The Details: Don't get me started on how good this place is! Take every good thing you know about granite and double it. Oh yeah, and don't expect mindless smearing, the rock here is unique and makes for awesome moves. The increased featuring allows reasonable graded routes to blast up vertical 200m+ walls, while the slabs are just plain good fun. It's standard practice to leave nothing on the ground due to the high likelihood of theft. Hanging packs off the first anchor is an option.
The rock: A heavily gneiss-impregnated granite. Occasionally it's just plain crystally, but more often it throws up good positive crimps at all sorts of funny angles.
This is a view from the top of Corcovado looking down on the incredibly beautiful bay, with Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf) the obvious dome guarding the entrance. The city centre is out of shot to the left, the end of Copacabana Beach is at far right, and note the favela (slum) on the slope in the foreground.
This is the incredible view looking back over Rio from halfway up the routes on Sugarloaf. The impressive slabs at bottom left are behind the cable car base station and called Morro da Babilonia. The big pinnacle at back right is Corcovado, with the big Jesus statue on top, and a 500m+ wall crying out to be climbed. Way off in the distance, in centre of shot, is Pedra de Gavea, with possibly the most impressive sheer slabs in Rio - I'd estimate they reach up to 700m high! See my other Rio pages for more on those crags.
And here's a view of Sugarloaf from the middle Cable Car station. Via dos Italianos (*** 19) blasts up the white nose starting just L of centre. The variant finish we did breaks left at half height for 3 more pitches of beautiful clean rock, before rejoining the original for the nice final corner pitch.
*** Via dos Italianos 250m 6a+ (19) (OS)
A total megaclassic for the climbing alone, and then there's the positions and views as well!! I actually did the popular combo of Via dos Italianos, Cavalo Louco and Secundo, which is what is described. 1) (*** 50m 19) 2) (*** 35m 19) 3) (* 40m 17) 4) (** 25m 15) 5) (*** 35m 17) 6) (** 35m 16) 7) (10m 1) 8) (*** 35m 17) 9) (* 25m 10).
This is the view from the base of the climb! You can imagine the exposure when traversing out above this after four pitches! That running track is in a military camp, one day we could wander round at will, the next they wouldn't even let me in for 2mins to get a photo of the dome!
View from the base, Gus anchored on top of pitch 1 (*** 50m 19). Note the funky swirls and featuring of the rock.
Looking down P2 (*** 35m 19), which was the crux and pushing 20 the way I did it but it'd go about the same grade as pitch 1.
Me at the end of P4 (** 25m 15) which leads up L to the variant finish. There's bits of vegetation around but the route itself is perfectly clean.
Me on P5 (*** 35m 17), about 200m above the treetops.
Me nearing the end of P8 (*** 35m 17), with hordes of tourists above that bulge about to get the surprise of their life!
This is a view of the dome from the walking path around the waterfront, with Via Dos Italianos at far left, and the impressive Tower on the R.
A foreshortened view looking straight up at the impressive Tower. Several 6-9 pitch classics go up it.
This is Pedra do Urubu, an easily accessible block on the foreshore (S) side of Sugarloaf, which has plenty of short sport routes on it.
Here's a view looking back W along the walking path, with Colours Wall the easy angle slabs on the R (great first crag or for beginners), while the awesome Morro da Babilonia (Base Station slabs) are visible at back left.
Easy to work out where this shot is taken from. This is the awe inspiring Morro da Babilonia which looms over the cable car base station. Notice the white dot on the broad black streak between the two pale patches - that's a climber on the third or fourth pitch of a route!! These slabs looked outstanding, I was really bummed I didn't get a chance to climb them.
A view from Flamengo beach of the Urca peninsula. Sugarloaf is obvious, one route up this side is called "Ibis Wall" - any guesses why? There's plenty of BIG routes up this side, up to about 500m, about half go free, while the others are aid. Note also the massive expanses of rock further right, above Urca beach and below the middle Cable Car station - there's several routes there but room for HUNDREDS more!
Climb in Rio Go here first! A fantastic site setting out all the major attractions of climbing in and around Rio, plus giving details of several local experienced climbers/guides. Climbing Brasil Another great site briefly covering Brasilian climbing areas. Photos are sure to get you drooling. Mountain Voices Another great site! This one setting out climbing areas across Brasil (as it seems to be correctly spelt). Roger Parkyn's climbing notes A Tasmanian's report on routes he did in Urca - some good shots. Climbing in Rio A limited page but a useful topo of Sugarloaf. TheCrag.com As always. Record your Urca ticks here, and see what everyone else is climbing.
� 2003 Will
