El Faraò de Baix – Montserrat Sur
El Faraò de Baix is a great alternative to the much more frequented sectors Can Jorba and El Vermell del Xincarrò
You’ll find high-quality rocks and grades fron V to 7a.
Cavall Bernat – Punsola Reniu 6C+
Fully equipped multipitch
Grade: 6C+
7 pitches
Cavall Bernat is probably the most iconic climb in Montserrat. There are several multipitch routes that vary from hard (8a+) to easy (5b) and they are between 7 and 3 pitches long. We opted for Punsola Reniu (6b+) on the north side of Cavall Berant.
To get to the north side you can park at the Monastery Santa Cecilia and walk from there. The approach time is about 50 minutes. The approach is obvious as you can see the Cavall Bernat along the way.
The place was busier than we expected. 6 other climbers started Punsola Reniu before us and another 6 people were opting for the nearby La Gran Ilusió (7a+).
The route starts very moderate. The first pitch (grade 3) is extremely easy but not equipped. The next two pitches are graded 4+ (50 meters) and 5+, then 6a, 6c, 6c+, and 6a. The 6c routes are extremely slippery but the bolts are extremely close together (only about 1 mt. between bolts).
To get down it’s recommendable to rappel down the much shorter Via Normal on the south side of Cavall Bernat.
We weren’t able to do that. The route was so busy in the morning, so we started our climb in the afternoon and by the time we got to the last pitch, it was completely dark and we couldn’t find the bolts anymore. So we had to turn back.
El Vermell del Xincarró – Rock Climbing in Montserrat (El Bruc)
This is an awesome climbing spot close to el Bruc. Pictures are from Vermell derecha (right side), routes 20-44.
Grades range from 5+ to 8b.
Vermell right side 
Vermell right side 
Vermell left side 
Vermell left side
La Palomera (Montserrat – El Bruc)
This is another supernice climbing sector in Montserrat. The only downside is the quite long walk from the parking (Aparcament de Can Jorba). The walk takes about 40 minutes uphill. If you have to carry the rope and stuff, it’s a quite hard walk especially in the summer. The climbing routes are typical for Montserrat, vertical conglomerate. The routes range from 5 to 6c.
Serra de Rubió – Les Pucetes (Olesa de Montserrat)
This is a small sector very close to Montserrat. Routes range from 4+ to 6c. There are a few nice climbs but on some routes you will find cords instead of bolds. For that reason, we avoided some climbs.
Plecs de la Vinya Nova – Multipitch in Montserrat
Fully equipped multipitch
Grade: 6A+
4 pitches
Plecs de la Vinya Nova is a great sector if you are looking for a variety of easy multipitch routes (5-6a). We chose to do GEM (6a+, 160 meters, 4 pitches, fully equipped). We didn’t find any anchor on top so we used a tree. To get down it’s best to rappel the neighbouring route Urquiza Olmo because the anchors of Urquiza Olmo are equipped with rings for rappeling.
The sector can be reached from the Vinya Nova restaurant where you can park you car. The walk takes about 1 hour.
BTW, the Vinya Nova restaurant is a great place to have a beer or lunch. They have a huge terrace with great views and self service. You can bring your own food or get something from the bar.
Via 98 Octanos 6A – 140m & Via Opera Prima 6A – 150m (Los Gorros – Montserrat Norte)
98 Octanos – fully equipped multipitch route
Grade: 6A
4 pitches
This classical multipitch route is located at Los Gorros (Magdalena Superior – see image below). It’s a one hour walk from the Monasterio de Montserrat. You can get there by taking the Camino Circular de Sant Jeroni. The reverse path direction (via de Funicular de San Joan station) is a little closer. You could also take the funicular to avoid the 45 minutes walk. From the Funicular station walk down and follow the Sant Jeroni trail for about 15 minutes. All the routes can be accessed easily from the hiking trail.
98 Octanos has 4 pitches (3+, 4+, 6a, 4+). We did the route at the end of November which is not exactly the best time to do it. The rock was icecold, it was superwindy and the 6a pitch felt quite slippery. The holds are really good but it’s better to do this climb in the spring or summer. In general, north walls in Montserrat are not the best option in cold weather.
