Rock Climbing Mallorca: Caimari (Hairpin wall)

This article is part of a series in which I am reviewing the local climbing spots on Mallorca from my beginner / intermediate climber point of view.

The climbs
The whole area is separated into four crags which are spread out along a few kilometers of the road up towards the Lluc monastery. The three roadside walls offer up some fairly long single pitch and a few two or three pitch routes starting in the 5a/b range up to some 8s.

Very different in feel is the sector Cueva (Cave) with mostly very hard long routes. There are also a few boulders found here.

I have been climbing in the sector Hairpin wall which is right by the hiking trail up to the monastery. With longish, mostly vertical routes and typical rock this would be a good introduction to the other areas in the Tramuntana mountains. There are a few fairly good grade 5 climbs here but even those feel stiff for the given grade: Climber beware!

At least for some routes the bolts have seen better days and I did encounter a few spinning hangers.

Besides the technicalities however the setting is great: Fantastic views up the valley and right above a 180 degree hairpin curve with tons of cyclists going by (like me if I am not on the wall).

Approach
Parking along the road is pretty tricky as there is very little space. The only bigger area (meaning space for four to five cars) is close to the Hairpin wall. From that parking space follow up the big trail up the valley and after a few minutes you will reach the crag.

Make sure not to have your car sticking into the road when parked - Locals and cyclists will hate you for doing that!

The good, the bad and the ugly
Like all the mountain crags this area is very different to the seaside areas, both in style and setting. And with the climbs being fun I can definitely recommend the area for a day's visit. Additionally the sector Cueva might be good for people looking for hard projects.

With the hiking trail and road close by the area feels “busy” even if there are not many other climbers. Another negative might be the quality of the protection. If you are used to bomber glue in bolts you might not have a good time here.

Due to the deep valley one is fairly sheltered in terms of sun and wind. Accordingly it will get cold here in the winter months.

More Information
Route Information on theCrag
Route Information on UKClimbing
The area is also described in RockFax Mallorca