Peña Rueba south face (Mallo la Mora), Murillo de Gállego · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: high
A classic of the south face: a steep 6a start that most people ease by standing in the juniper, then seven pitches of grade 4 to 5+ with a short bulge on almost every one. Sound rock until the last two pitches and bolting that lets a 5c climber enjoy it.
The route
Santi Sagaste climbs the right-hand side of the south face of Mallo la Mora on Peña Rueba, above Murillo de Gállego. After a short, steep 6a start the route settles into easy-angled conglomerate broken by bulges ('panzas'), mostly at 4+ to 5+. Camptocamp grades it TD-, 6a with 5c obligatory. It is one of the most repeated routes on the hill and a good first route on conglomerate, less steep and less intimidating than Riglos opposite. The last two pitches are on poorer rock.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 20 m | 7 bolts | A steep start: climb the juniper to avoid the first bulge, as on the neighbouring routes. After 15 vertical metres the angle eases to the belay. |
| P2 | 4+ | 35 m | 8 bolts | Easy-angled middle ground with a few moves and two bulges, trending right. Can be linked with pitch 1. |
| P3 | 4+ | 30 m | 8 bolts | More sustained at the grade. |
| P4 | 5+ | 30 m | 9 bolts | Several bulges. Can be linked with pitch 3. |
| P5 | 5+ | 30 m | 5 bolts | A bulge right of the belay, then slightly left. |
| P6 | 5+ | 35 m | 10 bolts | An easy step, then a bulge taken by a traverse left, then straight up. Pitches 5 and 6 are hard to link because of drag. |
| P7 | 5 | 30 m | 10 bolts | The higher you go, the more care the rock needs. A belay on a tree with a chain is possible. |
| P8 | 3 | 30 m | 4 bolts | Poor rock; usually linked with pitch 7. |
Getting there
On the A-132 at Murillo de Gállego, take the street climbing right at the entrance to the village (coming from the north), tarmac at first, then a track on the right for about 3 km past two water reservoirs to a parking area for a handful of cars (Los Ballatíes).
About 30 minutes. Take the cairned path up a spur, first on its right flank and then along its crest, towards the wall. Just before reaching the walls take the cairned path on the right, which runs along about 20 m below the cliff. The start is in a small bay where the path comes close to the rock; the name is written at the foot. Many lines start close together, so check the topo.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Los Ballatíes: widening on the track about 3 km from Murillo de Gállego, past the two water reservoirs (camptocamp access waypoint 1116050). The track is rutted with two steep sections.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 752246 (Peña Rueba, Cara S, Mallo la Mora)
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: 42.35594, -0.76100 (crag) · Parking: 42.35191, -0.76694
Getting down
On foot, about 1.5 hours. From the summit go down to the small notch to the north, then take the wooded gully to the east, with ropes and chains for the first 20 m below the notch and easy down-climbing after. Cross the lower part of the gully, climb the far bank and keep traversing, rising slightly between the wall and a line of junipers, across another gully to join the south via ferrata, which you descend.
Retreat
Bail not documented
No source describes abseiling this route or how its belays are rigged. The neighbouring Dos Diablos has ringed belays and an abseil line with 2×60 m ropes, and camptocamp recommends 60 m double ropes here, but that is not confirmation for this route.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing, about 800 to 1007 m. Outings are logged from late October to mid-May, including December and March. Often windy: parties report 50 km/h gusts and a cold first pitch in April.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 612 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
16 quickdraws, some of them extendable, plus belay gear if you want to link pitches. Camptocamp recommends 60 m double ropes. A via ferrata lanyard is sensible for the descent. No cams or nuts needed.
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 Santi Sagaste.
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
France · Calanques
The classic of the Socle de la Candelle, the big plinth of white limestone below the Grande Candelle. Eight pitches slanting right to left, sustained at 5c with a 6a slab, steep and athletic for the grade and well polished by sixty years of traffic. Often combined with a route on the Candelle above for one of the great days out in the Calanques.
6a8 pitches170 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Eight pitches up the middle of the Levant wall, with the 6a on the first pitch and steady 5a–5c above. Morning sun. Camptocamp rates the commitment a little higher than the gorge-floor routes because of the length.
6a8 pitches320 m
Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
A popular plaisir line up the lower south-west wall of Piccolo Dain, starting at the gate of the weir in Sarche. Cracks and small corners lead to a fine 6a slab on water drops, then a long corner pitch. Expect queues: three routes share the opening traverse.
6a8 pitches235 m
Switzerland · Gastlosen
A modern eight-pitch plaisir route up the east side of the Gross Turm, with a summit you can scramble to from the last belay. Mostly 5a to 5c on slabs and small pillars, with one delicate 6a traverse on pitch 3 that goes at 5c+ with a pull on a bolt. Pitches 3 and 4 feel stiff for the grade.
6a8 pitches250 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.