Peña Foratata, Sallent de Gállego · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys) · Spain
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
A big, fully bolted mountain route straight up the middle of a wall of the Peña Foratata to its summit. Three technical corner pitches at 6b+ low down and a 6b and a 6a above the grass terrace, separated by easy transition pitches. Short pitches by design, a long descent, and a seasonal closure for bearded vultures until the end of July.
Fully bolted and well protected, but a long mountain route with a serious descent, a seasonal closure, and belays that were joined with cord when last documented in 2017.
The route
Named in memory of Antonio Antoñanzas, a friend of the opening team, this route takes a fairly direct line from the lowest point of the wall to the summit, cut at two-thirds height by the grass terrace that crosses the face. The openers pick out pitches 1, 3, 4 and 6 as the best: sustained, technical corners, with the 6b+ moves not continuous. Pitches 5, 9, 10 and 11 are also good; the rest are transition pitches on poorer rock, which one commenter felt were too many. The obligatory grade is 5+ to 6a. Expect 4 to 6 hours of climbing and a full mountain day with the approach and descent.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 30 m | A corner; one of the four pitches the openers rate most highly. |
| P2 | 4 | 35 m | Easy transition pitch (IV on the topo). |
| P3 | 6b+ | 25 m | A sustained, technical corner. The 6b+ is not continuous. |
| P4 | 6b+ | 25 m | A second technical corner in the same style. |
| P5 | 5+ | 30 m | V+ on the topo; singled out as a pleasant pitch. |
| P6 | 6b+ | 40 m | The longest hard pitch, another corner: this is the pitch that needs 22 quickdraws. The topo marks a plaque near the belay. |
| P7 | 3 | 30 m | Transition (III). |
| P8 | 4+ | 25 m | IV+ on the topo. |
| P9 | 5a | 40 m | V on the topo, ending on the grass terrace at belay R9, where the route crosses the normal path up the peak. Walk about 20 m along the terrace to belay R9 bis. |
| P10 | 6b | 30 m | The first pitch above the terrace; the topo marks the 'Placa Anzas', the memorial plaque, beside it. |
| P11 | 6a | 30 m | Rated a good pitch by the openers. The belay is marked as a tree on their topo. |
| P12 | 4 | 30 m | IV on the topo. |
| P13 | 5a | 30 m | V on the topo. |
| P14 | 4+ | 20 m | IV+ to the top, almost on the summit. |
Getting there
Base is Formigal (Sallent de Gállego), on the Spanish side of the Portalet pass. Drive to the top of the village via Avenida de los Pirineos, Plaza de Austria and Calle Zaragoza into Calle Jaca, and park by the sports and play area there. The descent brings you back to the same place, behind the Hotel HG Alto Aragón.
1 h to 1 h 15. From the end of Calle Jaca a track passes a cattle gate and ends in a meadow. On the left of the meadow take the path with blue and white marks and follow it uphill to a buttress that rises to the base of the Peña; the path runs along its crest. When you are nearly at the wall, at a cairn, go diagonally down left across a slope on somewhat unstable ground, then roughly level, following cairns for about 10 min to the start. The name 'Anzas' is painted on the rock.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Formigal village (camptocamp waypoint 1186548)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43678
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: 42.78817, -0.34565 (crag) · Parking: 42.77928, -0.35859
Getting down
About 2 hours; the Foratata has no easy way down and every option involves scrambling. The usual choice: from the summit go down right on the well-cairned descent path with red marks to a set of fixed-rope handrails, which you down-climb or abseil. These lead to the grass terrace; follow it to the col between the two summits of the Foratata, cross it and take the obvious path, scree at first, to the path on the south side that runs through meadows straight to Formigal. The openers' blog shows three options, including a south gully (Canal Sur) reached from the grass terrace, useful when snow lingers on the north side. Passages marked grade II are, in the opener's view, nearer III. Beware of loose stones.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The route can be abandoned at the grass terrace after pitch 9, where it crosses the normal route's path. Below that, abseiling is not described; each belay had one ring in 2017, and the pitches are 25 to 40 m with easy traversing pitches between the steep ones.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
A high route on a peak of 2,341 m. Climbing on this wall is restricted every year from 1 December to 31 July to protect bearded vultures (the restriction can be lifted early if the birds do not nest; check montanaregulada.org). Early in the season, until late May or early June, snow can remain on the upper pitches and on the north-side descent. In practice the season is August to October.
Sun on the wall
No estimate: the wall's aspect is not recorded for this route.
Climate figures for Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys) are not available yet
What to carry
22 quickdraws for pitch 6. Double or single rope: the openers set every belay within 40 m, so 2×40 m or a single 80 m works. Slings to back up belays. 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 Vía Anzas.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Read the cautions
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.