Peña Rueba south face (Mallo la Mora), Murillo de Gállego · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Seven pitches up the middle of the south face of Mallo la Mora, between Nueva Cultura del Agua and Santi Sagaste. Mostly grade 4 slabs with two vertical 5b pitches on well-featured conglomerate; pitch 5 is the sustained one. A quieter alternative to Los Terceros También Existen with the same friendly bolting.
The route
Peña Rueba is the big conglomerate hill above Murillo de Gállego, facing Riglos across the river, and its south face holds a cluster of long, closely bolted routes that are less steep than anything on the Mallos. Dos Diablos takes the lines of weakness up Mallo la Mora in seven pitches. It is homogeneous at grade 4 to 5, with a fine move at the end of pitch 3 and a sustained vertical wall on pitch 5 that several parties find harder than 5b. The bolting is generous and the belays are on broad ledges. Rock quality needs watching on the upper pitches.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3c | 35 m | 10 bolts | An easy-angled slab, rising rightwards in the second half. |
| P2 | 4b | 25 m | 9 bolts | Round the cave on its right by a steeper pillar, then a slab to the ledge. Vertical finish. |
| P3 | 5b | 35 m | 14 bolts | It steepens: a run of vertical walls with good holds and a thin move leaving a ledge near the top. Two close bolts let you pull through it. One 2017 topo gives 5a, a 2024 party 5b to 5c. |
| P4 | 4b | 40 m | 15 bolts | A short bulge off the belay, a holdless slab leading to a crack, then a vertical section with plenty of holds where the rock needs care. Camptocamp gives 45 m. |
| P5 | 5b | 30 m | 13 bolts | The pitch of the route: a sustained vertical wall, steepest in the middle, that keeps going to the last bolt. The rock is better than it looks. |
| P6 | 5a | 25 m | 9 bolts | Vertical at first, then an easy-angled slab. Keep off the left edge, where the rock is unstable. |
| P7 | 3b | 30 m | 5 bolts | Only the first two bolts are this route's; the rest is shared with Los Terceros También Existen. Go left at the start: straight up is rotten. Loose stones. Five bolts and two threads (seven protection points). |
Getting there
On the A-132 at Murillo de Gállego, take the first street climbing right at the entrance to the village (coming from Jaca); at the first hairpin take the lane on the right. Where the tarmac ends, continue on the main track past a walled house and two water reservoirs, about 3 km in all, to a widening where several cars can park (Los Ballatíes, about 680 m).
30 to 40 minutes. Follow the track north-west for about 400 m, then take a well-marked path on the right. At about 800 m leave the left branch, which goes to the start of the via ferrata, and go right on a cairned path to the foot of Mallo la Mora. Three lines start along the ledge: Los Terceros También Existen on the left, then 'NCA' (Nueva Cultura del Agua), then this route, marked 'II D' on the rock.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Los Ballatíes: widening on the track about 3 km from Murillo de Gállego, past the two water reservoirs (camptocamp access waypoint 1116050). The track is rutted with two steep sections.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 752246 (Peña Rueba, Cara S, Mallo la Mora)
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 42.35594, -0.76100 (crag) · Parking: 42.35191, -0.76694
Getting down
On foot, about an hour to the car. From the summit of Mallo la Mora go down to the small notch to the north. Either climb the fixed rope on the far side and follow the track left to the crest, then descend the south via ferrata (the option most parties take and the one recommended in comments on the equippers' blog); or go down the vegetated gully east of the notch, with ropes and chains for the first 20 m and easy down-climbing, cross a ledge, climb the far bank on a fixed rope and traverse to join the ferrata lower down. The gully is quicker but needs more care. Abseiling the route is possible but discouraged because of stonefall onto parties below.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Every belay has two bolts with rings and the equippers describe abseiling the route in four with 2×60 m ropes from belay 6. Later sources advise against abseiling because ropes dislodge stones onto the busy routes below, so treat it as an emergency option.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing, from about 800 m to 1007 m. Climbed from September to June in the logged outings, including late December; expect it to be too hot in summer. It can be windy.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 612 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
15 quickdraws, at least two of them long, plus belay gear. A single 50 m rope is enough if you walk off. A via ferrata lanyard is recommended for the descent, and gloves are useful. Cams and nuts are not needed.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Dos Diablos en el Corazón.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Read the cautions
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
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Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
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Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A morning-sun route at the quieter Agüero mallos. Easy slabs separate two fine steep walls, including a superb vertical 5c plaque on pitch 4. Take care with some loose cobbles on the last traverse.
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Around 5b · about 7 pitches
Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
An easy granite spur that climbs beside the Bachimaña waterfall and tops out ten minutes below a staffed hut. Short walls and ribs alternate with easy-angled slabs; the one hard move is a five-metre bulging wall at the start of pitch 6, protected by two bolts and avoidable at A0. A way of turning the walk to the hut into a climb.
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Switzerland · Glarus (Brüggler)
Seven homogeneous pitches of grade 5 up the middle of the Brüggler's big limestone slab, much of it on water runnels, finishing among the pines near the summit cross. Never hard, but it climbs all the way and the bolts are not close. Best if you are solid at 5c.
5b7 pitches200 m
Read the cautions
France · Ailefroide
The beginners' multipitch of Ailefroide: seven short pitches of easy-angled granite slab with two steeper steps, bolted close enough for a first lead. It is very popular, so the belays have been doubled. The descent ends with a spectacular 50 m free-hanging abseil.
5b7 pitches200 m
Switzerland · Saas Valley
MaRoCa's neighbour and a touch more consistent: six climbing pitches between 4b and 5b with a short walk in the middle, on the same rib low on the Jegihorn. Generous bolting for an alpine setting and a walk-off down the old ladder path.
5b7 pitches165 m
Committing
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.