The Frontales is the prominent wide rock face right in front of the El Chorro town, quickly accessible by foot.
🧗♀️ Frontales provides a wide variety of climbing styles, including sport climbing on 30 to 50 meter overhanging tufa roofs, short delicate slabs and long vertical pump fests. There are more than two hundred single pitch lines, in addition to the main attraction: multi-pitch climbing, both bolted and trad. In regards to sport multi-pitch, there's everything from easy though amazing entry level routes in grade 5+, sustained mid-sevens to even a 9-pitch 8b. In the trad genre there are a lot of less traveled El Chorro original adventure routes starding from grade 4+. Many of these routes are more or less forgotten and without bolted belays, but offer the original old-school adventure style, like the first route opened in El Chorro, "Via de las Cabras" 5+ in sector Suizo.
🧭 The Frontales mainly faces South or South West so it's at its best outside of summer months and on cloudy days. A few sectors might offer shade or shelter from rain. 🌧 All faces dry quickly after rain.
⛑️ It is advisable to wear a helmet due to potential rockfall from multi-pitch lines and ibex 🐐.
👶 Those with children should consider that the approach to all sectors except for Castrojo and Los Albercones requires a few moves of scrambling.
Find more information below sector by sector, from west to east ➡️:
SECTORS
1 - Canada ☀️
The westernmost sector of Frontales, facing west. Access: climb the "Sector Canada access route" in sector Castrojo.
2 - Castrojo ☀️
A sunny easy-access crag with single-pitch easy to intermediate grade climbs, with a few classic sevens.
📊 Grades 4+ to 7b
3 - Los Albercones
An easy-access single-pitch crag with vertical or slabby easy climbs, a few long multi-pitches and a via ferrata.
🅿️ Parking right in front. (⚠️ Note that the road is in bad shape). The trees in front provide shade.
📊 Best grades: 5+ to 7a
🚫 Note: the sector used to extend to the roof of the railway, but climbing on these old routes is banned, and these routes have not been included in this guide. Climbing the multi-pitch routes on the higher walls is allowed.
4 - Amptrax ☀️
A multi-pitch sector named after the absolute classic multi-pitch "Amptrax" 6a+. The 200 meter wall has had many new stellar multi-pitch climbs bolted in the 2010s including "Ebola" 6b, "Apocalipsis" 6c, "Corazon que no siente" 6c+ and "Mar de Fuego" 7a.
Access: Scramble up to two large ledges or bays: left-side bay for "Amptrax" and "Ebola", the right side bay for "Apocalipsis" and "Mar de Fuego". The right side bay is accessed more easily from sector Suizo.
Descent: 1) Rappel down the route, 2) rappel down "Ebola" 6b that was originally only an abseil line, or 3) walk down the other side of the cliff. 🗺 See map for the GPS trail, as the path might not be that obvious.
⛑️ It is advisable to wear a helmet especially on this sector due to potential rockfall from other climbing parties.
5 - Suizo
☂️ A sector that faces west, so this one is in the shade until afternoon, after which it gets lots of sun. ☔️ The overhanging part stays dry in the rain. Some popular overhanging classics and great long vertical climbs. 🧼 The classics might be well polished but still awesomne climbing.
6 - Mundo ☀️
A sector with a few minor single pitch routes. The main attractions are the multi-pitches:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Lluvia de Asteroides" 5+ ☄️
⭐️⭐️ "Fanatic@s" 6c+ (12 pitches)
7 - Momia ☀️ / Black Cave 🧗☔️
A south-east facing wall with long single and multi-pitch routes.
📊 Best grades 6b-7c.
Single pitch from 5+ to 7c
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ "Anack Sunamun" 7b
Intermediate multi-pitch routes:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ "Gaia" 7a+ (3 pitches)
⭐️ ⭐️ "Seco y Pedro" 7a+ (3 pitches)
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ "Buscando Pokemon" 7a+ (trad, 4 pitches)
☂️ Shade in the afternoon. ⛑️ It is advisable to wear a helmet especially in this sector due to potential rockfall from multi-pitch lines.
8 - Poema de Roca 🧗☔️
A cave/roof sector with the best hard climbing in Frontales.
The profile is overhanging and roof. A lot of great one-pitch routes and extensions on good holds and tufas that stay dry in the rain.
Hardest multi-pitch climbs in El Chorro.
☂️ Shade in the afternoon
☔️ dry in the rain
📊 Best grades: 7a-8b
9 - Solarium ☀️
A sector that lives up to its name - can get very hot on a sunny day. Many new intermediate and hard routes have been bolted recently. Main attraction: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Estrella Polar" 6b multi-pitch. ⛑️ It is advisable to wear a helmet especially in this sector due to potential rockfall from the multi-pitch lines.
10 - Austria ☀️
📊 Grades: 4+-7a+
Home to some of the easy-access multi-pitch climbs from the easier end.
Main attraction: ⭐️⭐️ "Valentines day" 6a multi-pitch. ⛑️ It is advisable to wear a helmet due to potential rockfall from multi-pitch lines.
11 - Las Placas de Cantera☀️
⚒ The now forgotten aid and trad crag, popular still in the 80s and the 90s. A rarely climbed sector that requires trad and aid gear but offers some authentic mental challenge and adventure of the old skool El Chorro style.
📊Grades: 6b+-7c trad, A2-A3 aid.
12 - El Olimpo ☀️
13 - Tango ☀️
The sector Tango is hot, have no shade and face the south. Rusty anchors replaced in 2022. On the Frontales Medias, to the right of Las Placas de la Cantera.
14 - Sin Futuro ☀️
An old and less popular sector on a narrow ledge for belaying. The sector Sin Futuro is hot, have no shade and face the south. Rusty anchors replaced in 2022. On the Frontales Medias, to the right of Las Placas de la Cantera.
Not suitable for kids.
