Mallo Frechín, Riglos · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos) · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Just left of José Antonio Sanz and a little less sustained, on better rock than its neighbours.
The route
A nine-pitch bolted route up the south face of the Mallo Frechín, starting just left of José Antonio Sanz and finishing on top of the mallo. The climbing is a tour of the bulges rather than a direct line: steady 5c to 6a with one 6a+ pitch and almost no easy ground, on short pitches that weave about. Bolts are close on the hard moves and wider on easy ground and on pitch 8. The eighth pitch, a long 6a, is singled out as the best.
In pictures
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 30 m | Reported slightly greasy, with a stiff move while still cold. |
| P2 | 5c | 25 m | – |
| P3 | 6a+ | 25 m | The hardest pitch on paper. Bolts are close on the hard moves of these first pitches. |
| P4 | 5c | 30 m | One party saw another retreat from the belay at the top of this pitch. |
| P5 | 5b | 20 m | – |
| P6 | 6a | 30 m | – |
| P7 | 5c | 15 m | – |
| P8 | 6a | 35 m | The best pitch: long, on positive holds and a little exposed. Bolts are further apart here, noticeably so at the exit. |
| P9 | 4b | 10 m | Easy finish. There is a hidden bolt well to the right before the obvious one. The correct top belay is on the left, not the single bolt tied to a root with old cord. |
Getting there
Riglos village (Las Peñas de Riglos) is about 45 km north-west of Huesca. From Huesca drive to Ayerbe, follow the A-132 towards Jaca and turn right after a few kilometres onto the small road to Riglos; from Pamplona or France (Somport, Jaca, Puente la Reina de Jaca) take the A-132 towards Ayerbe and turn left shortly after Murillo de Gállego. Parking is in the large pay car parks at the village entrance (3 EUR a day for cars, 6 EUR for vans in 2026). The refugio is the modern building on the left as you enter the village; there is a campsite at Murillo de Gállego.
From Riglos go up to the church and take the small path to its right onto the ridge, then follow the crest to the foot of the Mallo Frechín. The route starts to the left of José Antonio Sanz. One party timed car park to the base at 20 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 471777
Contains the route point. 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: 42.35070, -0.72510 (crag)
Getting down
Walk off, the same way as José Antonio Sanz and Irene y la Paz. From the top scramble north to the higher summit and follow the cairned path to the top of the Visera, then down NNE to a col (easy but exposed). From there either take the steeper, shorter path east and south down a stream bed back under the Visera and the Frechín, or continue round to the blue-marked path that descends between the Firé and the Pisón. About an hour. A 2024 party instead abseiled a route further right from large glue-in anchors, noting that reaching them is somewhat exposed and that you can protect it with the rope round the tree above.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Parties do retreat: one report mentions watching another team bail from the belay at the top of pitch 4. How the belays are rigged is not stated anywhere, and the line winds about with traverses, so expect short, careful abseils and be ready to leave gear. Nothing is recorded about retreating from higher up.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing. Reports from February to May and October to December; warm in the sun and cold at the belays when the wind blows, so carry a layer. One May party noted the face going into shade in late afternoon.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 612 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Camptocamp gives no quickdraw number for this route. A 2020 party carried 12 quickdraws plus 6 extendable ones on the Frechín routes and found that enough, with a couple of spares advised. Long quickdraws help with drag. A single rope is enough for the walk-off. 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 Currucuclillo.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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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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