El Tobazo south face, Rioseta (Canfranc) · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys) · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A long, mostly easy slab-and-dihedral route with a single 6a slab on pitch 6, in a fine setting facing away from Candanchú. Wait about 30 h after rain because the lower gully drains water.
The route
A long, mostly easy bolted route up the whole south face of El Tobazo, finishing on the 1,986 m summit above the Rioseta cirque. It falls into three parts: seven pitches of easy-angled friction slabs and runnels in a wide gully, three steeper and more varied pitches of corners, slab and layback, then easier ground on slightly poorer rock to the top. The only 6a is a short vertical wall on pitch 6, which is well bolted and can be aided; 5b is obligatory. It has an alpine feel, with ledges, grass and big views, and has become the classic of the valley.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3c | 35 m | 3 bolts | Easy-angled broken slabs and steps on the plinth, partly grassy. 3 bolts and 3 threads. |
| P2 | 4c | 35 m | 4 bolts | Friction slab above the belay, easing after the fourth bolt along a big flake on the right. 4 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P3 | 4c | 30 m | 6 bolts | Slightly steeper friction slab where the runnels begin; a thin move to leave the slab. |
| P4 | 4c | 30 m | 6 bolts | All slab, with a more pronounced step and runnels in the upper part. 6 bolts and 2 threads. |
| P5 | 5a | 25 m | 8 bolts | A fluted slab, then a smooth slab with a short thin traverse right and fine friction straight up to the belay. 8 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P6 | 6a | 40 m | 8 bolts | The crux pitch. A smooth vertical wall with long moves between the holds, starting right off the belay. Well protected, so it can be aided, but short climbers report having to commit before they can clip. Then an easier slab (4c) and a walk through the garden. 8 bolts and 2 threads. |
| P7 | 4c | 30 m | 5 bolts | A slab with small edges, then steps to a belay on two threads just before the big ledge. From here walk about 30–40 m right along the grassy ledge to belay 7bis at the foot of a corner (cairn). Watch that the rope does not dislodge stones lying in the grass. |
| P8 | 5b | 35 m | 5 bolts | A fine corner on good holds, best climbed on its outside, then steps. 5 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P9 | 5c | 35 m | 6 bolts | Steep start on jugs to the smooth slab known as 'el espejo', with one very thin friction move. Two bolts are close together here, so it goes at 4c A0. One 2023 report felt the move was close to 6a. Then steps trending left. 6 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P10 | 5b | 30 m | 7 bolts | A layback, then a slanting crack under a small roof that pulls you leftwards. Keep your feet out on the slab rather than climbing inside the crack. 7 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P11 | I | 25 m | – | Walk and then crouch rightwards along a big ledge under a large roof. Originally unprotected; two bolts were reported above the roof in September 2023, hard to see when you are bent double. There is also a small juniper for a sling near the end. |
| P12 | 4c | 20 m | 5 bolts | A slab and step on plentiful holds with a change of direction; plan for rope drag. There is an optional belay under a roof, which is passed on the right. The belay is at the base of the big roof. You can escape right from here along the grass ledge called the Faja Bonita. 5 bolts and 1 thread. |
| P13 | 5a | 30 m | 8 bolts | Left from the belay and up grass to a slab climbed right to left, then a slightly vegetated corner; the belay is a few metres right on a platform. The rock is more broken here and a few holds move. 8 bolts and 2 threads. |
| P14 | 5a | 20 m | 2 bolts | Start right up a steep, slightly overhanging wall on jugs, then a grassy ramp on the left and earthy steps left of the crest to a belay on the crest. |
| P15 | 3a | 30 m | 3 bolts | A vague, very easy-angled spur along the crest, nearly a walk apart from a short wall near the end. Belay on the right side of a big block 5 m below the summit. |
Getting there
From Canfranc Estación drive up the Somport road towards Candanchú. Park at the sharp right-hand hairpin by the Rioseta military camp (about 1,400 m). The lay-by takes only 4–5 cars and trip reports describe parking as tight and busy.
