Multipitch Atlas

Ébola

Frontales (Amptrax sector) · El Chorro · Spain

Easy to bailBolting confidence: medium

The direct line just right of Amptrax, following what used to be that route's abseil descent. Two easy pitches lead to two good ones that each start with a bulge out of a cave: a 6a+ and then the 6b+ crux, short and powerful before a vertical grey wall on good holds. The rock is compact and the belays are comfortable.

El Chorro: the reservoir and the limestone walls above it, seen from the hillside. A general view of the area; the route is not marked.Photo: Christophe · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo

El Chorro: the reservoir and the limestone walls above it, seen from the hillside. A general view of the area; the route is not marked.Photo: Christophe · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
6b+
Pitches
5
Length
155 m
Approach
30 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
1×70 m

The route

Overview

Ébola is a five-pitch sport route on the Frontales, immediately right of the classic Amptrax and a little harder. It uses the belays of Amptrax's original abseil line, so you climb and descend by the same anchors. The difficulty is concentrated in short, well-defined cruxes at the start of pitches 3 and 4. The equipper describes generally compact rock, comfortable ledge belays and grey slabs that steepen in short steps.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P14+IV+. An access pitch up the left side of a small buttress to a chained belay beside a bush. Shared with the neighbouring route Z Mapp.
P25+V+. Take the right-hand, more direct of two bolt lines, going straight up rather than up and left. More technical, on better rock, to a belay in an alcove a few metres left of a big bush.
P36a+Move left and up out of the cave over a bulge, the crux of the pitch, then straight up a technical slab on sound rock to another alcove.
P46b+The hardest and best pitch. Left and up out of the alcove, then right over the bulge with a pinch and a layback rib, then a vertical grey wall where the holds get bigger. One long horizontal reach higher up.
P55V. Straight up as the angle eases to meet Amptrax at the top. The equipper also lists a short grade III section above.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

El Chorro village is the base, about 45 minutes from Málaga by car. Trains run often from Málaga to Álora and about once a day to El Chorro itself. Do not drive or park inside the nature park where signs forbid it. For the Frontales, park at the reservoir below the village, at Los Albercones (poor road) or at Las Encantadas.

On foot · about 30 min

About 30 minutes on foot from the village, as for Amptrax. Scramble up to the bay that holds Amptrax; the scramble has a few moves. Ébola starts up a small buttress to the right of Amptrax, with the first belay (bolts and a chain) visible from the ground just left of a bush. Higher up, a big brown cave above a corner on the right is the landmark: the route passes just left of it.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag

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The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

36.91342, -4.76039

Point from Mountain Project sector point (Frontales, Amptrax)

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Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

Abseil the route from the same belays. The equipper gives the longest abseil as 35 m and says a single 70 m rope is enough; Mountain Project says a 70 m rope is necessary. The alternative is the long walk-off described for Amptrax.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Abseiling the route is the normal descent and uses the same bolted belays you climb past, so you can turn round from any of them. The longest abseil is 35 m and a single 70 m rope covers it.

Retreat from
Any belay.
Point of no return
None described.
Carry
A 70 m rope with knotted ends.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesBoth the equipper's page and Mountain Project describe ascent and descent by the same belays with a 70 m rope.

Safety

Hazards

  • A 70 m rope is the minimum for the abseils; knot the ends.
  • On pitch 2 two bolt lines leave the belay; the left one belongs to another route.
  • Other parties may abseil the line while you climb it.
  • The approach scramble to the bay has a few unprotected moves.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-facing. The equipper gives autumn, winter and spring as the season. Expect company: Amptrax next door is the most popular multipitch on the wall, and its parties used to abseil this line.

Usual season · Jan to May, Oct to Dec

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C141517202429323227231715
Mean daily low °C5681013172020171497
Rain days 1 mm or more777762014787

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 321 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

Gear

18 quickdraws and a single 70 m rope (Mountain Project). Helmet: this wall is busy and Amptrax parties are directly alongside.

Checklist

Quickdraws
18
Rope
1×70 m
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

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 Ébola.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Pitches 3 and 4 both start with the hard moves straight off the belay, so the belayer should be ready.
  • If 6b+ is too much on the day, Amptrax (6a) starts from the same bay.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Pitch count: five climbing pitches on both sources; the equipper's list adds a sixth entry, grade III, which is easy ground at the top.
  • Rope: 'enough with a 70 m' (equipper) against 'a 70 m is necessary' (Mountain Project). Both point to the same rope.
  • Pitch lengths are not published; the 155 m total comes from both sources.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

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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.