El Cilindre, Sant Llorenç de Montgai · Sant Llorenç de Montgai & Mont-roig · Spain
The classic of the Cilindre, a short Riglos in miniature: four steep, continuous pitches on big pebbles and pockets in sound conglomerate, with a polished crack-corner to start. The 6b second pitch is a long, slightly overhanging pull. Grades are considered generous for the style.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 600 m above sea level (camptocamp route 337227).
6bVII5.10c4 pitches · 100 mEasy to bail
La Directa climbs the centre of El Cilindre, the conglomerate tower at the entrance to Sant Llorenç de Montgai, in four short pitches. The climbing is steep and sustained for its height, on cobbles and good holes, and parties repeatedly compare it to a small Riglos. It was first climbed in 1975 and is now fully bolted with modern bolts and bolted belays. It makes a good half-day, or a second route after something on the nearby Paret de l'Ós.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo at Topos versant espagnol – Directa à Sant Llorenç de Montgai (2011), Camptocamp – Sant Llorenç de Montgai (crag), or in Lleida Climbs.
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6aVI+5.10a | A good crack-corner, a little polished, then a conglomerate wall on big holds. The rock is less good in the last few metres. |
| P2 | 6bVII5.10c | The crux: a long, continuous pitch, slightly overhanging, on pebbles and good pockets. |
| P3 | 6a+VII-5.10b | A short pitch up a crack, then a traverse right across a bulge onto fine, abrasive rock. |
| P4 | 5+VI-/VI5.8+ | One move to stand up above the belay, then a slab on good rock. Several parties link pitches 3 and 4. |
Sant Llorenç de Montgai is on the reservoir north of Balaguer, reached via Camarasa. From the Pyrenees, come through the Terradets defile and turn towards Balaguer by Camarasa; just past Camarasa turn right for Sant Llorenç. After about 3 km the road passes the Paret de l'Ós and then the obvious Cilindre. Park before entering the village, near a bridge, on either side of the road.
About 5 minutes. A path rises in an ascending traverse from the road to the wall. The route starts at a large, distinctive flake forming a corner.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Point from camptocamp waypoint 337213 (Sant Llorenç de Montgai)
Contains the route point.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 41.87386, 0.84389 (crag)
Most parties walk: from the last belay go north-west, well away from the edge, and pick up a path that drops west to a good track back to the car (about 20 min). The route can also be abseiled: a 2021 party came down in two abseils with a 50 m rope.
Easy to bail
The route is short and its belays are bolted. A 2021 party abseiled it to the ground in two abseils with a single 50 m rope, so retreat from any belay should be simple.
12 to 14 quickdraws (the 2011 topo says 12, camptocamp 14). A sling and karabiner each for the belays. A single 50 m rope is enough.
South-east facing at about 500 m. It catches the sun early and gets hot; parties in November 2015 and November 2024 found it almost too warm. Good from autumn to spring.
Forecast · next 7 days · 600 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 600 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 4 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 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 (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 10 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 10 |
| Mean daily low °C | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 396 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
Spain · Sant Llorenç de Montgai & Mont-roig
A popular easy classic on the Pala Alta: four pitches on beautifully sculpted grey and ochre limestone, with long traverses in the middle and a steep, airy last pitch on big holds. The bolts are close throughout, which makes it a good first multipitch on rock that still feels big.
6aVI+5.10a6aVI+5.10a4 pitches120 m
Around 6b · about 4 pitches
Italy · Gaeta & Sperlonga
The showpiece of the Montagna Spaccata: four steep, exposed pitches up a knife-edge spur that drops straight into the sea, reached by abseil. Sustained around 6a+ on good holds, with an overhang at 6b to finish.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c4 pitches120 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Spain · Mallorca (Sa Gubia)
The best line of clean rock up the huge left wall of the Sa Gubia amphitheatre, and a Rockfax top-50 route. Four long pitches, sustained at 6a to 6b but never desperate, starting up a big white tufa, with fine positions at the stances. The route stops below the ridge and you abseil.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c4 pitches135 m
Greece · Manikia (Evia)
Four long pitches up the right-hand pillar of the Sentinelle buttress on excellent rock: a pillar, a pocketed wall, an overhanging crack with a stiff exit, and a final pillar. Easy to find, well bolted and finished off with a playful via ferrata descent.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c4 pitches150 m
Slovenia · Vršič Pass (Julian Alps)
A compact modern sport multipitch by Tomo and Dragica Česen, front-loaded with its longest and hardest pitch. It is close to the road and good for a half-day.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c4 pitches90 m
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.