Tag Archives: Riglos

Rabada and Navarro

rabada-navarroAlberto Rabadá and Ernesto Navarro are two of Aragon’s best known and finest climbers, climbing many bold new routes before coming to a tragic end on the north face of the Eiger in 1963.

Alberto have already gained a reputation as an excellent climber with the first Spanish ascent of the north face of Torre de Marbore in the Cirque de Gavarnie and opening up lots of new routes on the amazing cliffs of Riglos in the mid to late fifties. However it is was when he roped up with Ernesto for the first time in 1959 for the new route Via de la Diedros again on the cliffs of Riglos that this legendary climbing team was formed.

Over the next few years they opened up a huge number of routes – one of the most famous being the first ascent of the west face of Naranja de Bulnes (highest summit in the Picos de Europa) in 1962. It was in the Aragonese Pyrenees that most of their climbing was done and they made several of the first ascents on the steep and frankly terriffying cliffs the Ordesa Canyon.

Alberto Rabadá and Ernesto Navarro

Alberto Rabadá and Ernesto Navarro

In 1963 they journeyed to Grindelwald to attampt the first ascent by a Spanish team of the north face of the Eiger. On the 3rd August they climbed 1000 metres up the face attempting a new direct route but were forced back by a change in the weather and retreated back through the famous Eiger tunnel.

Continue reading

Workshop on animal tracks

animal track workshopThere’s a workshop and excurison on identifying animal tracks, birds nests, feathers and lots of other interesting stuff this Wednesday at 6pm in Riglos – you need to call and put your name on.

It’s a beautiful area with beautiful high red conglomerate cliffs and a wealth of wildlife including a huge colony of griffin vultures. With the Rio Gallego flowing under the cliffs water birds are also common and I’ve seen kingfishers and herons here lots of times.

Cliffs of Riglos

The red conglomerate cliffs of Riglos