Climbing the Costa Blanca

An Abundance of Limestone

While Spain is the most mountainous country in Western Europe after Switzerland, Alicante itself is one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain.

It turns out that this is great for climbers, as the limestone mountains that run inland from the coast provide crags and routes in areas such as Sella, Altea, the Penon D'Ifach, and the Puig Campana.

A Mature Climbing Area

While the Coastal areas are ripe with loads of tourists, the interior of the province of Alicante is still relatively untouched. This being said, there is a history of climbing in these areas, even a 368 page book about climbing in the Costa Blanca that includes details of over 2300 routes.

For a quick glance at what there is to offer, Rockfax lists over 2500 Costa Blanca climbing routes, while experienced Costa Blanca climber Adrian Bates provides an overview of a Via Ferrata on the Costa Blanca.

More Information

Adrian Bates - Costa Blanca Climbing

The aforementioned Adrian Bates' website, Costa Blanca Climbing is an excellent guide to climbing in the area. It provides some tidbits that locals would want you to know, and also features write-ups on some of the areas, including climbing routes in Sella, Penon De Ifach and the Puig Campana. He also provides a listing of local guides and courses in the Costa Blanca.

David Mora Garcia

David is a guide living in the Costa Blanca area and has a website under construction called Nuevo Alpinismo. At the time of writing it was only available in Spanish.

Compass West

Compass West provide weekly climbing courses in the Costa Blanca at certain periods of the year. They have been offering climbing courses in the Costa Blanca since 1982 and consider themselves the foremost authority in this region.

Rock and Sun

This group offers guided climbing courses in the Costa Blanca, which include one on one instruction if desired and also offer a "Girls on Rock" option.

And more...

Also be sure to check out The Orange House and Guiding Light Mountain Guides.

More Links and Websites

For a complete listing of links and websites to do with climbing in the Costa Blanca, be sure and check out our directory page on climbing the Costa Blanca and our Resources for climbing the Costa Blanca.