Cara de Mico (La Plantació, above the Gorros) · Montserrat · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
The slightly harder neighbour of Via Infidel on the same quiet needle. A steep start, an easy pitch that traverses right to an uncomfortable belay, a fine vertical wall on very good rock, and a last pitch that begins on broken, earthy rock before a good vertical slab. Closely bolted where it is hard.
The route
Four pitches on the Cara de Mico (Agulla de la Plantació), starting just round the big block that marks Via Infidel. The first and third pitches are steep walls with 5c moves that can be aided on the bolts; the second is an easy link with a traverse; the fourth has the 6a climbing on a vertical slab, with a choice of exits at the top. Sources agree it is generously bolted. The needle is little visited compared with the Gorros above.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | 30 m | 12 bolts | Straight up to the first bolt, a step left, then a vertical wall (5c or A0) that lies back gradually (5b, then 4b) to the belay. A 2018 blogger found this start the hardest move of the route. |
| P2 | 4b | 25 m | 7 bolts | A pleasant easy pitch that ends with a traverse right to an uncomfortable belay on an earthy ledge below a very steep wall. Do not climb straight up to the linked belay you can see above. |
| P3 | 5c | 25 m | 7 bolts | The vertical wall on very good rock (5c or A0), weaving around the bolts. The best pitch. |
| P4 | 6a | 30 m | 12 bolts | Up a gully of broken, earthy rock on the right, then out right onto a vertical slab of better rock to a platform. From there either finish direct on the left up an overhanging crack (6b), or go right along the route Terestel (3b traverse, then 4b straight up; watch the rope drag) to the chained abseil belay on the far side. |
Getting there
Montserrat monastery, reached by road from Monistrol (BP-1121) or by FGC train from Barcelona (Manresa line) connecting with the rack railway or the cable car. Camptocamp suggests parking just above the hairpin at the monastery toll, which it describes as free, and walking up through the car parks; a 2016 party paid €6.50 for the day in the monastery car park, which fills early at weekends. The Sant Joan funicular from the monastery saves about 350 m of ascent; camptocamp quotes €15 return and €9.50 one way for its upper section.
About 30 minutes from the top station of the Sant Joan funicular, or about 1 hour on foot from the monastery. Follow the Sant Jeroni path past the foot of the Gorra Frígia and through two cuttings in the rock; after the second, shortly before a concrete viewpoint, take the unmarked path that drops steeply left to the Sentinella needle. Follow cairns to the opposite wall, the Cara de Mico, and along its foot to the big characteristic block where Via Infidel starts. Walk round the block: Escalada Virtual starts just above, on yellow bolts, before the route Terestel, whose bolts are unpainted.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1187372 (Cara de Mico / Plantació summit)
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: 41.59093, 1.82465 (crag) · Parking: 41.59545, 1.83938
Getting down
From the chained belay make one abseil of about 20 m down the north-west side to a small col. Follow the small path to the main Gorros trail and return the way you came.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
No source describes a retreat. The belays are bolted and the pitches are 25 to 30 m, so abseiling from stance to stance should work on a 60 m rope, but the pitch 2 traverse and the uncomfortable R2 make it awkward. The route is short; going up is usually simpler.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west facing at about 1000 m. Parties have used it as the dry, sunny option when the north faces of the Gorros were soaked (October 2021) or too windy and cold (November 2022). The conglomerate dries fast, but the approach through the wood stays wet after rain.
Sun on the wall · SW-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 (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 6 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 1 | −2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1072 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
12 quickdraws, slings, belay kit and a 50 m rope (camptocamp). Cams are not useful. Helmet.
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 Escalada Virtual.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Read the cautions
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.