Rujičin kuk · Dabarski kukovi (Velebit) · Croatia
Read the cautionsEasy to bailBolting confidence: medium
Four steep and technical pitches of 6a to 6b+ followed by two easy ones up the water-runnelled top of Rujičin kuk. The hard climbing is on compact, less featured rock than Paklenica and relies on footwork, including two delicate traverses. A quiet inland crag that is far cooler than the coast in summer.
Well bolted on the hard moves, but ageing cord in the threads and at the belays needs checking and backing up.
The route
Via Manuela is the first route you meet on the ledge under Rujičin kuk, the lower cliff of the Dabarski kukovi, and it is a two-star route in the topo a 2019 party used. The first four pitches are sustained and technical: a steep 6a on positive holds, then three pitches of 6b and 6b+ with thin slab moves and traverses in both directions. The last two pitches ease off into runnels. Local grades are a notch softer than the board (the Čujić guide and plezanje.net top out at 6b), and camptocamp gives 6a+ obligatory. Three abseils take you back down the line.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | Straight up, with cord threads between the bolts. Steep and sustained but honest: every hold you spot turns out to be good. |
| P2 | 6b | Slightly up left, then up right. Technical, with a thin move on a slab at the start and a steep, wide move with poor footholds at the exit, which is very well bolted. 6a in the Čujić guide. |
| P3 | 6b | Straight up, then one very thin traverse move right before climbing again. A 2019 party found a big hold above it full of nettles. 6a in the Čujić guide. |
| P4 | 6b+ | A horizontal traverse left, then a short climb up. The same thin style as pitch 3, in the other direction. 6b in the Čujić guide. |
| P5 | 5b+ | Straight up water runnels, then easier. |
| P6 | 5a | A short wall, then easy ground to the summit belay. 4c in the Čujić guide. |
Getting there
Base: Karlobag on the coast, or Baške Oštarije on the pass above it. From Karlobag drive about 10 km towards Gospić, then turn left for Ledenik and Ravni Dabar and follow the tarmac for about 6 km to the Dabarska kosa pass. Continue about 1 km on a good gravel track to the narrows between Kuk od Korita and Rujičin kuk, where there are small parking spots and a photo-topo board. A 2019 party bivouacked a little further along the track, which is barely used.
10 min. From the parking between the cliffs, follow the foot of the lower cliff (Rujičin kuk) until you see an arrow carved in the rock. Follow it up onto the ledge: Via Manuela is the first route you come to. A piece of cord marks the start.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43168
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: 44.56563, 15.12060 (crag)
Getting down
Either walk off along the crest, or abseil the route: R6 to R4 is 48 m, R4 to R2 is 35 m and R2 to the ground is 45 m.
Retreat
Easy to bail
The route is set up for abseiling and that is one of the two normal descents: R6 to R4 (48 m), R4 to R2 (35 m) and R2 to the ground (45 m). From the odd-numbered belays you would abseil a single pitch to the next station down.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west face of a summit at about 950 m, well inland. An August 2019 party left 36°C on the coast and found 24 to 25°C here, cool enough at night for a duvet. The rock is compact and solid but less grippy than you would expect on a sunny face, and vegetation is creeping back onto a few holds. The party was on the route from 08:15 to 09:45.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 3 | −1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 12 |
| Sunshine hours a day | 5.9 | 7.5 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.3 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 6.2 | 5.5 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 878 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis (about 10 km grid): the wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws (number not published), two 50 m ropes for the abseils, and a few lengths of cord: camptocamp advises carrying some in case the cord at the belays or in the threads needs replacing. 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 Via Manuela.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Croatia · Dabarski kukovi (Velebit)
The easiest bolted line on the face, up flakes, cracks and water grooves in a wild karst setting. It dries fastest after rain. Pitch grades are from the Čujić topo; camptocamp's ascensionists felt 5b/5c/5b/5b.
5b4 pitches140 m
Read the cautions
Around 6b+ · about 6 pitches
Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
Six pitches of steep wall and corner climbing up a pillar, almost never below 6a. Closely bolted and on good rock, so it works as a first 6b+ multipitch. The slightly overhanging slab on the last pitch catches out tired arms.
6b+6 pitches170 m
Italy · Sardinia
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.
6b+7 pitches175 m
Austria · Ötztal
A mix of slabs and steep, juggy passages in the Sonnenblume sector, mostly around 5b to 5c+. The one hard move is a small roof on pitch 4 (6b+), which goes easily on aid.
6b+5 pitches170 m
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
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.