Collegats

Just north of the town of La Pobla de Segur lies the magnificent gorge of Collegats, an awesomely impressive natural wonder and one of Catalunya’s oldest and most classic climbing centres. On both sides of the river huge limestone and conglomerate walls, up to 350m high, have for many years exerted their pull on the areas’ more adventurous climbers, resulting in some of the most difficult and serious multi-pitch climbs in the region. Due to an unusual ‘ground up’ ethic prevalent in the gorge, the majority of these have little in-situ gear and require a full rack of traditional protection, though a few routes have been equipped as sport climbs. For the purposes of this guidebook we concentrate on some of the excellent single-pitch sectors found in the zone, together offering an incredible variety of climbing throughout the grades. Each sector seems to possess a distinct character, ranging from the friendly, south-facing conglomerate cliffs of Sector Cine and Cal Nica to the shady, imposing limestone walls of La Pedrera where the tyrolean access via a wire cable, above the swirling waters of the river Noguera-Pallaresa, seems to heighten the tension even before the day’s climbing has started! The superb sector L’Argenteria is actually named after a beautiful and spectacular rock formation lying on the opposite bank of the river, whose water-worn curves and grooves are said to have been a major inspiration for the works of Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudí. Climbers operating in the 7s and 8s will be spoilt for choice in Collegats. However, the lower grade climber is also well catered for here: sectors Cal Nica, El Niu and Thai, offer an excellent selection of grade IV’s and V’s — something of a rarity in the region. And finally, although not strictly in the gorge of Collegats itself, a trio of fine sectors — La Costoia (just north of the village of Gerri de La Sal) and La Panotxa and Can Palauet (situated just each side of the village of Senterada) further expand the range of excellent sport climbing in the area. Thanks to the various orientations of its many sectors, Collegats is a true year-round destination, and from the depths of winter to the height of summer perfect climbing conditions can nearly always be found somewhere in the zone.