For good climbers wanting something to do this summer (the cave is at 2000', facing north, and always in the shade):
At the Su Telargiu Oro Cave http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/addcrag.html?id=9360
45' door-to-door from where we live in Ogliastra on the east coast of
Sardinia, we (Czechs Jan, Slavek and Tomas, and I) have bolted 5 new
pitches in the last two weeks, estimated difficulty from 8a/8a+ ish to
"harder than Illy" ( which was recently RP'ed at 8b+/c by Arthur
Kubista. Arthur's very positive comments about the cave and the route
inspired us to bolt more routes) AFTER an est 8a+ first section.
The other routes at the cave are 6b, 6c, 6c+, 7a, 7b before we have Sei Troppo Avanti 8a and Illy at 8b+/c.
See photos of the cave at http://www.peteranne.it/album/Climbing/6.%20Su%20Telargiu%20Oro%20Cave%20(Co%20%27e%20Serra)/index.html and http://www.lezec.cz/clanek.php?key=7587&lim=0&==&caut=#koment
For more info, contact me at [email protected]
cheers Peter
One other thing - someone emailed me from 8a.nu, asking "Can I bolt some routes in the cave?" The answer is a big YES. At The Lemon House we have a bolt fund our guests contribute to (I am just ordering another 100 bolts) and can supply bolts, drill, skyhooks, etc, as well as a plan of how we plan to develop this cave, although there are many spaces still to fill. Also, it is very tiring to do bolting on overhanging rock by yourself, and it would be great to have other people to do it with. A good schedule is Day 1 climb, Day 2 bolt/clean, Day 3 rest. I would love it if people came to help! In Sardinia it hardly rains from May to September, so it is a very good time to climb here. This week, even though on the coast the temperatures were up to 28ยฐC, up in the shade of the cave where there's always a breeze and you are at 650m, you needed a top when belaying. The cave is 15' by car from Baunei and then 20' by foot on an easy and wide path. The area below the cave is good for families and children.
I grew up holidaying around Sardinia, unfortunately i am in New Zealand for now, but i have definitely put your amazing looking cave on the list for the next place to visit, come and climb some of those steep routes and maybe leave one of my own! incredible rock, very impressed
After the FFA of one of the latest routes added, I put the updated topos at http://27crags.com/crags/su-telargiu-oro-cave/topos As a visiting climber said, "If this was Finale Ligure, there'd be 60 routes!" ciao Peter
Just to keep people up to date: in the last few days Jan Kares bolted and freed another route, Slava, 8a; he also RP'ed Czechgame 8a+ and (very nearly but not quite) Checkmate whose estimated grade remains 8b. So the cave has loads of hard routes as well as some easier ones, and is OK for climbing when it rains (and probably a lot less polished/greasy than Millenium at Cala Gonone). Peter
Hard (8a+ - 9?) steep routes awaiting FFA's in Sardinia