[deadhead]

According to Oscar Navarro, from the Asociacion Escalada Sostenible Albarracín, the world renowned and world class sandstone bouldering at Albaraccin in central Spain is in serious danger of being closed.

Exacerbating the problem is Alba’s higher European profile meaning more visitors, the obvious proliferation of bouldering as a sport in its own right and the fact that the site itself hosts some important cave paintings as well as lots of wildlife.

So accordingly they’ve issued some helpful and sensible guidelines to hopefully help enjoy the crag without it being banned.
In brief:
-   It’s forbidden to climb at Soly y Masia.
-   Tick marks – these are a big no no and causing problems – if you need to mark a hold please use a strip of tape then simply tear it off and take it away.
-   Chalk please, please, please, minimize use.
-   It’s forbidden to climb on boulders within 30m of the tarmacced road between Albarracin and Donarque and also forbidden to climb within 30m of any site with paintings.
-   It’s totally forbidden to have dogs off the lead.
-   As ever, please bury all human waste and ship out any paper/tissues and sanitary products.
-   In any parking area with a roof/shade you must park under the roof – if your vehicle doesn’t fit under the roof please parking in the main car park or in El Cabrerizo.
-   It’s just about Ok to spend the night in the parking area in vehicles (no tents or camping) but only if any signs of overnight stays are gone in the morning.
-   Please stick to recognized paths.
-   No climbing after dark or before sunrise.
-   Don’t make fires – it’s a big dry pine forest!!!
-   Smokers, take out your butts!!

 

There’s more information at the (but only in Spanish) at: http://escaladasosteniblealbarracin.blogspot.com/

So if you are going to go to Albarracin please remember the old adage ‘not ours but ours to look after’ and remember that only a sensible and sustainable approach will help to stave off problems whether at home or abroad.

[Paul B]

Whilst I agree with the sentiments entirely, from my experience of Albarracin the problem isn't the visitors.

Having somewhere you can park, where sleeping in vans is tolerated yet there are no facilities leads to the obvious minefield of human waste within a 20m radius of the car park. Its apparent all around Spain.

[Norton Sharley]

   Several bus loads of tourists per day shitting around the picnic area was the main problem when we were there imho.

[dave]

To be honest its not surprising. We saw climbers shitting in clear view of the road, and there was shit literally everywhere, it was a fucking disgrace. Its not like there's not a bog at the campsite.

I thought it was pretty clear that climbers should not be "camping" in the carparks, playing digeridoos and bongos in the night and yet they do. Its clear that people shouldn't be overusing chalk and tickmarks but they do. Its clear that you shouldn't climb on stuff facing the main tracks, but people do. Its clear that the problems right on the road are banned, yet there's still bigshots every year boasting of ticks of TUrbo Kleenex, even though its on a banned buttress right by the road. Its clear that climbing should be in general low-key here, yet I've been there and heard a bunch of visiting French tossers hollering and yellingso loud we could hear them from 2 areas over.

Its been clear from day one that its a sensitive area and should be treated with care, but clearly some people don't gives a fuck. If its gets banned then its nothing less than deserved.

[fried]

  This pretty much sums it all up. Beware Font will be next!

[chummer]

  ditto all that Dave

I have to say the article in this months mag won't help, no mention of sensitive access issues, dossing in the woods, tick marks blah blah, areas with no climbing (apart from the bird restrictions)...limited climber accommodation available, the rangers seemed pretty hardcore too. Pretty shoddy not to mention any of this in it in my opinion.

[slackline]

I have to say the article in this months mag won't help, no mention of sensitive access issues, dossing in the woods, tick marks blah blah, areas with no climbing (apart from the bird restrictions)...limited climber accommodation available, the rangers seemed pretty hardcore too. Pretty shoddy not to mention any of this in it in my opinion.

Which magazine?  Could write a letter to highlight these omissions.

[chummer]

think it was Climber

[sjw]

From @climbermagazine:

"We've just run a feature by Leah Crane on the hot Spanish bouldering venue of Albarracin but word comes to us..." (and a link to this)

[dave]

That's a pretty fucking lame half arsed token gesture.

[chummer]

That's a pretty fucking lame half arsed token gesture./quote]

We'll if they had an actual climber as an editor then maybe things like this wouldn't slip through the net.

