Spain · El Chorro
Amptrax
The absolute El Chorro classic: a physical, sustained line that feels tough for the grade, with a 6a traverse right under the roof. Polished in places from heavy traffic.
6a9 pitches182 m
Valentine's Day
Frontales (Austria sector) · El Chorro · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A popular, sunny short multipitch in one of the easier Frontales sectors. Mostly 5/5+, with a brief 6a crux.
- Hardest pitch
- 6a
- Pitches
- 4
- Length
- 130 m
- Approach
- –
- Aspect
- S
- South-facing
- Rope
- 1×70 m
The route
Overview
Valentine's Day is a four-pitch bolted sport route in the Austria sector of the Frontales wall above El Chorro. Two long, easy pitches lead to two shorter and steeper ones, with a brief 6a crux. Mountain Project lists it as one of the three classics of the sector. It is a short, sunny outing rather than a serious wall, but published detail on the descent is thin, so plan the abseils conservatively.
The climbing
Pitch by pitch
45+6a5+
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4 | 40 m | Easy opening pitch. theTopo grades it 4; a search summary of another listing gives 5. |
| P2 | 5+ | 40 m | – |
| P3 | 6a | 25 m | Listed as the 6a pitch. A search summary of a logbook comment describes a slightly overhanging, well-protected crux here. |
| P4 | 5+ | 25 m | A 2026 ascent note on theTopo says only a short section of the last pitch is 6a and the rest of the route is 5 to 5+, so expect a hard move or two on this pitch as well. |
Getting there
Approach
To the parking
Base yourself in El Chorro village or at the campsite. theTopo lists parking at the reservoir below the village, at Los Albercones (road in bad condition) and at Las Encantadas, and asks you not to park on verges inside the nature park where signs forbid it. Mountain Project says trails to the Frontales sectors leave from the village and from the road in front of the campsite.
On foot
No source read gives a timed approach to Austria. Mountain Project describes it as one of the furthest sectors of Frontales (GPS 36.91441, -4.75462). theTopo says all Frontales sectors are reached on foot from the road through the nature park, and that most approaches include a few moves of scrambling.
Finding the route · 1 photo
OverviewEl Chorro from the air: the village and the lower reservoir are at bottom right, the Gaitanes gorge is the cleft left of centre, and the Frontales are the sunlit south-facing walls rising above the pine forest between the two. Austria is one of the furthest sectors along the path under this wall.Photo: Jakub Botwicz · CC BY-SA 3.0
Map of the walk-in
- Crag
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from Mountain Project area 112401797 (Austria)
For your phone or watch
Download GPX
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: 36.91441, -4.75462 (crag)
Getting down
Descent
Abseil the line. The UKC/Rockfax page that describes this could not be read in full; search summaries of it say to abseil back down the route, and logbook notes mention six abseils on a 60 m rope, a top abseil that uses the full 60 m, and newer intermediate belays on pitches 1 and 2 that make the route workable with a 60 m rope. Treat those numbers as unconfirmed and check the anchors as you climb.
Retreat
Bailing off the route
Bail with caveats
Yes, abseiling the route is the normal way down, but the rope arithmetic is unconfirmed. P1 and P2 are listed as 40 m, which a single 60 m or 70 m rope cannot abseil in one go. Search summaries of logbook comments mention newer intermediate belays on those two pitches and six abseils on a 60 m rope, but that could not be checked on a readable page.
- Retreat from
- From any belay in principle, since the route is abseiled. The upper two pitches are 25 m and fit a single rope. The catch is the two 40 m lower pitches, where you depend on the intermediate belays being there.
- Carry
- Either two ropes, or a single 60 to 70 m rope used with the reported intermediate belays on P1 and P2. Spot those intermediate anchors on the way up before relying on them, and knot the rope ends.
- Basis
- Part stated, part inferredThat you abseil the route comes from UKC/Rockfax search summaries only, and the 40 m pitch lengths from theTopo; the conclusion that a single rope only works with the intermediate belays is inferred and those belays are unconfirmed.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Hazards
- theTopo advises a helmet in the Austria sector and on all Frontales multipitch because of rockfall, partly caused by ibex.
- Pitches 1 and 2 are given as 40 m. A single 60 m or 70 m rope does not reach on a 40 m abseil unless you use intermediate anchors. The existence of those intermediate belays comes only from a search summary, not from a page read in full.
- Frontales is inside a nature park and theTopo treats access as sensitive: stay on established paths, no fires, carry out all rubbish.
Sun and weather
Conditions
South-facing and sunny; theTopo simply lists Austria as 'sunny' and says Frontales is best outside summer or on cloudy days and dries quickly after rain. Mountain Project calls Frontales an autumn, winter and spring venue.
Usual season · Jan to May, Oct to Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Sun on the wall · S-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.
Climate figures for El Chorro are not available yet
What to carry
Gear
Quickdraw count is not published in the sources read. Pitches 1 and 2 are 40 m, so a single rope will not reach between the main belays on abseil; two ropes, or a single rope used with the intermediate belays, are the options. Helmet (theTopo recommends one in Austria specifically).
Checklist
- Quickdraws
- Number not given in the sources
- Rope
- 1×70 m
- 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 Valentine's Day.
Worth knowing
Tips
- A search summary of a logbook comment says the Rockfax description is confusing and that you should simply follow the bolts.
- The sector also has single-pitch routes from 5a to 6c (Edelweiss 5a, Nitti 5c two pitches, Full Moon 6a+) if you want to add mileage.
- The current digital topo for Frontales on theTopo is a premium topo by El Chorro Bolting.
Open questions
Where sources disagree
- Crux location: theTopo's pitch list puts 6a on pitch 3, but a 2026 ascent comment on the same page says the 6a section is on the last pitch. Both are reported.
- Pitch 1 is 4 on theTopo and 5 in a search summary of another listing.
- Descent: this entry lists an abseil descent with 1×70 m. Pitch lengths of 40 m (theTopo) do not fit a 70 m single rope without intermediate anchors. Search summaries of UKC logbooks mention 60 m rope, six abseils and new belays on P1 and P2. Neither the UKC nor the theCrag page could be read in full, so the rope requirement stays unconfirmed.
- Total length: the 130 m listed here matches the sum of theTopo pitch lengths.
Provenance
Sources
- theTopo – Valentine's DayUsed for: pitch grades and lengths, 2026 ascent comment
- theTopo – Frontales crag descriptionUsed for: parking, aspect, season, helmet and access notes
- Mountain Project – Austria sectorUsed for: grade, pitch count, sector position, neighbouring routes
- Mountain Project – FrontalesUsed for: getting there, season
- UKC Logbook – Valentines Day (search summary only; page not read in full)Used for: unconfirmed descent and rope notes
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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.