Monthly Archives: December 2017

Sports climbing at Muro Techo

After heading up to the snow at the weekend, midweek was ripe for some sunny sports climbing and what better excuse to get out on the rock on a school day than two public holidays that convert into an epic ‘Puente’ long weekend.

So Wednesday saw us meeting up with friends at Muro Techo in Teverga. Parking for the crag is at Sobrevilla village, a 20 minute drive from Casa Quiros, and the walk in is a steady, mostly flat, 20 minutes. It’s one of the longer walk-ins in the area but hardly epic and also makes for a nice little warm up on cooler winter days.

Jairo on a great 7a at Muro Techo, Teverga

Jairo on a great 7a at Muro Techo, Teverga. Climbing under blue skies with snowy peaks in the. background

Our current guests, Tony and Sarah, are here for a three week stay and with their motto of ‘to rest is to rust’ they have been steadily ticking their way through the local crags whilst climbing pretty much every single day. No wonder I caught Sarah sneaking a power nap in the sunshine before cranking on!

Sarah dozes in the sunshine at the foot of the crag

Sarah dozes in the sunshine at the foot of the crag

Muro Techo has a ton of routes across the grades, with a lot of development still ongoing and continually expanding the options. (The Roca Verde guide has the most up-to-date topos.) It’s thus suitable for mixed-ability groups and is a very family-friendly spot with a large comfortable flat base and lots of trees and caves that little ones can enjoy exploring. (Once you wrest the tech out of their hands!)

In the pic below you can see our Jack in action at the end of the day on the lower section of the ‘Clásica de Muro Techo’ – a spicy little 6a pitch. And there’s Sarah in the background on the lovely, friction-laden 6b ‘El Costo de la Vida’.


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The other important fact that you need to know about Muro Techo is that not only does it catch all the afternoon sun going, it also stays dry in the rain. Whatever the weather there’s always somewhere great to climb in Los Valles del Oso!

Let it snow

Early signs are that this year is going to be a good one for winter sports enthusiasts here in Asturias. Last week we had an early dump of snow up in the mountains and on the weekend we headed up to the mountain pass of Puerto Ventana to check it out.

Separating Teverga from León, Ventana has stunning views any day of the year but clothed in dazzling snow and clear blue skies it’s more spectacularly beautiful than ever. The road that winds up there is like a passage through Narnia, lined by snow-laden trees and white-carpeted fields.

The well-marked walking tracks that set off from Ventana to Quirós and León lend themselves brilliantly to snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing at this time of year and for the littler folk the slopes in the immediate surrounds of the parking are perfect for a little tobogganing.

At 1587 metres above sea level Puerto Ventana sits well above the snow line for most of the winter. The snow rarely dips much below the 1,000 metre mark in Asturias but access up to the high passes is quick and easy with good roads that are kept clear by efficient snow-ploughing.

Casa Quiros is at about 600m so you can often choose between sports climbing on sunny limestone or you can be at Alto La Cobertoria at over 1,000m in 20 minutes drive – another great spot for sledging, snow shoeing and cross country skiing. If you are more of a piste demon you also have 3 ski stations within one and a half hour’s drive of the house – Valgrande-Pajares, Fuentes de Invierno and San Isidro.

Whatever your winter bag and whatever the weather Asturias will have something to keep you active and entertained!

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