Costa Blanca, Spain

Marina Baixa Mountains

The perfect place for winter escapes.

In terms of its unique landscapes as well as the quality and variety of possible outdoor activities, the Costa Blanca is certainly one of, if not the most attractive area in the entire Mediterranean.

The Marina Baixa Mountains at the Horn of Spain – located between Gandia in the north and Alicante in the south – form the core zone of this topographically unique landscape. It is the most mountainous coastal region of the Spanish peninsula. Created around 20 million years ago by major tectonic plate shifts, large fracture zones with special geological formations have unfolded over long periods of time. This has resulted in the well-known rock formations, mountain ridges, rock arches and rugged karst landscapes.

A broad range of outdoor activities:

In addition to sport climbing in numerous areas, there are very good and challenging trad routes on the larger mountains such as Puig Campana or Ponoch. Due to the broad varity of rock quality, some of the routes are quite alpine in character.

There are countless mountain ridges in the region where you can let off steam. The best-known ridges are certainly the Bèrnia and Segaria Ridge. The most spectacular, longest and most technically demanding ridge is the El Realet/Alt del Castellet Ridge. There are also many other spectacular ridges of varying lengths and difficulties.


Mediterranean scrambling on the Bèrnia Ridge.


At the vertically opposite end of the mountain ridges are the narrow river valleys, which are ideal for extended canyoning tours. Most of the barrancos are dry canyons, and the rivers usually carry water only after heavy rainfall. Nevertheless, depending on the weather and season, the pools and water basins below the waterfall edges/at the end of an abseil can be full of water, making the canyoning quite challenging. This requires good planning and logistics.


Setup for canyoning routes through the dry barrancos: 68 g harness C.A.M.P. Alp Race in combination with a 6,5 mm Rapline and a dynamic 8,5 mm half-rope.


Improvised harness made of two 120 cm Kevlar slings.


Furthermore, if you feel like it, you can go on wonderful hikes or bring your road-, cravel- or mountain-bike and go on day-long tours in the back country.

The region has an incredible amount to offer and is no longer an insider tip in winter. When the days get shorter in Central Europe in December, you can usually expect plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures here on the limestone cliffs. In addition, fragrant rosemary bushes and pine trees, fresh oranges and medlars provide the typical Mediterranean flair.

Facts

Let’s see where it is:

Best time of the year:

October and November are the rainiest months in this region. December until April is the ideal period before it gets too warm for climbing from May onwards.

Highlights areas/activities:

Trad/Multipitch:
» Puig Campana
» Ponoch
» Peñón d’Ifach

Ridges:
» Bèrnia Ridge (1128 m), 4 km
» El Realet/Alt del Castellet-Ridge, 5 km
» Segaria Ridge

Sport Baseclimbs/Multipitch
» Guadalest
» Peñón d’Ifach
» Mascarat
» Morro de Toix
» Alcalali/Xalo

Canyoning
» Barranco del Pas Tancat/Torrent de Garx
» Barranco del Infierno/Llidoners & Racons
» Barranco del Parent

Caution:

Richard Goedeke’s “Winterfluchten” (by publisher Rother, German language) offers a good selection of winter destinations in the Mediterranean region.
“Mountain Adventures Costa Blanca” by Mark Eddy from the British publisher Cicerone provides a good overview of activities on the Costa Blanca, but the information in this selection guidebook varies greatly in quality.

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