When To Go

At an elevation of 1100m, bouldering is possible all year round. Here is the breakdown of seasons:

• Summer (Decent) - From June to August, it is quite warm but still possibly cool enough for climbing in the shade.
• Autumn (Great) - From September to November, it gets cool and rain probability dips. Late autumn is better.‍
• Winter (Good) - From December to February, it is the coldest time to visit with some chance of snowfall. ‍
• Spring (Great) - From March to May, temperatures rise along with rain probability. Early spring is better.

We spent 9 days in Albarracin including 2.5 rest days.

The Climbing

Hundreds of burnt orange sandstone boulders spread across the protected forest landscape of Pinares Del Rodeno in the Sierra de Albarracin highlands - Spain's Fontainebleau.

With upward of 3000 quality routes packed in an area less than 1/10th of its French counterpart, Albarracin takes 'ease of access' to another level.

The similarity to Font ends at the flat landings, fine-grained friction, and tough mantel finishes. The bewildering variety of honeycomb pockets, crimp rails, and large jugs coupled with steep mushroom-like roofs makes for powerful climbing that is the most gym-like in style.

The largest and most popular sectors with the classics are accessible from the Pinturas Rupestres P4 parking spot.

1. Arrastradero - Biggest sector with 358 lines. Easy and flat 10min walk from P4. El Varano (V8/7B) is here.
2. Techos - 2nd biggest sector with 290 lines. Long 20min walk from P4 with some elevation. Cosmos (V11/8A) is here.
3. La Fuente - 4th biggest sector with 222 lines. Easy and flat 5min walk from P4. Many V8/7B classics here as well as La Fuente (V9/7C).
4. Parking - Small yet most accessible sector just behind P4. Zarzamora (V9/7C) is here.

Albarracin is great for boulderers in the V3/6A to V9/7C range though even within these levels the listed grades on 8a.nu or online guides vary from the guidebook.

For consistency, this article follows the 2021 guidebook with the classics for each sector grouped by level and order of access.

Arrastradero sector

The biggest sector with boulders on either side of a well paved path which passes by the ancient cave paintings of Cocinilla del Obispo. Given its popularity, you will meet a lot of climbers on the weekends. Save it for a weekday if you prefer working quietly on your projects.

Intermediate (V3/6A to V6/7A):

• La Lagrima (V6/7A) - A technical slab in the forest testament to the variety of styles in Albarracin.
• El Jacuzzi (V3/6B) - Rare roof climb at an easier grade which is low to the ground makes it a great introduction to climbing here.
• Zig Zag, (V6/7A) - A variant next to El Jacuzzi with interesting heel/toe moves at the end.
• Varanito (V6/7A) - Little brother of El Varano and excellent practice for slopers and tricky mantels.

Advanced (V7/7A+ to V9/7C):

• El Varano (V8/7B) - A mega classic climb on a beautiful prow which starts easy, becomes powerful, and ends with one of the hardest mantels in the forest.
• Rammstein (V8/7B) - Pure system board style crimpy climb on layered flakes with a powerful throw to the finish.
• Manuchakra (V9/7C) - Powerful climb with a big move to the end on aesthetic flakes that are upsized from those on Rammstein.

Parking sector

The easiest sector to access, with the first boulder just 20 meters from the P4 sheltered parking spots.

Intermediate (V3/6A to V6/7A):

• Zooruyo (V6/7A) - Good flowing start before a strong middle section with a hidden easy finish.
• Confusion (V5/6C) - Crimpy start transitioning to an undercling followed by a small throw to a jug and a relatively simple top out.

Advanced (V7/7A+ to V9/7C):

• Zarzamora (V9/7C) - The most popular V9 in Albarracin which shows in the polish of the holds. Nice flow with a series of heel hooks on the arete and one of the easier V9's here.

Expert (V10/7C+ to V13/8B):

• Zarzaparrilla (V11/8A) - A variant of Zarzamora going right first along small crimps with tricky toe/heel hooks before the top out.

La Fuente sector

A short 5min walk from P4 on the right of the path which leads to the Prado del Navazo meadow and Techos. It is also a compact sector with many climbs close to each other.

Intermediate (V3/6A to V6/7A):

• El Chorro (V6/7A) - Precise throw to a sloping pinch with an easy top out.
• Pilas Chinas (V4/6B) - Heel hooks and big moves on good holds just next to another classic climb.

Advanced (V7/7A+ to V9/7C):

• La Fuente (V9/7C) - Technical face climb on tiny crimps.
• El Plus Del Autobus (V8/7B) - Pumpy roof out from a big rectangle block followed by bad slopers up theface.
• Doctor Zoidberg (V8/7B) - Arete style boulder up a beautiful diamond flake.  
• Fight Club (V8/7B+) - Unique and sometimes awkward heel/toe cam moves with a big end.

Techos sector

One of the furthest sectors requiring a 20min walk along with going uphill before reaching the boulders. As the name suggests, It has a large number of mega classic roof problems.

