Chickenhead, Phantom, Jug!

Rock Climbing Valencia Spain. 

The Tomatina is the tomato throwing festival in Spain. It takes place in the small town of Buñol, about 40km west of the city of Valencia. Every August thousands of people, mostly foreigners nowadays, descend upon this small town to enjoy the festivities and get soaked with water and tomatos. 

A fews day before the Tomatina, two British lads were in town and wanted to do some rock climbing in Valencia. They had previously done a couple other sea-based activities along the Mediterranean coast and wanted to round out their trip with a land-based adventure, before getting soaked with tomatos at the Tomatina. Previously, they had done a bit of indoor climbing in the UK but had yet to touch some real rock outdoors. You really can't choose a better place than Spain for climbing outdoors. 

Customizing their trip

Based on their previous experience and what they wanted from their trip, I picked these guys up at their downtown hotel and we drove out to a local crag for some outdoor climbing. Normally, there is no shortage of sun and heat in Valencia in August but for the past few days there was quite a bit of cloud cover and even some rain. So we headed out with caution under cloudy skies. We arrived at the crag and put on our gear, harnesses and helmets first, then then proceeded with the finer details of how to use the rest of the equipment.

Before we knew it, we were on the rock and climbing away. These young stalwarts were very impressive indeed. Each was able to reach the top of the first climb sans problem. So we moved on to another climb, then another. Each at about the same grade of difficulty. These guys were cruising these routes and it was clear they needed a little more challenge. With darkening clouds we decided to move to a protected area around the corner with a small cave. As the rain began to fall, they thought nothing of it. It was a typical day in the UK and they wanted to continue climbing. No worries, now that we were protected from the rain we could try a harder route that climbed out of the slightly overhanging cave.

Chickenhead, phantom, jug

This route had two distinct sections, the first 10m climbs out of a cave and over a lip. From there the second half is much more technical and thin on an almost vertical slab. All of it was dry because of its orientation, while the rest of the crag was getting wet with the rain. These guys were young, fit, and ready for a challenge so they roped up and went for it. Amazing determination, excitement, and courage allowed both of them to continually make progress on each try. After each intent, they came down with more enthusiasm and desire to go back up and get a little bit higher the next time. They figured out some of the moves and then began linking them together.

Finally, at the crux, we figured out that there were three moves to complete it. Grab the chickenhead, then bump up to the phantom hold, move your feet up, then shoot for the jug. As each attempt progressed, the two of us down below kept encouraging the climber with three words, "chickenhead, phantom, jug!!!". It turned out to be a really fun and special day for these guys. Lots of laughs and a really enjoyable day out.

For the first time touching rock outdoors and tying into ropes they really enjoyed it. I know for sure that they will continue to pursue climbing upon their return to England. Climbing is an addictive activity. It also allows you to visit remarkable places and interact with nature in a unique way. I'm glad they contacted me and I was able to share with them a great day of activities. I hope to see these guys again on their next trip to Spain. 

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