Magdalena Superior north face (Gorros) · Montserrat · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
An exposed, airy line with unusually good holes and jugs for Montserrat, shaded in the afternoon. The 6a pitch is a sustained vertical 20 m. Going straight up instead of following the line is closer to 6b+.
The route
A four-pitch bolted line up the north face of the Magdalena Superior, the Gorros tower next to the Gorra Frígia. Two long, easy pitches on pebbles lead to the main event: 20 m of fingery, vertical to gently overhanging wall with a lot of air below, then an exposed leftward exit to the top. The crux pitch is very closely bolted and can be aided, while the easy pitches are noticeably more spaced. Given 6a in most topos, but several recent parties thought the crux nearer 6b.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4b | 45 m | 9 bolts | A wall of pebbles with widely spaced bolts that can be hard to spot (IV or III+ on other topos). Abseil-equipped belay. |
| P2 | 4c | 40 m | 9 bolts | More of the same with a steeper section (IV+). Bolts still spaced. Abseil-equipped belay just below the vertical wall. |
| P3 | 6a | 30 m | 13 bolts | 10 m of pebble wall at 4c, then 20 m of thin, sustained wall, vertical to slightly overhanging, with small and sometimes slippery handholds and some polish on the footholds. Bolts are close and A0 is possible. Belay on the right on a small, very exposed ledge. Several parties rate it 6b; Camptocamp's own grade fields give 6b free, 6a+ obligatory. |
| P4 | 5b | 25 m | 7 bolts | Airy start rising leftwards on very good holds (5b over the first 2 bolts; a good V), then on up left and straight up at 4c to the abseil-equipped belay just below the summit. |
Getting there
Base is Montserrat monastery, reached by road (BP-1121 from Monistrol), by the rack railway from Monistrol or by the Aeri cable car; both connect with the FGC Barcelona–Manresa line. The monastery car park is fine on weekdays in spring but fills fast at weekends and in high season. By car from Barcelona, one source takes the A-2 to the El Bruc exit, then the road north past Can Maçana, parking just before the monastery car-park entrance.
About 45 min on foot from the monastery. Cross the monastery to the start of the GR4, climb the Escales dels Pobres and the Pas dels Francesos to the junction at Plaça de Santa Anna. Leave the GR4, go straight on and shortly fork left on the PR C-19, which drops then climbs to below the Gorros. Turn left then right to join the Camí Nou de Sant Jeroni at the Gorra Marinera; follow it right, round the Marinera and under the north side of the Magdalena Superior to the foot of the Gorra Frígia. Go up the gully (chains) towards the col between the Frígia and the Magdalena Superior for about 20 m; the route starts a few metres left of the gully, in the trees on the north face. Look for a yellow-painted bolt at eye level; the paint is faded but visible. Other bolt lines start on the slab further right and are not this route.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Monestir de Montserrat (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 525443
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: 41.58932, 1.82646 (crag) · Parking: 41.59545, 1.83938
Getting down
From the summit go to the east side and abseil: 15 m to a shoulder, then 25 m to the ground. Camptocamp says the two can be joined as one abseil of about 50 m, though a 2026 party worried about the rope snagging on trees and a bulge and broke it up. There are older and newer stations; a Mountain Project contributor used the newer ones with two rings and got down in three abseils on a single 60 m rope, and another says a 70 m rope works well in two. Then walk back by the paths (past the Mirador and hermitage ruins of Santa Magdalena and down the Escales de Jacob to the Camí Nou de Sant Jeroni, according to Climbing7). The route itself is equipped for abseil in four abseils, but this is meant as an escape only, since parties may be climbing below.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Yes. The route is equipped for abseil in four abseils, and the sources describe this specifically as the escape line. It is discouraged otherwise because parties may be climbing below. The first two pitches are 45 m and 40 m, so you need two ropes to get down them.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
North face at around 1,000 m. Shaded in the morning and again in the afternoon according to different reports, so good for summer and cold outside it: a party in October 2024 found it chilly and windy all morning, and one in November found a cold start but the wall fairly sheltered from wind. Fog is possible while the monastery is in sun. Weekday parties rarely met anyone else.
Sun on the wall · N-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
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 Montserrat are not available yet
What to carry
14–15 quickdraws. No rope is specified on Camptocamp; a 60 m single covers the 45 m first pitch and gives margin on the 25 m abseil. 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 98 Octanos.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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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.
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