Opera prima – fully equipped multipitch route
Grade: 6A
5 pitches
Opera prima is another a classical multipitch route only a few meters away from Via 98 Octanos on Gorro Frigi (see imnage below).
98 Octanos has 5 pitches (4+, 5, 5+, 6a, 5). In general the route is very easy to do with good holds, sufficient bolds. There is a quite hard and physical bit at the beginning of the 4th pitch which I would classify harder than 6a.
La Vinya Nova – Montserrat Sur
This sector is closed from January to June.
Sector Recuperació 
Sector Recuperació 
Sector Camp Base & La Falca 
Sector Camp Base & La Falca 
Placa Cangur 
Placa Cangur 
Clot del Boixar – Montserrat Sur
A supernice sector between El Castell and El Farao del baix! Very few people climb there. We kind of had a hard time to find it (see map below for exact location). Excellent rock quality. Mostly vertical walls. There are routes for different tastes (slab climbing, pockets, cracks, chimneys, etc.)
We climbed (Clot del Boixar dreta/right):
Indian Crack (6b): recommendable
Innus (7a+): very recommendable face climb, thin crack, quite easy 7a+.
Sioux tetons (6c): very recommendable, nice crack 2/3 of the route, found this route harder than Innus due to the last 3 meters (straight up, not using the crack).
El Castell – Montserrat Sur
Can Jorba
Can Jorba is probably the most popular sport climbing spot in Montserrat Sur. There are grades for all levels. The area is supernice and offers amazing views. The only negative aspect is that a lot of the routes are overclimbed and polished.
We climbed:
Higmoon Penny (6a+): Nice route but polished. Recommendable.
Noia ulls blaus (6b+): Ok route. 35 meters. Easy except for the overhang in the middle.
Ancestres (6c+): supernice route but also superpolished. Boulderish start + crack. Very recommendable.
Info topos: https://www.barrabes.com/blog/reportajes/2-8473/1500-agujas-5000-vias-montserrat
Paret de l’aeri
Paret de l’aeri is a vertical wall with a height of approximately 300 meters. From the parking at the Monasterio de Santa Cecilia it’s about a 30-40 minutes walk.
Paret de l’aeri offers excellent multipitch routes. As typical for Montserrat there is usually a lot of space between the bolds on the easy sections.
Here are a few recommendable routes:
Easy rider (6b) & Fraggel rock (6b+)
EASY RIDER
– 295 meter
– fully equipped but occassionally lots of space between bolds (7-8 meters on IV+/V) = mentally challenging
– positive feature: generally an easy climb, very easy pitches at the end
– most climbed multipitch on Paret de l’aeri but not overclimbed/slippery
FRAGGEL ROCK
– 265 meter
– fully equipped, bolts are not too spaced
– harder pitches are at the very top
– the second-last pitch has a very athletic and awkward start (not my cup of tea), however, on both of the last 2 pitches it’s easy to switch between Easy rider and Fraggel rock
– a highly recommendable climb
You can see paret de l’aeri from the parking at the Monasterio de Santa Cecilia. The hike takes about 20 minutes on a hiking trail (Camí de l’Arrel torwards the Monastery of Montserrat) + 15 minutes off trail.
After about 15-20 minutes on the Camí de l’Arrel keep looking left. When you see an old broken iron barrel on the ground, you need to turn right into the woods and walk uphill.
Close to the wall you should see some ferrata-like installation. You need to walk past that installation and walk up for another minute. Then you should find the first bolts that belong to Easy rider to your right. Fraggel rock is about 4 meters on the right hand side of Easy rider. You probably won’t be able to see the bolts yet. A little further up you should be able to see an old wasted rope. We used a sling to secure ourselves on a tree and climbed up to the rope. From there it’s easy to find the R0.
Once you reach the last anchor walk further up another 5 meters and you find another anchor. From there you rappel 10-15 meter to a fixed rope. Climb up the rope and walk right through the forest up to the helicopter base. From there turn right and within a few minutes you should reach the Canal de Sant Jeroni which leads you back to the parking.