[ali k]

Ancient news I know, but can't remember seeing it mentioned anywhere else. Apologies if it's been said previous like. Was just flicking through some back copies of Escalar and was pleased to see that back in Feb this year there was a big clean up operation in Albarracin. 100kg of rubbish collected in just over an hour from around the parking and another 50kg from further afield - mainly bog roll but also an actual toilet (bowl), bits of a fridge, unopened cans of veg and the obligatory jazz mags.

Some pics here http://escaladasosteniblealbarracin.blogspot.com/2011/02/valoracion-1-jornada-de-limpieza.html

Would be nice for other places in Spain to have access threatened to give them a kick up the backside and sort their behaviour out. They can start with Margalef. As Paul said, the foreign visitors are not the problem here.

[Paul B]

whilst I agree entirely I can't help but think that a lot of this is self inflicted.

I just can't see how the authorities can be fully supportive of large numbers of people camping in the allotted parking areas of places like Albarracin (Margalerf etc.) and expect anything other than a mess to ensue. Obviously there are ways in which as a climber you can minimize your impact but the reality is that no matter how well behaved you are, you're still shitting somewhere and if enough people do it, it'll be a problem in some shape or form.

The large and popular climbing areas in Austria have a composting loo in the car park. Granted, its like a portal to hell but the crags remain clean. The same is true in Chateauvert and a number of other crags that I can think of. It gets to the point that they've provided everything you could want to camp, space, somewhere sheltered to cook, water and then whistled a tune knowing everyone will find their way into the nearby olive groves/woods.

I think it should be considered in areas such as these as a more sustainable solution to a problem that just won't go away, even with community spirited cleanups.

[ali k]

  entirely.

There's a really nice flushing toilet block, cleaned once a week, at the parking spot in Cavallers. It's sorted the problem out almost completely. Not sure if that particular one has anything to do with the hydro company, but if they can do it there at 1,800m at the top of that tiny road then they sure as hell can manage one in places like Albarracin and Margalef.

I do think though that the Spanish have a special selfish disregard for the environment and their immediate surroundings. And sadly that goes for climbers and people into "the outdoors" just as much as the average Juan on the street. You can see it in everything from their attitude to noise levels, other's personal space, and the state they're willing to leave the crags in. I accept that it's a massive generalization and every country has its fair share of twats willing to drop litter and fly tip in the countryside, but nowhere else have I witnessed cans, empty food tins, entire bags of rubbish etc left in places requiring several hours walk into a National Park. There are a lot of things I like about Spain, but the general attitude towards the environment aint one of 'em!

[chummer]

you're still shitting somewhere and if enough people do it, it'll be a problem in some shape or form.

yer, log shaped. 

[chummer]

or in Mr Whippy form. 

[biscuit]

:

I do think though that the Spanish have a special selfish disregard for the environment and their immediate surroundings. And sadly that goes for climbers and people into "the outdoors" just as much as the average Juan on the street. You can see it in everything from their attitude to noise levels, other's personal space, and the state they're willing to leave the crags in. I accept that it's a massive generalization and every country has its fair share of twats willing to drop litter and fly tip in the countryside, but nowhere else have I witnessed cans, empty food tins, entire bags of rubbish etc left in places requiring several hours walk into a National Park. There are a lot of things I like about Spain, but the general attitude towards the environment aint one of 'em!

I have to agree that if you were to stereotype they do fit that profile.

I think partly it's because they have so much countryside and so much rock, it's just not that special to some of them and doesn't need caring for because there's loads of it. If you trash that bit, there's another bit just as good over there.

Down at the bottom of this blog from me is a pic of my van in a crag car park:

http://biscuitsblogspot.blogspot.com/2011/09/el-torcalita-spanish-ethics.html

You properly have to watch where you park so you don't step out into turds.

I love the Spanish in general but they are not great at environmentalism. I think you have to remember it was a very backward country less than 50 yrs ago. Many of my neighbours cannot read, write or deal with money. Education is not what it could be and i think education about the environment even less so. The countryside and animals are treated as things to use not to be cared for.

Having said all that i have seen Spanish climbers doing clean ups and challenging people for leaving litter so it's not all bad.

[Resonate]

is it really in any more danger than is has been for the last 5 years cos i've heard all this same concern several times before.