Gorra Frígia east face (Gorros) · Montserrat · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A popular way up the east face of the Gorra Frígia, the best-known tower of the Gorros: three pitches of grade 4 to 5 on big cobbles with one harder move each, a short 6a pitch through two small bulges, and a long corner to the summit cross. The 6a is strenuous but can be pulled through on the bolts.
The route
Five pitches up the east side of the Gorra Frígia, starting a few metres up the gully that separates it from the Magdalena Superior. The route dates from 1985 and was re-equipped by Guillem Arias; ten outings are logged on camptocamp between 2013 and 2026 and the recent ones praise both rock and equipment. Each of the first three pitches has one harder, well-protected move. The fourth is the crux: a technical, weaving start through two small bulges in succession, athletic on holds that are not very positive. The last pitch follows a corner and then easy ground to the cross on the summit.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4+ | 25 m | Start rightwards, then a fine slabby wall. Bolts are spaced on this easy pitch. |
| P2 | 5 | 25 m | A small bulge on the left with a well-protected move at the start, then slab straight above. Links easily with pitch 1. |
| P3 | 5+ | 30 m | A steep start with a well-protected move at a hollow, then easier. The belay is in a recess at the foot of the steeper section. |
| P4 | 6a | 20 m | The crux straight off the belay: a technical, weaving line through two small bulges one after the other, like a series of boulder moves, then easier to a belay in a groove. The bolts are close enough to aid. |
| P5 | 5+ | 45 m | A steep start up the corner groove, then the angle eases; trend left at the end. Belay on the summit cross, more comfortable with a 180 cm sling. |
Getting there
Montserrat monastery, reached by road from Monistrol (BP-1121) or by FGC train from Barcelona (Manresa line) connecting with the rack railway or the cable car. Camptocamp suggests parking just above the hairpin at the monastery toll, which it describes as free, and walking up through the car parks; a 2016 party paid €6.50 for the day in the monastery car park, which fills early at weekends. The Sant Joan funicular from the monastery saves about 350 m of ascent; camptocamp quotes €15 return and €9.50 one way for its upper section.
About 10 minutes from the top station of the Sant Joan funicular: take the Camí Nou towards Sant Jeroni to the foot of the gully between the Gorra Frígia and the Magdalena Superior. On foot from the monastery, go up by Santa Anna and the PR C-19 to the same path. Go about 20 m up the gully, where there is a handrail, and look on the right wall for two gold-coloured hangers close together, which mark the start.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 187036 (Gorra Frígia summit)
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: 41.58986, 1.82608 (crag) · Parking: 41.59545, 1.83938
Getting down
By abseil: follow vague cairns leftwards to the first anchor and make three abseils of 30 m at most towards the gap between the Gorra Frígia and the Magdalena Superior, then a path back to the starting gully. With an 80 m rope two abseils are possible if you take the lowest anchor on the first abseil and descend diagonally on the second. A 2020 party made a 15 m abseil and then one of 50 m from a ring on a single bolt further right. On foot: from a large cairn, cables and chains lead down south-east to a ledge, a corner and a holm-oak grove, another cable, then a traverse left to the col with the Magdalena Superior and down the wooded gully (a chain half-way) to the Sant Jeroni path.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
No source describes retreating from the route itself; the abseil descent is a separate line from the summit. The belays are bolted and the first four pitches are 20 to 30 m, so abseiling back down on a 60 m rope is feasible, leaving a maillon where there is no ring.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
East-facing at about 1100 m: sun in the morning and shade later, which a party in October found pleasant. The conglomerate dries quickly after rain, except for water streaks and the lowest sections. The summit can be windy. The starting gully changes with storms.
Sun on the wall · E-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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 6 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 1 | −2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1072 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws (no source gives a number), a 180 cm sling for the cross and a 60 m rope for the abseils. 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 Òpera Prima.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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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.
