Pedra Longa (Baunei) · Sardinia · Italy
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A sea-level start reached by abseil, then seven short pitches up the seaward face of Pedra Longa. The third pitch is a wildly exposed traverse above a line of roofs; two easy pitches on rock that needs care lead to a technical 6b and 6b+ finish on grey slab.
The route
Cromosomi Corsari climbs the south-east face of the Pedra Longa stack from a rocky cove at sea level to the summit. Maurizio Oviglia, who opened it with Fabio Erriu in 2014, describes it as a marine Dolomite climb: varied, athletic and very exposed above the water, with a few short sections of rock that need attention. The hard climbing comes in two blocks, pitches 2 and 3 and then pitches 6 and 7. It has become a classic, with chalk on the holds, and recent parties find the grades friendly and the bolts close.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | 25 m | First runner on a thread with red cord, then a slightly rising traverse to the corner on the right and a mantel. Do not traverse far right under the bush (that is Il richiamo del mare) and do not go straight up the other bolt line. PlanetMountain gives 5c+. Extend runners to limit drag. |
| P2 | 6a+ | 20 m | Go right, climb the corner on orange rock and follow the obvious crack to a polished slab. PlanetMountain gives 6a+/6b. |
| P3 | 6a+ | 15 m | The showpiece: a rising traverse right along good horizontal breaks above the roofs, with the holds shrinking as you go, to a belay on a prow. Closely bolted. PlanetMountain gives 6b/6b+. |
| P4 | 4c | 15 m | Follow the strata on good horizontal holds; test the blocks. Given 4+ on camptocamp. |
| P5 | 5b | 15 m | Short walls on grey rock, again with some blocks to treat carefully. Pitches 4 and 5 link easily. |
| P6 | 6b | 20 m | A physical overhanging start, a hard traverse left, then easing up a fine grey slab to a comfortable belay. |
| P7 | 6b+ | 20 m | A technical grey wall straight above the belay, with the crux on the slab by a badly placed bolt. Belay below the summit. PlanetMountain gives 6b; several logbook entries find it the hardest pitch. |
Getting there
From Baunei take the SS125 towards Santa Maria Navarrese and turn off at the sign for Pedra Longa; follow the road down to the car park by the bar-restaurant (40°01'38.9"N 9°42'21.3"E).
About 10 minutes plus one abseil. From the car park take an unmarked path up through the scrub (east on camptocamp, south on PlanetMountain) onto a narrow ledge. Pass a notch and follow the ledge down, ignoring an abseil rigged on a tree to the right. Just after it there is a cairn, then a descent on the right to a chained stainless abseil station on the left, on the true right side of the cirque. Do not cross or climb the cirque above the route, even though there are bolts with maillons there. One abseil of about 20 m reaches the rocky beach. The name is written at the base; the start is shared with the lines immediately left and right.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Pedra Longa (Baunei) (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 630621
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: 40.02740, 9.70708 (crag) · Parking: 40.02752, 9.70582
Getting down
From the top of the route go to the summit and descend the normal route northwards along the crest (cairns, grade II downclimbing), or find the abseil on the edge of the north face that avoids the climbing sections in 30 m. Rejoin the steps and the single-pitch sector and walk up to the car park, about 20 minutes.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
PlanetMountain says you can descend the route as far as belay 3, with some acrobatics because of the traverses; above that it is better to finish and walk off. Abseiling returns you to the sea-level cove, from which the way out is to climb a route or, by one logbook account, a traverse along fixed ropes above the water.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east face, low above the sea. PlanetMountain says the route is almost always in the sun. An April 2019 party climbed the lower pitches in morning shade and met the sun at pitch 4 on the east-facing arête; an April 2025 party climbing in the afternoon found it hot. Choose cool days outside summer.
Sun on the wall · SE-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 Sardinia are not available yet
What to carry
12 to 14 quickdraws, some extendable, and slings. A single rope works; PlanetMountain suggests two half ropes as better for a retreat. Optional medium cam for the second's benefit on pitch 3. 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 Cromosomi Corsari.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Italy · Sardinia
An airy, mostly left-rising traverse that spirals round the Pedra Longa sea stack to its summit, on water-runnelled grey walls and pocketed white rock right above the sea. It has become one of the most popular routes in Sardinia, so expect queues.
6a+7 pitches190 m
Committing
Italy · Sardinia
This is the easiest way to the top of Sardinia's iconic 140 m pinnacle above Cala Goloritzè. Short technical bulges and walls lead to a fine slab finish, and the harder overhangs can be aided. Gulliver splits it into 4 pitches; camptocamp gives 5. Check seasonal access rules for Cala Goloritzè before going.
6b5 pitches150 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Sardinia
A short but superb sea-cliff route on beautifully sculpted limestone in an incredible setting near Pan di Zucchero. Corners and an airy pillar lead to a steep, rounded 6a wall. Camptocamp rates it 'great'.
6a4 pitches120 m
Italy · Sardinia
The easiest line on the Capo Caccia sea cliff: six pitches of 4b to 4c on pocketed, sharply sculpted limestone above the open sea. You abseil in from the top and climb out. The first two pitches are vegetated; the climbing proper starts on the pitch 3 slab.
4c6 pitches145 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Around 6b+ · about 7 pitches
Turkey · Aladağlar
Often named as the best route in the massif: seven even pitches of 6a to 6b+ that move from delicate slabs and giant flutings through a steep, rough wall to mountain-style ground at the top. The 6b pitches are no harder than the 6a ones, but the bolts are far enough apart to keep you thinking.
6b+7 pitches235 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Bolzano & South Tyrol
Steep crack, corner and chimney climbing on porphyry, fully bolted in the middle of a trad crag. Sustained at 6a to 6b with a technical 6b+ first pitch. It stays in the shade until mid-afternoon, which makes it a summer option.
6b+7 pitches190 m
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A recent, closely bolted line on the Mallo Frechín and a good way to get to know Riglos without being frightened. A stiff 6b+ second pitch that many find nearer 6c, then steep, sustained 6a and 6a+ over a succession of bulges on unpolished rock. You can abseil off from the top.
6b+7 pitches190 m
Spain · Montanejos
Seven varied pitches in two halves split by a big ledge: vertical walls and cracks below, then an overhanging red wall and a traverse on a carpet of sharp little spikes beneath giant roofs. In the sun from the morning, unpolished, with an easy walk down.
6b+7 pitches170 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.