La Fullatera (Porta, Carol valley) · Cerdagne (Eastern Pyrenees) · France
A long, easy granite outing on low-angled slabs above the Carol valley, popular with Catalan and French parties as a first big multipitch. The few steeper steps are short and closely bolted, the belays are roomy, and the best climbing is saved for the last pitch, a steeper 5a wall on big holds.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 1830 m above sea level (camptocamp route 916271).
5aV+5.78 pitches · 330 mBail with caveats
Eight pitches of slab climbing on good granite on the La Fullatera face above the N20 just beyond Porta, in the Carol valley. The difficulty is low (mostly grade 3 and 4, with one 5a pitch at the top) and exposure is modest; the equippers present it as a route for learning multipitch, and guides bring groups here. Between pitch 6 and pitch 7 you walk 50 to 80 m up scree to the upper wall. The neighbouring Gaz oil et décibels shares the face and is harder and more spaced.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Guía de escalada en el Pirineo Norte: vías largas, fáciles y bien equipadas.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3b | 40 m | 8 bolts | Slab, then a very low-angled section with some vegetation, and a last short slab to the belay. |
| P2 | 4bIV+5.5 | 30 m | 8 bolts | A small roof at the start, passed easily on its right, then easy slabs. |
| P3 | 4cV5.6 | 45 m | 10 bolts | A friction slab climbed with the help of a runnel, then steps up to a grassy ledge with a big pine, and a slightly steeper slab to the belay. |
| P4 | 4cV5.6 | 40 m | 9 bolts | Steps, then a short vertical wall with one delicate move (bolts close), then an ascending traverse right to the belay. |
| P5 | 3c | 45 m | 7 bolts | A long horizontal traverse right for about 30 m, then a short easy slab climbed from left to right. |
| P6 | 3c | 45 m | 7 bolts | Ascending traverse right on a low-angled slab, then straight up. From the belay walk 50 to 80 m up the scree (cairns) and go about 50 m right along the foot of the upper wall to the next bolts. |
| P7 | 4bIV+5.5 | 40 m | 9 bolts | A short slab to a vertical wall on good holds, a long easy slab, and another short wall. Pass the first belay and continue about 5 m to a better one on a big ledge. |
| P8 | 5aV+5.7 | 50 m | 14 bolts | The best pitch: a short traverse left and a steep, well-bolted wall on good holds, then steps leading left and a final easy slab to the top. |
Porta is on the N20 between Ax-les-Thermes and Bourg-Madame, and has a station on the Toulouse to Latour-de-Carol line (a 2024 party came by train from Toulouse). The crag is above the road on the Puigcerdà side of the village, near a small hydro-electric plant with a large pipe. There is room for one or two cars beside the plant, and a few more where a forest track leaves the road further down, past the railway viaduct; you can also park in the large car park at the village entrance and walk 700 to 800 m.
About 5 min. Walk along the main road (camptocamp calls this the crux of the day: take care with traffic) to the footbridge just upstream of the plant, cross the road and follow a cairned path to the lowest slabs, where the first bolts are visible.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Parking
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1401352 (Porta/Fullatera)
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 42.51666, 1.82527 (crag) · Parking: 42.51514, 1.82426
Walk off. From the top, head towards Porta and pick up the orange marks into the pine forest. Below the forest the marking thins out: from a lone pine with an orange mark go down a few metres and find the first fixed rope on your left. Three short fixed-rope steps and two scree slopes (cairns) lead back to the foot of the route in 25 to 45 min. If you parked in Porta, you can instead bear right in the forest to join the waymarked path that comes down to the village.
Bail with caveats
Every belay is two bolts linked with rope and a maillon, set up for abseiling, so you can retreat from any stance. Pitches are 40 to 50 m, so bring two ropes if you might abseil. From R5 the Escalando blog advises abseiling the line of Gaz oil et décibels, which is more direct.
France
112Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Position of the crag
42.51666, 1.82527
Marks the crag, not the route: give route and pitch.
Say what happened, how many are hurt, and where you are. Checked October 2026 (sourceofficial sources).
14 quickdraws, some of them extendable to limit rope drag on the long pitches. Camptocamp also lists 2 slings, 2 rope rings and 3 screwgate karabiners for the belays (the belays are already linked). The Escalando blog says nuts and cams are unnecessary. Helmet.
South-west facing at about 1500 m. In summer the face is in shade until mid-morning, so start early. After rain, seepage lines form and the granite becomes very slippery: the equippers advise against climbing it then, and a 2024 party turned back at pitch 2 for this reason.
Forecast · next 7 days · 1830 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 1830 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 8 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 · SW-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 | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −4 | −4 | −1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 5 | −0 | −3 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1588 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.
Around 5a · about 8 pitches
Switzerland · Wiwanni (Baltschiedertal)
Eight short pitches of 4b to 5a on compact, grippy gneiss slabs above the Wiwannihütte, finishing on a 2880 m summit. Pitches 3 and 4 climb a big steep slab that is the heart of the route. Chained belays and an abseil descent make it the gentlest introduction to the Wiwanni routes, though the starting pitches feel stiff for 4b.
5aV+5.75aV+5.78 pitches180 m
France · Pic de Luc (Diois)
A huge, easy grey slab above the Saut de la Drôme, steepening from 45 to 60 degrees: ideal for a first multi-pitch, for practising rope work or for learning to trust your feet. Grade 3 at the bottom, 4c to 5a at the top, and a fine view over the Diois.
5aV+5.75aV+5.78 pitches175 m
Read the cautions
Switzerland · Grimsel
The classic easy introduction to Grimsel granite: nine pitches of smooth, low-angle slab that follow a long, stair-like corner and a line of cracks, with a short steeper wall on pitch 7. Clean rock with no grass ledges, a short approach and an easy walk down.
5aV+5.75aV+5.79 pitches270 m
Germany · Ammergauer Alpen
The classic way up the Geiselstein, the 'Matterhorn of the Ammergau Alps'. After two scrappy pitches it follows a slabby corner system up the middle of the sunny south face: steep, exposed and on good rock, at about UIAA IV with one polished move of V at the start of the corner. The descent by the normal route needs as much care as the climb.
5aV+5.75aV+5.77 pitches260 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.