ESCALADA EN CHILE

LAS MELOSAS

Las Melosas is a series of granite cliffs which show up along the valley side of the Río Maipo. The rocks correspond to the granites of San Gabriel. Basically two cliffs have been developed, the upper and lower sector. The area is one of the few with a short access. Clean protection, and often thin and poor, must be placed in many routes requiring advanced cam techniques. Thus, though basically a small cliff, climbing can become rather serious. The ground is private! Avoid to get in touch with the owner or his workers!

The older upper sector further up the valley.

The new lower sector with most of the routes.

Location: 10 km south of San Gabriel
Access: 5-15 min from car, 10 km past San Gabriel, turn right to follow the Río Maipo valley, leave car just after passing a brigde (lower sector). The upper sector is some 5 km further up the valley.
Rock: Granite, various cliffs
Routes: 4 on the upper sector, ca. 30 on the lower sector
Grades: 5.8-5.12, some to be freed
Characteristics: Cracks, faces
Height: until 70m
Equipment: Some climbs have bolts, others require whole gear, some are a little serious
Exposure: E-NE
Season: All year
See routes and topos...

For years Las Melosas had just 3 routes in its left part. A closer look to its right sector revealed a cliff of good rock and fine fissures allowing a clean way of climbing for large parts. Two pitons mark the way in La Decidida, a basically clean 5.10 slab and crack climb and the first of now about 20 new routes, most of them requiring none or just a few bolts to give acceptable security. By now there are just 2 sport climbs, thus, take much small gear and be familiar with natural protection! There is room enough for some 10 routes more. Recently, A.Zegers has added a series of partly hard sport climbs in the lower sector to the right (not in picture above).

	Fallen off from drilling machine. Agotamiento 5.12a Left: First ascent of Del 5 al Sub6, 5.10d, from below	Lay-backing in Darling 5.11c
La Decidida requires a 5.10b move of no return, during the first repetition.		Climbing in the old sector.

			Corticoide, 5.9