Mallo Frechín, Riglos · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Two chimney pitches, a crack, then a pillar with bulging panzas. The crux is one awkward clip on pitch 7, which you can pull through.
The route
A varied, very well bolted route built in 2015 on top of the 1960 Canal de la Rosaleda. The first five pitches follow the old line (a chimney-corner, a traverse and a crack) and the last three are a new pillar with bulges. It is one of the few long, safe, moderate routes on the big mallos: about 5c obligatory, with the 6a+ crux possible to pull through. Expect school-style bolting, good rock for Riglos and a walk-off.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 30 m | Crack, corner and chimney, pleasant climbing (V on the authors' topo). Slightly polished. |
| P2 | 5c | 30 m | More of the same chimney-corner (V+ on the authors' topo). Can be linked with pitch 1 on 60 m ropes. |
| P3 | 3c | 20 m | Traverse left on easy but fragile and dirty rock, well protected, with a fixed rope on the last section. Step down about 1 m below the fixed rope to find the belay. |
| P4 | 5c/6a | 35 m | A technical crack and corner, the key pitch of the old Rosaleda (V+/6a on the authors' topo, 30 m). Belay on a tree. |
| P5 | 3a | 30 m | Traverse left over earthy ground protected by a fixed rope, then easy steps on compact rock up the gully. Belay on the left at the foot of the final pillar (III+ and 20 m on the authors' topo). |
| P6 | 5c/6a | 35 m | A winding pitch on the pillar, passing a bulge on the left. Mostly V+ with one section of 6a. A hold came off here for one 2025 party. |
| P7 | 6a+ | 25 m | The crux and best pitch: a vertical, sustained wall. The hardest move comes where you arrive from the left under a bolt with a cord; the answer is to traverse right, move up and then clip. Otherwise pull through. |
| P8 | 6a | 25 m | Two bulges straight away, the second the harder, then easy ramps to the top. Belay on a tree. Can be linked with pitch 7 on 60 m ropes. |
Getting there
Riglos village (Las Peñas de Riglos) is about 45 km north-west of Huesca. From Huesca drive to Ayerbe, follow the A-132 towards Jaca and turn right after a few kilometres onto the small road to Riglos; from Pamplona or France (Somport, Jaca, Puente la Reina de Jaca) take the A-132 towards Ayerbe and turn left shortly after Murillo de Gállego. Parking is in the large pay car parks at the village entrance (3 EUR a day for cars, 6 EUR for vans in 2026). The refugio is the modern building on the left as you enter the village; there is a campsite at Murillo de Gállego.
From Riglos go up past the church and follow the ridge path towards the Mallo Frechín. The route starts left of the Frechín, in a chimney-corner well to the right (about 50 m) of the big cave; the authors' topo shows the start left of Currucuclillo and José Antonio Sanz. A 2026 report calls the approach straightforward and the start easy to spot.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
GPS line: one party's recorded GPS track of the whole day, including the climb and the descent. One party's day in March 2025: from Riglos to the Mallo Frechín and back (they climbed the first part of the route and abseiled). Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: Zorglub, pau2pau · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Point from camptocamp waypoint 471777
Contains the route point and a GPS line. 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: 42.35070, -0.72510 (crag)
Getting down
Walk off. From the top follow the crest for about 100 m to a vegetated col, where the original Rosaleda finished. Climb out the far side at a tree, where there is a bolt and then a chain, followed by fixed ropes, to reach the Mallo Frechín descent near the top of the Visera. Then follow the cairned path down to the col and either the stream-bed path or the blue-marked path between the Firé and the Pisón. A 2026 party took 2 hours for the descent and kept their lanyards on for the chain section. Escapes: from R4 you can walk out up the grassy Rosaleda gully, or abseil in three 40 m abseils from R4, R3 and an anchor above the cave.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Yes, from the first half. Belay 4 is a documented escape: you can walk out up the grassy Rosaleda gully, or abseil in three 40 m abseils from R4, R3 and an anchor above the cave. Above belay 5 you are on the final pillar and no retreat is described, so the last three pitches are best treated as up and over.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing and hot: reports describe it as roasting by midday in late March and too hot in early September. Popular: one report mentions crowds on a busy weekend.
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 Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) are not available yet
What to carry
16 quickdraws, a few of them long for the traverse and pitch 6. Lanyard for the chain on the descent. Two ropes if you want the 40 m abseil escape; pitches are 35 m or less. 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 Negro sobre Rosa.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
This is the gentlest way to sample Riglos. Polished pockets and two bulging 'panzas' lead to a 6a crux that can be pulled through on the bolts (A0). The upper spur is easy, and the Pisón towers loom close by.
6a7 pitches175 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A long beginner's big route on good conglomerate at a moderate angle. Pitches can be linked in pairs with a 60 m rope. A four-pitch headwall with a couple of panzas finishes high above the Gállego valley.
5c14 pitches375 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
An airy spur with sustained 5b–5c climbing, a single 6a step on pitch 7, and big views over the Mallos de Riglos and the Pyrenees.
6a9 pitches230 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A morning-sun route at the quieter Agüero mallos. Easy slabs separate two fine steep walls, including a superb vertical 5c plaque on pitch 4. Take care with some loose cobbles on the last traverse.
5c5 pitches145 m
Around 6a+ · about 8 pitches
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
The classic of the gorge, first climbed in 1977. Sustained and physical 6a climbing up cracks, corners and short bulges on the big pillar at the gorge entrance. The first pitch is the 6a+ crux, straight off the ground. Watch for loose blocks on the last pitch, shared with Chibania.
6a+9 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Sardinia
An airy, mostly left-rising traverse that spirals round the Pedra Longa sea stack to its summit, on water-runnelled grey walls and pocketed white rock right above the sea. It has become one of the most popular routes in Sardinia, so expect queues.
6a+7 pitches190 m
Committing
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
A newer pillar line with a pretty 45 m slab to start, a single interesting 6a+ crux on P4, and a final orange corner. It makes a good step up from Mignonette.
6a+7 pitches180 m
Greece · Crete
An accessible gorge multi-pitch with views over the canyon, the sea and the little Orthodox chapel. It has steep juggy walls, a short traverse onto an arête and a corner with a jammed block (take care). The rock is less sticky higher up.
6a+7 pitches200 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.