Intermediate (V3/6A to V6/7A):

• Vuelo Sin Motor (V6/7A) - Starts on nice big holds before a big direct dyno to the edge.
• Hit The Floor (V5/6C) - Not a classic, but a solid mini roof problem on nice holds. Good warm up for advanced climbers.

Advanced (V7/7A+ to V9/7C):

• A Ciegas (V7/7A+) - One of the hardest V7's in the forest going straight up on another aesthetic prow.
• Eclipse (V8/7B) - Long powerful roof with a mix of crimpy pockets and big holds. It has a cool middle section with a step & toe cam.
• Brainstorm (V8/7B+) - Technical footwork on a highball slab. It's a V6/7A if you end before the lip.

Expert (V10/7C+ to V13/8B):

• Cosmos (V11/8A) - Iconic Albarracin classic involving a huge throw to a big pocket on a steep boulder.

Topo

Online

27crags has great coverage of the area though we didn't use it during our trip since we had 2 guidebooks in our group. Data connectivity outside of the main town area is poor, so best to download it for offline use.

Guidebook

Albarracin Bouldering & Bezas (2021) is the very comprehensive main guidebook for the area. We had a copy shipped to a friend who was returning from Spain but you can check with Sofa Boulder in the town if they have any stock available.

Transportation

Getting there

Valencia is the closest international airport at 167km (1h 41m), but we flew in to Madrid because it had more flight options. Albarracin is 287km (3h 15m) from Madrid airport.

While we chose to drive from Madrid, it's also possible to take a train from Madrid to Teruel first before finding other modes of transport into Albaraccin.

Moving around

Though there are many popular sectors accessible from P4 parking where most of the larger sectors are at, it is still 5km from the town so renting a car makes it much easier to get around.

Accommodation

1. Hotel - There's around 30 hotels within Albarracin town for your easy picking on Airbnb or Booking.
2. Homestay - Stone & Woods and Guesthouse is popular with climbers. They have private or shared rooms and they rent crashpads too. ‍
3. Camp - Overnight camping in the climbing areas is prohibited! But there is a campervan park close to P4 that you can reserve.

We had a big group of 10, and the homestay above the Sierra de Albarracin Cheese Factory was the perfect size for 10-days. It had 4 bedrooms, 3 toilets, and a fully equipped kitchen. For smaller groups, there are many options on Airbnb.

Staying in town would be the most convenient for eating at restaurants or getting supplies though nothing was more than a 5-10min drive.

Gear

• Crash pad rental - Stone and Woods Guesthouse and Sofa Boulder both rent crashpads. Do make your booking in advance if you are going in the peak bouldering season. ‍
• Gear shops - Sofa Boulder is the only climbing gear shop in town. You can get a nice souvenir with your name engraved onto one of their local handmade brush!

Food

Daily essentials

There aren't any large supermarkets in the town, so for more variety it's best to stop by one of the large supermarkets like Carrefour, Mercadona, or Aldi before you reach Albarracin.

• Wider selection - Mercadona was our preferred option for a big variety of groceries. There are a few branches in Teruel which is 37km (40min) away.
• Convenience - Supermercado Coaliment Albarracin and Supermercado Narro Albarracin are right in town and fine for a quick stock up. Take note of their opening hours, as many shops are closed on Sundays.
• Fresh produce - A small market runs every Wednesday morning at one of the main carpark's in town. We got a good mid-week top up of fresh vegetables and fruits from here.

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Bakeries

• Panadería Ibáñez has pretty good chocolate croissants and other breads. Do go early when they open as it gets sold out quickly.
• Panadería Marconell e Hijos is known for their 'con mantequilla' croissants.

We preferred Panadería Ibáñez. The supermarkets also have decent breads.

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Restaurants

Most places are closed on Sundays and after lunch from 3pm to dinner at 8pm. Restaurant seating is typically very limited so its best to make a reservation especially if you have a larger group.

We loved the mix of hearty food and tapas (small dishes) with Spanish wine. Mains are often meat heavy and vegetarian options are not widely available though it can easily be arranged with the staff at the restaurant.

• La Peculiar Pequeno - A little restaurant serving good food. We ordered the beef cheek and sea bass here for our last group dinner.
• La Taba - At the top of the town and a good option for Sundays when most other places are closed.
• La Zahora - The local climbers bar which serves deer burger.
• Alizia Casa de Comidas - A more upscale place in the town also serving hearty Spanish food.

Rest Day Activities

1. Albarracin - Take half a day to walk around town, explore the city walls, and wander the little streets. Quesos de Albarracin has really good cheese with unique flavors. They have a small store in town and a factory store just 5min outside of town.‍
2. Teruel - Easy to work in on a grocery run, its a nice change of scenery from the old town. Go earlier in the day as shops close toward the evening.‍
3. Drive through a national park - West of Albarracin toward Madrid is the A-40 leading through the Serrania de Cuenca national park.‍
4. Other cities - While far for a rest day, Valencia is a seaside city where the paella dish originated from and is a 180km (2hr) drive away.