Multipitch Atlas

Poppers

Agulla del Gos (Paret del Pessó) · Collegats · Spain

Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

The right-hand line on the Agulla del Gos: a short, punchy first pitch that is harder than its guidebook 6a+, then a chimney and easier walls to the top of the pinnacle. Best climbed as a pair with Matute.

A view of the region, not this route's wall. Conglomerate towers and red walls in the Congost de Collegats, the gorge of the Noguera Pallaresa where the Paret del Pessó stands (this view does not show the route's wall).Photo: Vassil · CC0

Photo

A view of the region, not this route's wall. Conglomerate towers and red walls in the Congost de Collegats, the gorge of the Noguera Pallaresa where the Paret del Pessó stands (this view does not show the route's wall).Photo: Vassil · CC0
Hardest pitch
6b+
Pitches
4
Length
140 m
Approach
5 min
Aspect
E
East-facing
Rope
–
Read before you go

Bolted and abseilable according to both sources, but documented by a single 2019 report, with stiff grades, an undocumented bolt age and abseil lengths that do not add up.

The route

Overview

Poppers climbs the right-hand part of the Agulla del Gos, the 100 m pillar leaning against the foot of the Paret del Pessó five minutes from the road. It is graded 6a+ on camptocamp, but both Luichy's topo (6b/c) and the one party to report on it (nearer 6b+) found the first pitch much harder, and they also thought the old-school chimney on pitch 3 stiff. Above the start the climbing is grade 4 and 5 on bolts. It is thinly documented compared with Matute, so treat the details with some caution.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P16b+25 mA powerful start, then an awkward move left onto the rib. Camptocamp gives 6a+ with 6a obligatory and A0 possible; Luichy's topo gives 6b/c and a 2019 party felt it was close to 6b+. Luichy gives 20 m.
P25+30 mNo description published beyond the grade: V+ on camptocamp, 6a on Luichy's sketch. Luichy gives 40 m.
P34+30 mClimb a chimney and stay inside it even though you cannot see the bolts from below. Graded IV+ on camptocamp and V by Luichy; the 2019 party called it a stiff V, climbed partly inside and partly outside.
P44+30 mTo the top of the pinnacle. IV+ on camptocamp, V on Luichy's sketch. No further description published.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

From La Pobla de Segur take the N-260 north-east towards Sort into the Collegats gorge. About 100 m after the exit of the first tunnel there is a gap in the crash barrier on the left with room for two to four cars, at the sign for the Cova de la Serpent path. If it is full, park just before on the old road that bypasses the tunnel on the outside. There is a campsite at the gorge entrance near La Pobla de Segur, which one party found closing for the season in early November.

On foot · about 5 min

Five minutes by the Cova de la Serpent path from the parking, to the foot of the pinnacle where the path comes closest to the wall. Poppers starts on the right-hand part of the pinnacle, right of Matute and of Léon (which starts under the overhang). No source describes the exact start more precisely.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

42.28538, 1.03544

Parking

42.28611, 1.03667

Small pull-in between the tunnels at the Cova de la Serpent path (camptocamp access waypoint 207056, Congost de Collegats)

Point from camptocamp waypoint 697864 (Collegats - Agulla del Gos)

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

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.

Getting down

Descent

Camptocamp describes abseiling the route in three abseils: from R4, from R3, and from R2 to the ground. The 2019 party did this and then climbed Matute. Alternatively walk off as for Matute and Léon, which finish on the same pinnacle: go left from the top to the ramp with chains, cables and fixed ropes that leads back to the path.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

Camptocamp states that the route can be abseiled in three from R4, R3 and R2, and the 2019 party descended that way. The caveat is rope length: the last abseil from R2 is 55 to 60 m on the published pitch lengths, and nothing is said about abseiling from R1.

Retreat from
R2, R3 and R4 are named as abseil points. R1 is only 20 to 25 m up, so a lower or abseil from it should reach the ground if it is rigged (inferred).
Point of no return
None stated. The hard climbing is on pitch 1; above it the route is grade 4 and 5 and the top has a walk-off.
Carry
Two 50 m ropes for the abseils, with knotted ends.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredThe three-abseil descent is stated on camptocamp; the need for two ropes is inferred because the stated pitch lengths exceed what a single 50 m rope can cover.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • The grades are reported as hard for the number. If 6a+ is your limit, expect to pull on bolts on the first pitch.
  • In the pitch 3 chimney the bolts are not visible from below; the line stays in the chimney.
  • The abseil from R2 to the ground does not fit the published pitch lengths on a single 50 m rope. Check that your ropes reach, and knot the ends.
  • Only one trip report exists and the bolt age is undocumented; inspect the fixed gear.
  • A dropped item lands in dense scrub at the base: the 2019 party spent an hour looking for a shoe.

Sun and weather

Conditions

East facing: morning sun, afternoon shade. The only dated ascent is from June (hot, with a wind that strengthened through the day). See Matute for reports from other months on the same pinnacle.

Usual season · Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C9101316202427272318129
Mean daily low °C−1−12591316161283−0
Rain days 1 mm or more76912129799986

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 735 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

Gear

12 quickdraws plus belay kit. No cams or nuts are mentioned. Camptocamp says the abseils work 'with a 50 m rope' without saying whether that means one rope or two; the published pitch lengths put R2 at least 55 m above the ground, so take two 50 m ropes or walk off (see discrepancies). Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
Length not given in the sources
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

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 Poppers.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Poppers, abseil, then Matute, abseil, took one party from about 9:30 to 15:00 including an hour lost at the base.
  • Warm up first: the hardest climbing is in the first metres.
  • If you want the easier of the two routes on this pinnacle, Matute has the better description and more traffic.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Grade: camptocamp gives 6a+ (6a obligatory, A0) for pitch 1 and V+, IV+, IV+ above; Luichy's topo gives 6b/c, 6a, V, V; the 2019 party put pitch 1 near 6b+ and the chimney at a hard V. The card uses 6b+ for the crux.
  • Length: camptocamp's pitches are 25, 30, 30 and 30 m (115 m); Luichy's sketch marks 20, 40, 40 and 40 m and a total of 140 m.
  • Abseils: camptocamp says three abseils with a 50 m rope, the last from R2 to the ground. On camptocamp's own lengths R2 is 55 m up and on Luichy's it is 60 m up, so the statement cannot be taken literally for a single 50 m rope.
  • Spelling: 'Poppers' on camptocamp, 'Popers' on Luichy's topo.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

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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.