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Tenerife
Above – Walter on one of the many excellent problems at Arico
For a few years I’ve managed to squeeze in a week right at the end of the year to somewhere nice with amazing climbing. This year it was not to be. A two and a half week coaching trip with Kath Schirrmacher to Turkey fell far too late in the year for me to even suggest to my family that another 10 days away in Spain would be a fair request! But I still wanted to go away, what better way to spend the money I had just earned? It had to be hot, I wasn’t looking for climbing conditions; Spain wouldn’t do and Asia was too far. Tenerife fitted the bill!
I’d seen an article years ago in OTE about the climbing in Tenerife. It looked awesome, but everyone seemed to forget about it. However, I sneaked my boots and harness in the bag along with the bucket and spade in the hope of some volcanic action (the climbing type, as opposed to an eruption). Aiming straight for the climbers ‘tourist information’ i.e. the climbing shop I met up with Walter, man of much information. I was granted a morning pass from the family and before I knew it I was tied on below an amazing red wall dotted with tiny chalk marks showing the way.
The routes are awesome, and the bouldering is world class too. It isn’t Santa Linya and it isn’t Fontainbleau, but it’s good for sure. What is doesn’t have in volume it does make up for in many other areas. You might not want to come here for a hardcore two weeks of climbing if you are cranking 8a, but if you are after the whole package then this is it! The beaches are all over and pretty good, the cycling is world class, road or off, the walking is mind blowing (the volcano has a summit of 3718m!), the surf is excellent and in winter the temperature is what you’d pray for in summer in Britain. For a winter trip with loads of action I’m struggling to think of a better place. For climbing the temperatures are fine too, cool and fresh in the morning with enough bite in the rock to keep any gritmaster smiling! Overall I was very impressed. I reckon I will be back. Check out the next CLIMB magazine for a more detailed article.
