Peñón de Ifach, south face (right side) · Costa Blanca (Peñón de Ifach) · Spain
Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: high
Nine steep pitches up the wildly sculpted right side of the south face, overhanging almost throughout. Two long 7a pitches open the route and a third comes near the top, and even the 6a+ pitches are athletic. The rock is covered in holds and much less polished than the classics to the left.
Very well bolted, but steep and committing with obligatory moves, hard traverses for the second and rock that turns greasy in humid weather.
The route
A modern sport route of about 310 m on the big orange wall right of the Diedro UBSA tower, where most neighbouring lines need a rack. It starts up an overhanging white wall with a 45 m endurance pitch, and almost every pitch after that is steep on big, strange holds, with belays in caves and on ledges. The three 7a pitches can be eased with pulls on bolts, but several moves are obligatory and the traverses are awkward for a second who is at their limit. Conditions matter more than usual: in humid weather the rock feels as if it were coated in oil.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 7a | 45 m | A long endurance pitch trending slightly right, from jug to jug at first and harder all the way, with the hardest move pulling up at the end of the traverse. It takes 18 to 20 quickdraws. The belay is the only uncomfortable one on the route. Rockfax gives 7a+ and 35 m. |
| P2 | 7a | 40 m | A hard, athletic start on sloping pockets, then easier. Rockfax gives 6c+ and 25 m. |
| P3 | 6a+ | 30 m | Very steep at the start. Belay on the right in a spacious cave. |
| P4 | 6a+ | 30 m | A contorted pitch that arcs round in a traverse; awkward for the second. Rockfax gives 15 m. |
| P5 | 6b+ | 30 m | Athletic climbing that flows well. Belay on the right. |
| P6 | 6a+ | 30 m | Take the ramp on the right, then come back left; athletic at the end. Near the top the bolts are out of sight: keep going straight up the steep ground. Heavy rope drag. |
| P7 | 5 | 25 m | A link pitch to the foot of pitch 8. Rockfax gives 5c. |
| P8 | 7a | 35 m | Exposed and sustained on good holds, weaving about, with a crux on a poor crimp in the upper part. A 2026 party thought 6c or 6c+. |
| P9 | 4+ | 45 m | Easy pitch to the summit. Take a sling to belay on a block. |
Getting there
Calp is on the N-332; from the AP-7 take exit 64 (Altea/Calp) and follow the N-332 towards Calp. For the south face follow signs to the harbour (Puerto) and park there. The provincial guide gives the harbour-side parking as 38°38'16"N, 0°04'19"E.
10 to 20 minutes. From the harbour-side parking follow the seafront walkway until it ends against the south face, then take a path that climbs back left under the wall. The route starts up an overhanging white wall. Look for chalk and for hangers newer than those on neighbouring lines.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Harbour-side parking for the south face (Senderos de la Roca guide)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 249782
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: 38.63389, 0.07611 (crag) · Parking: 38.63778, 0.07194
Getting down
Walk off by the summit footpath: it zigzags down the back, passes through a short tunnel to the north side and continues, waymarked, to the visitor centre. Several parties warn that the path is very polished. UKC notes that the park asks walkers to register to use the summit path.
Retreat
Bail not documented
No source describes retreating from this route. The belays are bolted, but the pitches overhang and traverse, so abseils would swing away from the wall and the rock, and several pitches are 40 to 45 m. Treat it as a route you finish, using pulls on bolts where needed.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The rock is prone to a greasy film: a May 2018 party found the first seven pitches slippery and locals blamed east and south-east winds, and a 2022 party found the first two pitches very greasy at dawn. Cold, dry north winds in winter give the best friction. A May 2025 party who started at 07:45 stayed in the shade the whole way and topped out at 14:00, despite the route being listed as south-facing.
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.
Climate figures for Costa Blanca (Peñón de Ifach) are not available yet
What to carry
18 to 20 quickdraws for pitch 1 (fewer if you unclip some as you go), several extendable ones for the wandering pitches, and a couple of slings for belays and the final block. Rockfax recommends double ropes; UKC climbers in 2022 and 2026 managed on a single rope with long extenders. 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 Mare Nostrum.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Spain · Costa Blanca (Peñón de Ifach)
The sport classic of the Peñón: a thin slab, a corner crack that steepens into an overhang, a pillar, then a wild exit from a big cave 200 m above the sea. Sustained at 6b with a 6c fifth pitch on polished slopers and a 6c+ last pitch whose crux can be pulled through on a bolt.
6c+7 pitches220 m
Around 7a · about 9 pitches
France · Cerces
The classic hard route of the Tour Termier: ten steep, technical pitches on superb compact limestone at 3000 m, a short walk from the Col du Galibier road. It is never athletic but sustained at 6a+ to 6b, with a 7a pitch and a 6c move that both go at 6a A0. Cold, wind and thin footwork make it feel bigger than the numbers.
7a10 pitches320 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
The famous overhanging line up the left side of the Visera, following the white chalk stripe you can see from the village. A polished, technical 7a pitch low down, then five pitches of ever steeper climbing on huge cobbles where the difficulty is staying un-pumped. Bolts are sound but spaced, and above the third belay the only practical way off is the top.
7a8 pitches250 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
France · Bavella
A sampler of everything Bavella granite does: a technical 7a wall, layback and jamming cracks, an off-width, a squeeze slot behind a tree, and three pitches of pure friction slab to finish. Bolted well enough to climb on quickdraws, which is rare here. The wide pitches are awkward and bruising if you are not used to the style.
7a10 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Aosta Valley
The hard route at the far left of the Paretone: two ordinary pitches, then steep walls on pitches 4 and 5 that are less slabby than the neighbours. Pitch 6 follows the arete at 7a, or 6a+ with a strenuous few metres of aid. Harder than the board at the car park suggests.
7a10 pitches250 m
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.