Foradada del Toscar is a tiny village located between the two regions of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe, in the northern part of the province of Huesca, Aragón. You can hear local people often jokingly refer to this area as “Sobrarbe tropical“, due to the surprisingly mild climate that it boasts. In fact, here you can often enjoy good climbing days in the sun when everywhere else around the region the weather is cold and rainy or even snowy. You don’t have to forget that you are on the foothills of the Pyrenees, where winters can be rough.
The village gives its name to the nearby climbing area, which is small but quite interesting because of the high number of easy routes, the good quality of the limestone and, last but not least, the very short approach and comfortable crag base.
At present, the main sector has got about 40 routes between 5b and 7c+. The crag is facing South which means sun all day and the wall is generally sheltered from the cold winds from the North-West. The rock is a featured and compact limestone, changing from grey to orange and offering a technical climbing mainly on crimps and small pockets with poor footholds, but it also surprises with some slopers and tufas on the highest difficulties.
The mix of old and new routes can be a bit confusing as to the difficulty grade. Actually, the easiest lines were bolted in the eighties or nineties and have a hint of an old-school flavour. The fact that the rock is just slightly polished at the start of these routes and the grade was given more than 30 years ago can give you the impression that they aren’t so easy. The latest equipped harder routes surely have got a more modern style and graduation even though the bolters have tried to be consistent with the old ones and that’s why you can generally speak of “solid” grades. But the grade is not so important, isn’t it? The most important thing is that Fordada is an enchanting location and offers outstanding climbing on excellent rock.
It is a good place for advanced beginners who can safely climb a handful of well-equipped routes in the fifth and low sixth grade.
It is also a very good spot for experienced climbers who wants to prove their technical skills on micro holds and their endurance on long face climbing.
Generally, a 70-meter rope will be enough for most of the routes. Just be sure to have at least an 80-meter one if you want to climb one of the two-pitches lines that reach the very top of the crag and are almost 40 meters long. You can always use the middle anchor to rappel back down to the base, but it’ll be surely more comfortable and quick if you choose a longer rope.
Currently, the bolting activity is running and soon the sector will show off even more new beautiful lines. Apart from the main sectors, there are several smaller sport climbing sectors, a good number of multi-pitch and traditional routes and a via ferrata in the area.
How to get there:
- If you come from Pamplona or Zaragoza you’ll drive to Sabiñanigo and from there you take the national road N-260 towards Ainsa/Campo. After about 70 km you reach Foradada del Toscar. You’ll have to leave the main road as for entering the village and at the first roundabout turn back onto it in order to enter the car park which is on the opposite side of the road next to a kids playground. (1-hour drive from Sabiñanigo)
- If you come from Barcelona, Lerida or Tarragona you’ll drive to Barbastro and from there take the national road N-123 towards Graus/Campo. 4 km before Campo you turn onto the N-260 towards Ainsa and turn right just after Foradada del Toscar to enter a small park site next to a kids playground, where we will park. You’ll have to walk 2 minutes to reach the base of the first routes. (50-minutes drive from Barbastro).
