New Trad Climbing Area Developed in Portugal

Portugal is most famous for it’s bolted limestone climbing. Recently however some locals have been developing an area of basalt sea cliffs as a trad climbing haven.

Casal Pianos is 30km North West of Lisbon and offers strong crack lines that can easily be protected with traditional gear. Add to that the setting, with the Atlantic ocean but a stones throw away and you can see why this area might become popular. With easy access, routes from 7 – 25m high and double bolt belays so you avoid the vegetated top outs this is as convenient a trad crag as you can get.

In November 2009 the local climbers held an International Meet to encourage people to come and sample the delights of Casal Pianos. Amongst others the famous Belgian trad climber Nicolas Favresse was there, filling in the gaps left by the locals. As a result of this meet many of the cracks are cleaned, in good condition and word is getting out about Casal Pianos. If you want an alternative to the many sunny bolt clipping destinations on offer around the Mediterranean the Casal Pianos might be worth a look.

For more information and for images of some great looking lines visit Planetmountain.com

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