Mallo Colorado, Riglos · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
A companion to Anorexia at the same grade. One unavoidable boulder move over the first panza, then easier, steady climbing.
Fully bolted and easy for the grade, but bolts are spaced, belays are unchained and R1 was reported in 2024 with two spinning hangers.
The route
A four-pitch bolted route on the south-west face of Mallo Colorado at Riglos, next to the better-known Anorexia and at a similar grade. The first pitch has one unavoidable boulder move over a bulge (panza); after that the climbing is easier and steady at about 5a/5b. It is a common first route at Riglos. The bolts are spaced and the belays are not chained, so despite the modest grade it is not a route to fall off.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | 35 m | 10 bolts | From the platform go straight up the plinth to the bulge, which has an unavoidable boulder move (5c). Less sustained above to the belay. A 2024 party counted 9 bolts. V+ in the Spanish description. |
| P2 | 5b | 35 m | 7 bolts | A steep but even pitch at 5a/5b to a comfortable belay on a sloping ledge. |
| P3 | 5b | 35 m | 5 bolts | A rising traverse from the belay to a prominent block (5b). Beyond it the angle eases to the big ledge with loose stones lying on it. Belay at the ring in the centre. |
| P4 | 5a | 20 m | 5 bolts | Up and right on fractured conglomerate to a belay on a large ring. One party counted 6 bolts and called this the best-protected pitch; a 2026 party thought an extra bolt just above the belay would be welcome. |
Getting there
Base is Riglos (Huesca). Park at the Riglos car park by the refuge (636 m). No public transport details were found in the sources read.
About 30 min from the car park. Walk through the village, take the GR-1 track east and after about 800 m turn left up the signposted Camino del Cielo path. Leave it leftwards at a hairpin and follow faint, partly overgrown trails to the foot of the south-west face. The route name is written at the base according to Camptocamp, but a 2019 party searched for a long time and could not find it. The bolts are (or were) black; Anorexia, just alongside, has an 'A' scratched on a cobble at its base and silver or gold hangers. Los kilos te sientan bien is the neighbour on the right.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
GPS line: a line of the walk-in and the descent drawn by its source, not a recorded track. Line on the Camptocamp route page: from the Riglos car park to the Mallo Colorado and back. Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: Camptocamp contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0Point from OpenStreetMap node 659541730 (Mallo Colorado)
Contains the route point 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: 42.35051, -0.72391 (crag)
Getting down
From the last belay, follow the cairned path for about 20 m along the edge of the east/south-east face to a juniper fitted with a cable and a large metal ring. Abseil 20 to 22 m to a slightly sloping stony ledge, above the line of the route Torrós. From there a fixed rope (an exposed handrail) leads to the col and the walking path down the barranco. Alternatively, a 2019 party made one 45 m abseil, trending slightly right on the way down, or 30 m then 15 m from a single ring; a 2024 party did the same second abseil from a single bolt with a ring to avoid the exposed handrail in strong wind.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Retreat is possible but not convenient. The belays are two bolts without chains, so you leave gear at each one, and in March 2024 both hangers at belay 1 were spinning. The pitches are 35 m, so the single 50 m rope that suffices for the climb and the summit abseil will not get you down from a belay.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west facing and sunny; a December party climbed in sun, sheltered from a north wind. The Camptocamp crag page lists March to June and September to October. The face is popular: reports mention five parties on the mallo at once and waiting at the start.
Sun on the wall · SW-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 Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) are not available yet
What to carry
A single 50 m rope (or 2×40 m) is enough for the route and the 20 to 22 m abseil; the one-abseil variant needs 45 m of abseil length. 10 quickdraws plus belay material; slings to link the unchained belays. One party carried a few nuts and slings to supplement the spaced bolts and was glad of them.
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 Carla.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
This is the gentlest way to sample Riglos. Polished pockets and two bulging 'panzas' lead to a 6a crux that can be pulled through on the bolts (A0). The upper spur is easy, and the Pisón towers loom close by.
6a7 pitches175 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A long beginner's big route on good conglomerate at a moderate angle. Pitches can be linked in pairs with a 60 m rope. A four-pitch headwall with a couple of panzas finishes high above the Gállego valley.
5c14 pitches375 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
An airy spur with sustained 5b–5c climbing, a single 6a step on pitch 7, and big views over the Mallos de Riglos and the Pyrenees.
6a9 pitches230 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A morning-sun route at the quieter Agüero mallos. Easy slabs separate two fine steep walls, including a superb vertical 5c plaque on pitch 4. Take care with some loose cobbles on the last traverse.
5c5 pitches145 m
Around 5c · about 4 pitches
Slovenia · Osp
The easiest line on Osp's famous overhanging Big Wall, following an obvious right-slanting ramp, the only non-overhanging part of the face. It is in shade until about 11:30 in July.
5c4 pitches110 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Tafraout (Anti-Atlas)
Bolted granite slabs to the top of a dome above the Tafraout valley, with a hand-traverse across a gully on pitch 3. Short, but a rest day from trad in an area that is otherwise almost all cams.
5c4 pitches95 m
Italy · Gaeta & Sperlonga
This was the second route on Montagna Spaccata and is the cliff's classic moderate. It's never hard but never trivial, with continuous exposure above the sea: a horizontal crack traverse, an athletic juggy chimney and corners. Gulliver gives UIAA grades V–V+ / IV+–V / V+ / V / V–IV+ (5c max), converted here.
5c5 pitches125 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Spain · Montserrat
A straightforward line up the 'Phrygian cap' visible from the monastery. Only the short vertical step on pitch 3 is sustained. It is a good route for learning Montserrat pebble technique and has a summit cross with a big view. The approach takes about 10 min from the Sant Joan funicular top.
5c5 pitches140 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.