Ponoch Via Ferrata Route - what lies above and beyond
Yesterday we were back enjoying the amazing atmosphere of Ponoch. This giant of a mountain provides some of the most committing and challenging climbs in the region, with all being long and even the 'easy' climbs weighing it at E1!!
For those not looking for super long rock climbs, there is an alternative, and it's every bit as good. To start we followed the Via Ferrata, this is about 250m of vertical ascent and pretty steep. For many this is enough and the nearby and well equipped abseil stations provide a quick and straightforward way down. But for anyone looking for a bit more adventure, mixed in with route finding fun, there is a grade 3 scramble weaving a way up onto the summit plateau.
We tackled this, picking our way through the rocky terrain, exploring our route options as we go and I was leaving route finding to Jo and Steve, as they'd never been up here before. The crux lies in the upper section and is equipped with a fixed rope, but it does still feel like grade 3 scrambling and the exposure is massive.
Topping out onto the plateau just left us with an easy walk over to the abseil station that links up with the lower abseils. Again, Steve was keen to take charge of the abseils, which was rather nice.
A grand day out with lovely people and even better scenery than I'd remembered. For full details of this and many other wonderful days out in the mountains of Costa Blanca please check out our newly published (2022) Cicerone guidebook Costa Blanca Mountain Adventures
Thanks to Jo & Steve
Mark
