was cruising the coastal roads en route to Barca airport. Hasta luego Suirana!