El Puro (Mallo Pisón), Riglos · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Read the cautionsEasy to bailBolting confidence: medium
The way up the detached cigar that is the symbol of Riglos, first climbed in 1953. A polished corner, then the chimney between the Puro and the Pisón, then three short pitches on the outside of the needle to a tiny summit. Very polished in the chimney and on the boulder moves. In shade most of the day.
Climbed on quickdraws alone, but the fixed gear is a mix of bolts, pitons and threads, is spaced in the chimney and absent on the easy gully, and the rock is very polished.
The route
The normal route up El Puro, the 180 m needle that stands off the side of the Mallo Pisón and is the emblem of Riglos. It is more of a mountaineering outing than a sport route: polished corners low down, a deep chimney between the Puro and the Pisón, then three short, airy pitches on the outside of the needle to a tiny summit. The three hard moves (6a+/6b, 6a and 6b) are short boulder problems that can all be pulled through on fixed gear, leaving about 5c obligatory. The fixed gear is a mix of bolts, pitons and threads and is sparse on the easier ground, so it feels more serious than the grade suggests.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4c | – | Original start. Less than vertical climbing to a belay on a terrace. Reported very polished, with a distant first bolt. |
| P2 | 5c | – | Over a bulge, or avoid it by an easier traverse. The direct-start variant (5c, about 35 m, black chimney-corner) replaces pitches 1 and 2 and arrives at this belay on a good terrace. |
| P3 | 5c/6a | 45 m | A crack and corner on good holds, the best pitch of the lower part. Reported extremely polished in April 2026. One party measured it at 30 to 35 m rather than 45 m. |
| P4 | 4c | 10 m | Short pitch trending up and right, protected by a bolt and threads (two in-situ cord loops), to a horizontal cable. A 2025 party found a 5+ move straight off the belay. The climbing belay is at the right end of the cable; the descent abseils leave from the other end. You are now at the foot of the chimney that splits the Puro from the Pisón. |
| P5 | 6a+ | 15 m | Enter the chimney by a short overhanging corner: a hard, polished boulder problem on undercuts that goes at A0. Several recent parties rated this move 6b. Belay on the right inside the chimney. Can be linked with pitch 6 (about 50 m in total). |
| P6 | 5+ | 37 m | Up the chimney (given 5/5+). Polished, with sparse fixed gear: a few bolts, pitons and threads with cord in place. A 2025 party counted three bolts plus some threads on this pitch. Belay where the difficulties end. |
| P7 | 3 | 15 m | Easy gully to the col under the chockstone, where the Puro separates from the Pisón. Reports say there is no fixed protection on this pitch. From here the route moves onto the south side and the rock improves. |
| P8 | 5c | 15 m | Above the belay then slightly left. A recent party described it as leaving the belay leftwards, then back right to the second bolt, weaving between bulges, and felt it was nearer 5b; the bolts zigzag, so extend them. The Spanish description gives this pitch as about 35 m. Mixed fixed gear (bolts, pitons, threads), and some holds move. |
| P9 | 6a | 15 m | One physical, polished boulder move, A0 possible. Often linked with pitch 8. The belay is reached by a short traverse right at the top. |
| P10 | 6b | 15 m | One physical move over the bulge straight above the belay (a dynamic move right, or pull on the in-situ piton with sling and the fixed handles), then easy to the summit. Belay at the top of the summit cable. |
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.
Walk through the village to the foot of the Mallo Pisón; the needle is obvious. Routes at Riglos are generally only a few minutes from the village. The original start is about 15 m right of the lowest point of the Pisón, roughly below the summit of the Puro, and is hard to pick out among the single-pitch routes at the base. Most parties now use the direct start instead: a big blackish chimney-corner with good holds, well to the left in the single-pitch sector on the left (NW) side of the base, which gives one 5c pitch of about 35 m straight to the second belay. Parties starting this way warn that an anchor belonging to the single-pitch routes is easy to mistake for the belay: the proper, more comfortable belay is above a bulge.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 134565
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: 42.35049, -0.72848 (crag)
Getting down
By abseil. A cable on the summit leads to the abseil line between the Puro and the Pisón. Camptocamp describes three options: (1) abseil straight down the route from the summit, awkward and only worth it with a single rope; (2) from the lowest point of the cable, abseil 45 m towards the chimney, then 50 m to R5, a short abseil to the lower cable, follow it about 10 m to the next line and make two more abseils to the ground; (3) from the end of the cable, abseil directly down the west face. With 2×60 m the Spanish description gives four abseils: summit to the belay at the end of the 6a+ pitch, then to the foot of the chimney, then two to the ground, and a 2025 party confirmed four abseils on 60 m ropes. With a single 60 m rope a 2025 party needed eight abseils down the route. A 2024 party found a 50 m rope enough for the abseils, provided you use the intermediate anchor below the summit before the abseil that reaches the cable. All belays have welded rings.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Yes. Every belay has welded rings and the guide's sources say you can retreat from any point; the normal descent is by abseil in any case. With a single 60 m rope a 2025 party abseiled the whole route in eight abseils. The chimney is the awkward part: ropes jam there if you run abseils together, and it is a stonefall funnel shared with climbers below.
Safety
Sun and weather
The lower pitches and the chimney are on the north-west side and stay in shade most of the day, or all day with an early start; the last three pitches are on the south side and are in the sun for a late-morning start, though a party starting at 09:30 climbed them in shade too. Reports describe it as cold and windy in the chimney and at the col in spring and autumn, and still hot in July. The undercuts on the 6a+ crux can be damp after overnight rain. A very popular route: expect other parties above and below at weekends, though several recent reports had it to themselves midweek.
Sun on the wall · W-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
12 quickdraws (take enough for the first two pitches), several of them long, plus long slings to equalise belays whose bolts are far apart. Helmet essential. A single 60 m rope works with some improvisation on the descent; 2×50 m or 2×60 m is more comfortable.
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 Normal al Puro.
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 6b · about 10 pitches
Spain · El Chorro
Ten varied pitches on good rock in a superb position: a roof, slabs, a tenuous traverse by a cave and a steep corner. Several pitches feel stiff for the grade, especially the P2 crux.
6b10 pitches279 m
Slovenia · Mangart (Julian Alps)
A long bolted climb up the west face of Mangart, starting at about 2,180 m and finishing near 2,580 m. Two 60 m pitches of 6a open the route and the first half is the best; a 6b corner that can be aided is the crux. An alpine outing with a tricky approach in cloud and rock that is not always perfect.
6b10 pitches400 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Taghia
Ten pitches of even 6b and 6b+ on compact rock ten minutes from the gîtes, mostly technical slab and wall climbing on your feet, with a 50 m sixth pitch on vertical edges that everyone singles out. It is among the most accessible long routes at Taghia, in the shade for most of the day, and a little polished low down.
6b+10 pitches330 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Vega Baja (Orihuela & Callosa)
The classic of Redován: ten pitches and 300 m of steady grade 5 with three steeper pitches on red rock. The eighth pitch, a traverse right into an overhanging corner above the orange cliffs, is the one people remember. Closed from January to June for nesting eagles.
6a+10 pitches300 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.