Note — summer 2022: News has reached us of some serious damage to the world-famous sector of Contrafort de Rumbau in Oliana. Apparently, the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Catalunya recently, engulfed much of the cliff, rendering many routes unclimbable, either temporarily or permanently.
In particular, the left-hand side of the wall (everything left of the route 'Mishi) is said to have been totally destroyed in terms of climbing, with rock falls occurring in the intense heat. Further to the right, the damage has been less severe, but all routes will need to be checked for dangerous holds and bolts before any climbing can begin again.
Update: November 2022: although the rock on the 'big' routes in the central area of the cliff appears to be largely unaffected, in-situ gear has still not been thoroughly checked, meaning climbing is not advisable.
There is a crowdfunding campaign currently going on to raise money for replacing in-situ quickdraws, but it seems premature to consider new quickdraws until the rock and bolt-placements have been thoroughly checked out...
Oliana is a world class climbing venue which does not need much introduction. If you have not heard of it, probably there is not too many lines for you to aspire... Besides a few routes in the 6th and 7th grade on de extreme sides of the cliff, the good climbing starts in the 8th grade.
This is the place where you come to queue on routes of the hardest grades... You thought a queue on 9a was not possible? Come to Oliana in early spring and you'll see it is...
The face is in the sun until around 15:00, making the venue great for steep tufa and face climbing in the highest grades during the first months of the year. Although people climb year round in Oliana, in summer we'd recommend you to head into the pyrenees, leaving Oliana for autumn, winter and spring.
Approach:From the town of Oliana continue northwards on the C-14 for approximately 2.4km before turning left onto the LV-5118 (signposted Peramola) immediately after crossing the River Segre. Follow the LV-5188 for just over 3km then turn right onto a single-track road (signposted Castell-Llebre) leading in 1.3km to the restaurant/hotel Can Boix. Just before entering the grounds of this establishment an unsurfaced track branches off to the right. Follow this for approximately 1.2km until directly below the cliff and park in a series of small lay-bys (P1). From here a narrow but well-marked path (some cairns) zigzags up the steep wooded slope to the base of the wall (10 minutes). Note: the parking ‘lay-bys’ are actually the entrances to fields and great care should be taken not to block access to farmers’ tractors. In fact, with the cliff’s growing popularity and such limited parking, it may well be that in the very near future climbers will have to park near Can Boix and walk along the track, thus adding an extra 10-15 minutes each way.