30–45 min. Cross the road, skirt the military camp on its right and follow the path that climbs between two pine woods under the power line (numbered pylons). Just after pylon 7, where the path eases, go up right (cairns, painted stick), through the trees and up the scree towards a gully of slabs. Alternatively leave the path at a right-hand bend between pylons 8 and 9 and traverse almost level to the start, which avoids the direct scree. Follow the foot of the wall rightwards on cairns. The start is a single bolt with a strip bearing the route name. The red plastic disc and orange tag described in older topos are gone (2022 and 2023 reports), and the strip has faded to white.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
GPS line: a line of the whole day, including the climb and the descent drawn by its source, not a recorded track. Line attached to the camptocamp route page (it matches a GPS track recorded in June 2023): walk-in from the Rioseta hairpin, the climb, and the walk-off back to the road. Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: camptocamp contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0Parking
Canfranc - Camp militaire de Rioseta (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp route 554511 GPS track (point where the climbing starts)
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: 42.77280, -0.52772 (route base) · Parking: 42.77300, -0.51899
Getting down
Walk off in about 1 h (reports range from 50 min to 1 h 15). The equippers' line: from the summit look left towards the Tucablanca ski huts; beyond a slide of red stones there is a bright green grass slope with a zigzag path. Take that path, which is a little overgrown but obvious, down to the main Rioseta path beside an electricity pylon, and follow it past the foot of the face to the car. Camptocamp describes the same idea as traversing west to a track and, at the wooden snow fences, dropping south on a path to rejoin the approach path. The alternative is to go down the ski pistes to the north, then cut right to the road and walk down it to Rioseta. There is no abseil descent described; belays are two bolts, most with a chain link on one.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
With difficulty. No abseil descent is described: the belays are two bolts, most with a chain link on only one, and a reader's question about abseil rings went unanswered on the equippers' blog. The one stated escape is the Faja Bonita ledge at the belay after pitch 12. A retreat from lower down would mean abseiling from two-bolt belays and leaving gear, and pitches of 35 to 40 m are beyond a single 60 m rope.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing, 1,580 m at the base to 1,986 m, and in the sun from early morning. It gets very hot in the sheltered lower gully, so choose a cool day or start early. Trip reports run from late April to early October. Wait about 30 h after rain, because the lower gully channels water; mud on the shoes after rain makes the slabs slippery. Camptocamp notes the rock can feel slick, though a 2022 party found no polish. A very popular route, with several parties on most good days.
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 Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys) are not available yet
What to carry
Single 60 m rope. 10 quickdraws if you climb pitch by pitch, 13 if you link pitches; parties linking a lot used 16. Cams and nuts are not needed. One report from two climbers under 1.60 m recommends a panic (reach-extending) quickdraw for pitches 6 and 9. Helmet. Carry plenty of water: 2 litres each was used on a hot day.
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 Valle de Canfranc.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
Varied, sustained limestone of chimneys, dihedrals and compact fluted slabs high above the Tena valley. Bearded-vulture nesting closes the face from 1 Dec to 31 Jul unless lifted early, so check montanaregulada.org.
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Read the cautions
Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
High-mountain granite slabs and dihedrals above the Panticosa spa. Three 6a cruxes mix friction slab with a short flaky roof on pitch 7.
6a9 pitches300 m
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Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
A mountain-style line on dark, weathered granite twenty-five minutes above the spa of Baños de Panticosa. It links ramps, a short overhanging break, slabs and a rounded boulder, with one well-bolted 5c move and the rest 4b to 5b. The rock between the good sections is earthy and lichenous, but the friction is excellent and the bolting generous.
5c7 pitches260 m
Spain · Aragonese Pyrenees (Tena & Canfranc valleys)
Ten short pitches of easy-angled Panticosa granite beside the Caldarés stream, twenty minutes from the car. Mostly friction slabs at 4b to 5a linked by walking-angle ground, with one polished bulge given 5b on the topo. A very gentle first granite multipitch, and a climbing approach to the walls above.
5b10 pitches220 m
Around 6a · about 15 pitches
Switzerland · Vaud Alps
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5c+14 pitches400 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Val d'Ossola
Twelve long pitches of sunny gneiss slab above Oira, mostly 4c to 5b+ with two 6a pitches: a thin slab at the start and an athletic corner on pitch 10. Pitches are up to 55 m. A winter-sun route with a summit book and plaques at both ends.
6a12 pitches530 m
Switzerland · Gastlosen
One of the busiest routes in the Gastlosen: homogeneous, technical climbing on beautiful fluted slabs (cannelures) that dry fast. The top third is broken by grassy ledges.
6a12 pitches380 m
France · La Bérarde (Écrins)
The great classic of the Tête de la Maye: 13 pitches of rounded granite slab above La Bérarde with nothing athletic until the last hard pitch, a flake and wide crack of 5c+ that everyone remembers. Recently rebolted and very closely protected. It is camptocamp's reference route for the overall grade D.
5c+13 pitches350 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.