Multipitch Atlas

Silberrücken

Morro Falquí (Benitatxell / Moraira) · Costa Blanca (Morro Falquí) · Spain

Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: medium

The harder neighbour of Sonjannika on the same sea cliff. An easy slab leads to a tricky vertical wall above a crack, then a pitch that traverses into a huge cave and out over a bulge. A garden ledge separates this lower tier from a fine, sharp 6a pitch up the summit wall.

A climber on the steep crux wall of Silberrücken, Morro FalquíPhoto: zahl · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

A climber on the steep crux wall of Silberrücken, Morro FalquíPhoto: zahl · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
6b
Pitches
4
Length
150 m
Approach
25 min
Aspect
SE
South-east-facing
Rope
–
Read before you go

Well bolted on the pitches that are documented, but the link from the lower tier to the bolted finish is described by one party only and camptocamp's own last pitch relies on threads.

The route

Overview

Silberrücken shares its first bolt with Sonjannika and then goes its own way up the left-hand side of the lower tier of Morro Falquí, the headland that drops into the sea beside Cala del Moraig. Rockfax describes three good pitches on this tier (4c, 6b, 6a); you then cross a garden ledge and need one more pitch through the summit band to top out. The best bolted finish is Moorhuhn Winter Edition, a sustained 35 to 40 m 6a. The 2021 camptocamp party did exactly this and called the result magnificent, with the beach in view the whole way. It is a step up from Sonjannika: the crux is a couple of 6b boulder moves on a vertical wall.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

Pitches of Silberrücken
PitchGradeLengthNotes
P14c30 mFrom the first bolt of Sonjannika climb straight up the slab, then move left and back right over two steps. Graded IV on camptocamp.
P26b25 mClimb the crack on the right, make some tricky moves up the vertical face and finish on an easier slab. The crux of the route: 6b in Rockfax and by the UKC logbook vote, 6b+ on camptocamp, where the 2021 party thought it one or two 6b boulder moves rather than 6b+.
P36a28 mTraverse left, then slightly right to reach a huge cave. Leave it over a bulge and traverse left again to the top of the lower tier. Camptocamp gives 6a+ and the 2021 party noted a few thin moves high up. Above, walk across the garden ledge to the foot of the summit band.
P46a35 mMoorhuhn Winter Edition: from the shoulder at the end of the ledge climb the face to a shallow groove and follow it to the top. Sharp rock, technical and sustained, in a great position; a 2024 climber measured it nearer 40 m and used 13 or 14 quickdraws. The 2021 party climbed one pitch of Sonjannika between the garden and this pitch; which one is not recorded. The easier bolted alternative is Sonjannika's last pitch (5c, 35 m). The finish drawn on camptocamp is a 6a chimney on big holds protected by threads.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Morro Falquí is in the Cumbre del Sol urbanisation at El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, between Moraira and Jávea. From Benitatxell follow signs to Cumbre del Sol and continue up through the estate for about 3.8 km to a large supermarket on the left. Turn left about 100 m beyond it, just after a pharmacy, then right at the second junction (a roundabout signed 'Pueblo de la Paz'). At a four-way junction go roughly straight on, and at a sharp left hairpin drive straight ahead down a short dead-end lane between two houses to open ground. Park there without blocking residents. A 2024 climber preferred the big public car park, about 25 minutes from the start of the route.

On foot · about 25 min

As for Sonjannika, on foot from above; allow 25 minutes or more. From the end of the dead-end lane follow the signpost for Cala dels Testos (south, to the right when facing the sea) down through woods into a valley, to a road by some garages. Turn left, downhill and then uphill round a bend, to a junction where a green-and-white waymarked local path leaves on the left. It contours along a wall and then drops steeply into the head of the barranco. Scramble down the barranco past two steep, very slippery steps with knotted ropes. Just before a third, take a small path left (a black fixed hand cable marks its start), follow it along and down, then go up a steep rubbly slope on faded red spots. The start is a large red circle with a single bolt belay on a small ledge. Sonjannika's first pitch slants right from the first bolt; Silberrücken goes straight up, taking the left-hand bolts. The route can also be reached from above by abseil down Sonjannika, which Rockfax and logbook users advise against.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag

Loading map

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

Coordinates · crag

38.71346, 0.17316

Point from camptocamp waypoint 607453 (Morro del Falqui)

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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.

Getting down

Descent

Walk off. All these routes finish on the clifftop below the houses: follow the path and the green-and-white waymarks back up to the street and the car in 20 to 25 minutes, with no abseils. This is the descent documented for Sonjannika, which shares the same top.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail not documented

Retreat from Silberrücken itself is not documented: no source describes its belay hardware or abseiling its line. The neighbouring Sonjannika can be descended in four abseils from the top, so abseil stations exist close by, but reaching them from this route is not described. An abseil to the base leaves you just above the sea, with the barranco scramble to reverse.

