Spain · El Chorro
Amptrax
The absolute El Chorro classic: a physical, sustained line that feels tough for the grade, with a 6a traverse right under the roof. Polished in places from heavy traffic.
6a9 pitches182 m
Lluvia de Asteroides
Frontales (Mundo / Amptrax area) · El Chorro · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
An airy, exposed adventure on clean, solid rock: the best long easy route on the Frontales and an ideal first big multipitch.
- Hardest pitch
- 5+
- Pitches
- 8
- Length
- 251 m
- Approach
- –
- Aspect
- S
- South-facing
- Rope
- 1×70 m
The route
Overview
Lluvia de Asteroides follows the eye-catching ridge line on the Mundo sector of Frontales, the first rock you see from El Chorro station. It gives eight pitches and about 250 m of moderate, exposed climbing with friendly bolting, bolted belays and abseil rings at each stance. Most sources grade it 5+ or 5c, with the first four pitches the best. The descent needs care: one 35 m abseil from near the top and then a scramble to the Amptrax descent path. It is a good first long route for a team already comfortable at the grade.
The climbing
Pitch by pitch
5+5+55+4554+
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5+ | 30 m | Start past the cord thread, which is the first protection. |
| P2 | 5+ | 30 m | The line trends right after this pitch. |
| P3 | 5 | 34 m | – |
| P4 | 5+ | 40 m | The longest pitch. Some loose rock is reported here, most of it avoidable. |
| P5 | 4 | 22 m | – |
| P6 | 5 | 30 m | – |
| P7 | 5 | 30 m | Ends on a big ledge. Walk to the back of the ledge and look round to the right for the view. |
| P8 | 4+ | 35 m | To the summit anchor. |
Getting there
Approach
To the parking
El Chorro village is the base, about 45 minutes from Málaga. A hire car is the easiest option; trains run often from Málaga María Zambrano to Álora and about once a day to El Chorro itself. For Frontales, park at the reservoir below the village, at Los Albercones (poor road) or at Las Encantadas. Do not drive or park inside the nature park where signs forbid it.
On foot
Walk in along the path under Frontales to the toe of the buttress between the Momia and Suizo sectors, then go about 30 m uphill and to the right. The route name is scratched into the rock at the base, and the first protection is a cord threaded through the rock. No source gives a time for this sector; Frontales in general is about 30 minutes from the village.
Finding the route · 1 photo
OverviewEl Chorro from the air: the village and the lower reservoir are at bottom right, the Gaitanes gorge is the cleft left of centre, and the Frontales are the sunlit south-facing walls rising above the pine forest between the two. The route is reached along the path that runs under this wall.Photo: Jakub Botwicz · CC BY-SA 3.0
Map of the walk-in
- Crag
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The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from Mountain Project area 122183156 (Mundo)
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Contains the route point. 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: 36.91336, -4.75809 (crag)
Getting down
Descent
From the summit anchor move a few metres left to an abseil station marked with a heart scratched (or painted white) on the rock. Make one 35 m abseil to a ledge. From the ledge scramble carefully towards the Amptrax sector until you see markers, then follow the cairns up onto the hillside and down the Amptrax descent path. Abseiling the route is not recommended: the line trends right above P2, so the abseils are not straight.
Retreat
Bailing off the route
Bail with caveats
Yes, but it gets awkward above P2. There are abseil rings at every stance, and Mountain Project and theCrag say the route can be abseiled on a 70 m rope with care. theTopo advises against it because the line trends right above P2, so the abseils are not straight.
- Retreat from
- P1 and P2 (30 m each) are in a straight line and should be simple to abseil. From P3 upward the abseils run diagonally and need care. P7 ends on a big ledge, but no escape from it is described. From the summit anchor the normal way off is one 35 m abseil and a scramble.
- Point of no return
- Not stated as such. In practice the diagonal line above P2 is where retreat stops being simple; near the top the 35 m abseil and scramble off is likely the quicker way down (inferred).
- Carry
- 1×70 m rope, with the ends knotted. Note that P4 is listed as 40 m, which is longer than half a 70 m rope: check that your rope will reach before committing to that abseil (inferred from the pitch length; no source comments on it).
- Basis
- Part stated, part inferredRings at each stance, the 70 m rope and the warning about the diagonal line are stated by Mountain Project, theCrag and theTopo; the P4 length concern and the point where retreat gets awkward are inferred.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Hazards
- Loose rock, particularly on P4 (Mountain Project).
- The descent is described as tricky: the abseil station is off to the left of the summit anchor and the onward scramble to the Amptrax path needs care.
- Do not abseil the route unless you have to; theTopo warns against it and the line is diagonal after P2.
- The single abseil is 35 m, so a 60 m rope is too short.
- Rockfall from parties above and ibex on Frontales.
Sun and weather
Conditions
South-facing and sunny all day on an exposed ridge. Best October to May; dries quickly. Popular in winter.
Usual season · Jan to May, Oct to Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
- January (usual season): not yet worked out
- February (usual season): not yet worked out
- March (usual season): not yet worked out
- April (usual season): not yet worked out
- May (usual season): not yet worked out
- June: not yet worked out
- July: not yet worked out
- August: not yet worked out
- September: not yet worked out
- October (usual season): not yet worked out
- November (usual season): not yet worked out
- December (usual season): not yet worked out
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.
Climate figures for El Chorro are not available yet
What to carry
Gear
Single 70 m rope, needed for the 35 m abseil. About 14 quickdraws is the usual El Chorro rack; no source gives a route-specific count. Helmet.
Checklist
- Quickdraws
- Number not given in the sources
- 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 Lluvia de Asteroides.
Worth knowing
Tips
- Rings at every belay make a retreat possible, but it is awkward above P2.
- One 2026 party rated the first four pitches the best climbing.
Open questions
Where sources disagree
- Grade: 5+ on theTopo, 5c on The Wandering Climber and UKC/UKH, 6a on Mountain Project. The 5+ listed here follows the per-pitch grades on theTopo.
- Length: the theTopo pitch lengths add up to 251 m; Mountain Project gives 248 m.
- Descent wording: theTopo sends you from the abseil ledge towards the Amptrax descent path; Mountain Project describes a walk-off with one 35 m abseil 'down the Arab steps'. This entry follows theTopo, which is more detailed and matches the theCrag search summary (white heart, 70 m rope).
- Abseiling the route: theTopo says not recommended; Mountain Project and theCrag say it can be done on a 70 m rope with care.
Provenance
Sources
- theTopo – Lluvia de Asteroides, MundoUsed for: pitch grades and lengths, start, descent, ascent comments
- Mountain Project – Lluvia de AsteroidesUsed for: start location, bolting, rings, loose rock, first ascensionist, rope
- The Wandering Climber – El Chorro guideUsed for: line, P7 ledge tip, rack, season
- theTopo – Frontales crag descriptionUsed for: parking, aspect, helmets
- theCrag – El Chorro 5c routes (search summary only; page not read in full)Used for: white heart abseil station, 70 m rope
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