PODCAST: Climbing Catalonia – Scaling new heights with indoor and outdoor bouldering

The number of indoor climbing gyms in Catalonia has multiplied by four in just ten years, making climbing a lifestyle phenomenon and another way of connecting with people. 

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At the same time, the beautiful mountainous landscape of Catalonia has become one of the most visited destinations for outdoor climbing. 

In fact, Catalonia is one of the places in the world with the most difficult climbing routes in the world, and the famous mountain, Montserrat, just a short train ride away from Barcelona, has an abundance of routes for both experienced climbers and beginners.  

This panorama has attracted both world-renowned climbers as well as small-scale professionals.

In this episode, Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the Catalan bouldering boom, and what you need to get started, and we discuss whether it’s a sport that is accessible to all. 

We visit Sharma Climbing, the largest climbing gym in Spain, owned by American climber Chris Sharma, where a group of climbers explain why they have taken up the sport. 

We also talk to Quim Hernández, the climbing manager of the Catalan Mountain Sports Federation about the growing popularity of climbing, its environmental impact as well as how it is being received in the mountain towns of Catalonia. 

Listeners will learn about the most popular climbing routes in Catalonia, and Oriol recommends a great place to try out outdoor climbing for the first time.   

The Catalan phrase of the week is 'Fer una muntanya d’una gra de sorra', which literally translates as 'to make a mountain out of a grain of sand'. The meaning behind the expression is the same as the English expression 'to make a mountain out of a molehill', which means to blow something out of proportion. 

Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat.   

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