Versante Sud

Portugal Kletterführer

<p>Portugal</p><p>Climbing and bouldering at the south-western end of Europe</p><p>The history of climbing in Portugal dates back to the late 1950s, but for a long time, despite the impressive number of routes, the country was not known as a climbing destination - only the (lucky) locals and a few visitors from home or abroad knew what potential was on offer here. However, the routes were and are by no means of poorer quality than those in neighboring Spain or other European climbing areas, for example. On the contrary: in view of the quiet and beautiful location of the spots and the varied rock faces, little Portugal is a real climbing gem. So there are plenty of arguments for a climbing trip to Portugal, whether for a short visit, a longer stay or a climbing trip through the whole country.<br></p><p>The north offers an enormous amount of granite boulders and walls, in central Portugal you will find limestone and occasionally also Y basalt or quartzite rocks, the Sintra bouldering area and the sea cliffs near Lisbon and furtherMY south are widely knownCMY ... There are plenty of opportunitiesCY and for every taste, regardless of whether you are looking for and like solitary trad climbs, DWS spots or hard sport climbing routes&nbsp;. And if you are also interested in culture and gastronomy, love traveling and don't want to miss out on water sports, then Portugal is undoubtedly one of the excellent climbing destinations in Europe.<br></p><p>The author: Carlos Eduardo Braga de Sousa Simes ("Cuca"), (Lisbon, 1981), grew up in Cascais and discovered his passion for climbing at the age of 15, when he first visited the limestone and granite walls in his home area in the Sintra - Cascais Natural Park. Even after becoming Portuguese junior climbing champion, he remained fascinated by rock climbing, as evidenced by his repetition of most of Portugal's most difficult routes and his development and renovation work on rock faces and bouldering areas. Carlos completed an M.A. in Geography at the University of Dundee in Scotland, where he came into contact with trad climbing and learned this style. For several years he lived in Catalonia, Spain, mostly in the Montserrat area, before moving on to other European climbing areas. He works as a hiking and biking guide and spends his free time either climbing, surfing or traveling the world.<br></p><p>The photographer: Ricardo Santiago Alves ("Macau"), (Lisbon, 1976), graduated in engineering. His enthusiasm for photography awoke at the age of 15 and gradually became a real passion. He works as a freelance photographer and specializes in travel, lifestyle, climbing and nature photography. His inimitable and award-winning photos have appeared in various national and international magazines. Carlos plays an active role in the Portuguese climbing scene as the developer of the bouldering area near Sintra (BoulderSintra); with his photos, he also contributes significantly to the spread and acceptance of this sport.<br></p>