Retreat from
Not known for the first three pitches. From the garden ledge above the lower tier the easiest way off is probably upwards by the easiest summit-band pitch, Sonjannika's last pitch at 5c, or by the scramble with a short fixed rope that bypasses Sonjannika's fifth pitch (inferred from the Sonjannika description).
Point of no return
Not stated. By inference the garden ledge: from there the top is one pitch away and the walk-off starts at the clifftop.
Carry
Two ropes, plus maillons and cord in case a belay has no abseil ring.
Basis
Inferred from the route factsOnly the four-abseil line of Sonjannika and its pitch 5 bypass are stated (Rockfax); everything specific to Silberrücken is inferred.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • The way between the top of the lower tier and the start of the last pitch is not described in detail by any source. Identify the bolted lines on the summit band before committing, and avoid the thread-protected chimney if you carry quickdraws only.
  • The neighbouring route Ole 95 (start right of Sonjannika) has spaced bolts and loose rock; do not confuse the lines.
  • The approach barranco has slippery steps with knotted ropes of unknown age.
  • The base is just above the sea and the only way out other than climbing is back up the barranco.
  • Sharp rock is hard on ropes and skin; a fall on the slabs will hurt.
  • Parties abseiling in from above can knock stones onto the first pitches.

Sun and weather

Conditions

A south-east to south facing sea cliff in full sun almost all day, with the top at about 140 m. It is a winter-sun venue: the camptocamp ascent was in late October in barely warm, perfect conditions, and the dated logbook comments on the neighbouring routes are mostly from October to March. Too hot in summer. The rock is excellent but very sharp.

Usual season · Jan to May, Oct to Dec

Sun on the wall · SE-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

  • January (usual season): not yet worked out
  • February (usual season): not yet worked out
  • March (usual season): not yet worked out
  • April (usual season): not yet worked out
  • May (usual season): not yet worked out
  • June: not yet worked out
  • July: not yet worked out
  • August: not yet worked out
  • September: not yet worked out
  • October (usual season): not yet worked out
  • November (usual season): not yet worked out
  • December (usual season): not yet worked out

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.

Monthly climate averages for Costa Blanca (Morro Falquí), 1991-2020
MeasureJan (usual season)Feb (usual season)Mar (usual season)Apr (usual season)May (usual season)JunJulAugSepOct (usual season)Nov (usual season)Dec (usual season)
Mean daily high °C141517192226292926221815
Mean daily low °C8810121519222220171210
Rain days 1 mm or more666652137876

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 87 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

15 quickdraws (camptocamp), with some extendable ones for the wandering third pitch and the long last pitch. No cams or nuts are mentioned for the line described here. No source gives a rope length for Silberrücken; one party on the neighbouring Sonjannika climbed on two ropes and found them helpful, and two ropes also keep a retreat possible. Helmet, plenty of water and sun protection.

Checklist

Quickdraws
15
Rope
Length not given in the sources
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling
Maillons or spare karabiners
To leave behind if you retreat
Cord
Mentioned for retreat

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 Silberrücken.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • If the 6b pitch does not appeal on the day, Sonjannika (6a+, or 5c with its bypass) starts from the same bolt.
  • Take 13 or 14 quickdraws up the last pitch.
  • You can swim at the cove in the barranco or at Cala del Moraig afterwards.
  • A second lower-tier variation, Flor de Mar (6b+ and 6b after pitch 1 of Silberrücken), is listed by Rockfax but has almost no recorded ascents.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Extent of the route: Rockfax describes Silberrücken as three pitches (83 m) on the lower tier only. Camptocamp describes five sections to the clifftop (IV, 6b+, 6a+, a garden, then a 6a chimney with threads) and gives 150 m. The card counts four climbing pitches with the bolted Moorhuhn Winter Edition finish, which is what the 2021 camptocamp party climbed, apart from an extra Sonjannika pitch they do not identify.
  • Crux grade: 6b (Rockfax, UKC votes, 2021 party) against 6b+ (camptocamp header and the local tourism list).
  • Third pitch: 6a (Rockfax) against 6a+ (camptocamp).
  • Last pitch length: 35 m (Rockfax) against about 40 m (2024 logbook comment).
  • Aspect: SE on camptocamp, S on UKC.
  • Spelling: Silberrücken, Silberruecken and Silberrueken all appear.

Provenance

Sources

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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.