A rather fine SOTA trip to Gran Canaria. Roque Nublo (EA8/GC-002)

Activation Reports
8

Thanks for the report Colwyn - great to see this one activated legitimately.

9

Next vacation Madeira?
Your skills could enable the first activation of CT3/MI-003.

Different skill is required for the other unactivated summit!!

10

Well done, Colwyn. It looks a nice route, not too technical and finishing at a summit, just the way I like them! Though its a sport climb it looks as if there is an adequate supply of protection placements?

11

Very impressive Colwyn, and great photos.

It won’t be on my to-do list!

2 Likes
12

Hi Joe,

Thanks. We climbed Roque Nublo by the Via del Alemána, graded French 6b+ but it seemed somewhat harder to me!

Ciao

1 Like
13

Hi,

Thanks. Well it felt pretty technical to me and I would have been happier with even more fixed protection!

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5 Likes
14

Hi Colwyn,

Great report and pleased to see this EA8/GC-002 has been activated legitimately at last. Just wondering if you’ll be tackling EA8/GC-008 which I believe is a similar rock climb to EA8/GC-002 and is another one which hasn’t been activated legitimately yet.

Jimmy M0HGY

15

Hi Barry,

We have never been to Maderia, but interestingly we did consider going to the Portuguese island as there are direct Edinburgh flights, or there were! However, as Gran Canaria is 5 degrees latitude further south the XYL chose here as it would be warmer.

Just attempting to book valid Covid tests for our return flight!

73

1 Like
16

Thanks Jimmy,

please give us a break, we are still recovering from climbing Roque Nublo!!!

However, we did reconnoitre Roque Ventaiga (EA8/GC-008). The rock is not good quality and I could see no way to safely access the north face where there are rumoured to be some climbs. There were goat tracks but no jokes about mountain goats please! No one was able to give any details of the climbs and neither the 2011 nor the 2015 climbing guidebooks included them. I suspect they have not been repeated for many years as the site is of archaeological importance with restricted access. Well worth a visit though. Best bet might be to charter a helicopter at Las Palmas airport and get dropped off?

I’ll leave this first activation for the next person!

7 Likes
17

Manuel? @HB9DQM
:wink:

2 Likes
18

No thanks, I’m not a sports climber.

Nice job, Colwyn! :+1: All those tourists watching would have made me super nervous :wink:

4 Likes
19

6b+ with radio gear in the rucksack?
Chapeau bas, Colwyn :mountain_snow::goat::+1:

3 Likes
20

Fantastic job Colwyn!
73 Fabio

21

Thanks Manuel,

Roque Nublo was very quiet when we arrived. There were few people around so it felt OK to start climbing. By the time we reached the top, which I admit took a couple of hours, there was a lot of people walking about below us. The route was very clean with no loose blocks, but the top was scary. If I had knocked stones off the top I could see myself facing an involuntary manslaughter charge!

Happily we took care and shouting before we rappelled down cleared people out of the firing line.

I see that there are still many unactivated peaks in HB9 to keep you busy.

73

2 Likes
22

Still are - or else thay have taken our money for the February trip for no reason (Government restrictions permitting).

Madeira is permanent “Spring” although two years ago it was in the mid 20’s in December!
I am not fit enough to rock climb anymore but even some of the easier hills can offer a challenge!!

23

Respect! Great stuff Colwyn.

73 Simon

24

Thanks Fraser

Sun hat and factor 30 sun block also required to avoid sunburn!

73

1 Like
25

Thanks Barry

I hear that France is stopping people arriving from the UK! Hopefully you’ll still be OK to travel out in February and enjoy the permanent Spring on Maderia.

Ciao

26

Fantastic Colwyn,

6b+ well done. Roque Nublo was on my todo list for 2022.

Is that an inverted V linked dipole antenna that you used?

73’s
Shane

2 Likes
27

Hi Shane,

Roque Nublo is a splendid day out so I recommend you go for it. The 6b+ grade was actually OK as there are fixed bolts for long rests, if you need them? I certainly did!

The antenna was an EFHW with a trap for 20m/40m. The pole was only about 2.5 metres high. Around the edge of the summit there are a few old rusty bolts (steel bolts and alloy hangers) which were handy for tying the end of the EFHW wire, but I would not have wanted to use them to abseil back down. There was enough space for the antenna, but be aware that it is not a huge summit area.

Thankfully glued stainless steel abseil stations have been installed for belaying and abseiling.

73

3 Likes