Tag Archives: climbing

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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Las Saleras hike

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It’s been a spectacular winter, and now spring, here in Asturias, with lots and lots of sunshine and very little rain. We’ve been making the most of it, climbing, hiking and generally being outdoors every chance we get. Unfortunately, with all this unseasonal making hay while the sun shines this blog has been somewhat neglected. We have however been accumulating experiences, photos and a ton of good stuff to share with you so I guess we’d better get on with it!

Let’s kick off with some photos from a hike we did back in January (although you’d be forgiven for thinking it was from last summer – check out those blue, blue skies!) This route took us up to Las Saleras peak at 1,700m with magnificent views over Puerto Ventana, to the Picos de Europa and even off to the sea in the north.

Quite apart from those views on the horizon and the simple satisfaction of peak bagging, the hike was full of interest.  At times we kept our eyes to the ground as we sought out traces of the Cantabrian brown bears and wolves that still live in these mountains. At others it was the traces of human civilisation in centuries gone that captivated us.

It was approaching twilight as we passed through La Braña de los Fuexos on our final descent. Here the stony remains of an ancient settlement of cowherds’ cabins and their livestock corrals are dwarfed by giant, ancient beech trees. Picking our way through in the half-light of the witching hour made for a truly magical finish to a great day out on the hills.

 

 

Climbing with Children at Quirós

Not every day’s climbing is about ‘sending the gnar’ (as some of our American friends like to say 😉 ). Sometimes just getting to the crag can be an achievement in itself. Take the other Saturday. I was here in Casa Quiros, car-less and partner-less, all set for an afternoon of house-bound pottering with our 6 year old son when I was messaged by some friends, a group of mums who climb. Turned out they were heading cragging here to Quirós. The perfect excuse to ditch the duster!

3 Mums climbing with their 4 kids - mission accomplished!

3 Mums climbing with their 4 kids – mission accomplished!

It was a beautiful afternoon so, even with an easily-tired six year old in tow, the walk from Casa Quiros to the base of the crag was a pure delight. We caught up with our friends halfway along the path – two brave mums with 3 small children. Brave because the first rule of doing anything with children (imho) is try and not let them outnumber you! This goes double for climbing but despite the odds being stacked against us we made it pretty painlessly to La Selva.

La Selva sector is a great spot for families and beginners with a wide, tree-shaded base at the foot of the climbing and a ton of easier routes, including some very fine slabs that go at between grade 4 and 5.  The perfect place for setting up camp for an afternoon.

Climbing in a three meant that there was always one mum with her hands free to supervise the four little ones, who ranged in age from 2 to 6. To be frank, this task would make sending sevens seem easy but sharing it between us and breaking it up with some 5 star routes helped preserve our sanity!

In fact we were all having such a good time that it wasn’t until twilight that we finally got ourselves packed up and headed back down. It’s a good thing the path is wide and easy! And so we arrived home with smiles on our faces and a real sense of achievement despite having no ‘gnar’ to report 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for the Big Reveal?

Well, no….not quite yet. But very, very nearly. We are currently putting the finishing touches to Casa Quiros and it’s starting to look really rather beautiful, even if we do say so ourselves. *Puffs chest proudly* Please indulge a little preening, it’s been a tough road to get here. There’s been a lot of this:

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Followed by a lot of this (the tricky part: putting it back together again…the stuff you need the professionals for)

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It’s been out with the old wibbly-wobbly drunken floor and in with an artfully finished and soberly level solid oak one. A sad goodbye to the beautiful, antique but sadly cracked kitchen floor tiles, followed by a cheery ‘hola’ to some glorious authentic artisan-crafted cement-tile reproductions hunted down relentlessly online and shipped at great expense from southern Spain. Worth it to respect the character of this most authentic and charming of traditional Asturian cottages.

We’ve insulated throughout as we’ve gone, natch, and the windows are all new and double-glazed, of course, but they are wooden and complete with the locally typical shutters. The hot water is instant and gas-fuelled but there is a wood-burning stove for when you have the time and inclination to cosy up indoors. Or if the weather’s just too warm to even consider that, you can always just stick some wood on the barbie and chill out in the garden or in the comfortable shade of the porch, with its drinks fridge and outdoor kitchen area.

What can I say? We know you’re really going to love it. So watch this space for photos of the finished product coming soon. Or go one better and book yourself a visit. Special early bird promotional prices available now!

Contact us: info@casaquiros.co.uk or telephone/whatsapp to: +34 669738192 / +34 665093992