Paret d'Escales · Escales (Ribagorça Pyrenees) · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A modern two-tier line above the Escales dam. Six pitches of slab and a well-protected 6a gully lead to the big ledge, and four more pitches of 5b wall reach the ridge.
The route
Boney M is a ten-pitch bolted route on the Paret d'Escales, the wall beside the Escales dam at Sopeira. It was opened in 2021 after careful cleaning and comes in two tiers: six pitches of slabs and a stepped gully to a big ledge (the faja), then four pitches of wall and slab to the ridge. Most of the climbing is 4b to 5b on fractured, crazed limestone slabs, with one short, closely bolted 6a step on pitch 5. Access and return are quick, and you can stop at the ledge after pitch 6.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b/5c | 30 m | 16 bolts | From the foot of the staircase, climb a wall that steepens gradually, then traverse right to a juniper. Belay on the rising ledge. A small seep on the final traverse was reported after rain. |
| P2 | 4c | 25 m | 6 bolts | Straight on above the belay up a tilted, heavily fractured slab in steps to a ledge. One party graded it 4a/4b. |
| P3 | 5a | 35 m | 9 bolts | A right-to-left diagonal to a line of crazed slabs that ends as a spur. Step right to the belay. |
| P4 | 3b | 10 m | 2 bolts | Cross two ribs and descend slightly to the platform at the foot of the gully. Parties often link P3 and P4. |
| P5 | 5c/6a | 30 m | 11 bolts | Straight up the gully. It starts laid back, then steepens after the first step for the crux, protected by three close bolts. Climbing eases through the second and third steps (about 5b) to a belay on the third earthy ledge. A 2023 party said the 6a move is not hard. |
| P6 | 4b | 35 m | 7 bolts | A slab, then easing ground (3b) to the wide upper ledge. Belay on an isolated block in the middle of it. You can finish here and walk off along the ledge. |
| P7 | 5b | 45 m | 14 bolts | Follow the paint mark 'BE'. Climb left up a wall of fractured rock, continue straight up, make a short rightward traverse under a fractured step, then follow a spur to the belay on an intermediate ledge. This belay is not rigged for abseil. Check the flakes. |
| P8 | 4b | 25 m | 7 bolts | A slightly laid-back intermediate spur to a roomy belay behind an upright block. |
| P9 | 5b | 20 m | 7 bolts | Move right from the belay and climb a vertical slab with a positive rib on its left edge, then traverse horizontally right to a comfortable ledge. Belay rigged for abseil. |
| P10 | 5b | 20 m | 6 bolts | A typical Escales slab bordered by a corner on the right, finishing at a small notch on the ridge. Belay rigged for abseil. |
Getting there
Sopeira is on the N-230 between Lleida and Pont de Suert/Vielha, about 10 km south of Pont de Suert. Turn into the village and take the small road down to the river and the hydro-electric power station. Park on the right beside the power station, just before the bridge. Parking is forbidden on the far side of the bridge.
5 to 10 minutes. From the parking at the power station entrance, cross the equipped parapet and take the staircase to the path along the Noguera Ribagorçana. Follow it to the scree that marks the start of Lolita la Flamenca, then go up the scree towards the rock-cut staircase. Boney M starts at the foot of that flight of stairs.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
GPS line: one party's recorded GPS track of the whole day, including the climb and the descent. One party's recorded day in March 2026, climbing Xin Xan and then Boney M. The recording starts at the foot of the wall, so the walk-in is shown only by the return leg: the riverside path back past the dam and on down the road. GPS is imprecise in the gorge. Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: janic · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Parking
Presa d'Escales (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 187969
Contains the route point, parking and a GPS line. 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: 42.32417, 0.74528 (crag) · Parking: 42.32110, 0.74518
Getting down
From the top, follow the ridge for about 10 m to R10 of Lolita la Flamenca and abseil that route to the big ledge. The camptocamp topo gives three abseils (R10 to R9, R9 to R8, R8 to the ledge). Trip reports vary with rope length: two abseils with 2×60 m ropes (2023); four abseils of 35 m, 30 m, 15 m and 30 m using the Lolita R10, R9, R8, R7 anchors (2023); five abseils of about 30 m (2023, 2024). Once on the ledge, walk west, pass under the concrete block that forms an arch, and follow the ledge to the descending tunnel and the staircase, the standard way off for every route on the wall. If you stop at R6 you are already on this ledge.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Yes from pitch 6 upwards; lower down it is not documented. The big ledge at R6 is a stated stopping point with a walk-off along the ledge and tunnel. R7 is not rigged for abseil, but its ledge leads across to R7 of Lolita la Flamenca, which you abseil. R9 and R10 are rigged for abseil. For the first five pitches the sources say only that the belays are bolted.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The route faces south to south-west (camptocamp gives S/SW for the route, W/SW for the wall). Trip reports from starts around 10:00 to 10:45 in March, May and November describe the first pitch still in shade and sun arriving around pitch 2; in late November the sun comes late and it was 5 °C at the car. A June ascent passed 30 °C and was called a bit too hot. The camptocamp crag page says the wall can be cold and damp in winter. Seeps on pitch 1 linger the day after rain. Expect other parties on Lolita la Flamenca, Xin Xan and Esperó dels Elfos.
Sun on the wall · S-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 Escales (Ribagorça Pyrenees) are not available yet
What to carry
Camptocamp lists 2×60 m rope and 16 quickdraws plus belay kit. Pitch 1 has 16 bolts. Trip reports show the Lolita la Flamenca abseils also go in 30 to 35 m steps.
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 Boney M.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 6a · about 10 pitches
Italy · Aosta Valley
This is the most-climbed route on the Paretone. It gives sustained, varied slab and crack climbing on good gneiss, and the hardest moves are a fine crack on P2, a slanting corner and a punchy wall. Queues are common on good days. The Mani Nude guidebook grades it stiffly; camptocamp's Italian page calls it sustained at 5b–5c+ with a single 6a.
6a10 pitches290 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
Starts past the huge roof on the west face and climbs to the Punta Blanca. A superb short 6a corner on pitch 3, then a long run of grade 4 and 5. In shade in the morning.
6a10 pitches250 m
Spain · El Chorro
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
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
A sustained, varied line on sculpted limestone. It starts with an easy slab and builds to slightly overhanging jugs with huge exposure on the top pitch. Mountain Project and camptocamp grade the crux 6a+ (Rockfax says 6a). With a 70 m rope you can link several pairs of pitches.
6a9 pitches265 m
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.