Best time of year to climb in Mallorca

What is the best time of year to climb to Mallorca?

Not so much for the DWS but some easy sport with my wife and kids.  

Is it too rainy in JAN/FEB/MAR?

Thanks.

Thanks!  

Great to know.

Think I might try for April or May as I can go any month and like it a bit cool but not rainy.  

I've read that JAN/FEB/MAR are quite rainy.

I spent three weeks in Mallorca in April 2018.  The weather started cool and showery but improved steadily as the month went on.  Here are a few observations about the climbing from a trip report I wrote:

I don’t know if there is a Catalan word for “sandbag”, but the practice is certainly alive and well.  More often than not, routes were undergraded by at least two grades (think Judy is on the Drug Squad at its old 5.8 grade).  It’s as though they said to themselves “Well, most of the moves on this are 4c, so we’ll just ignore those couple of 5c moves at the crux, and call it a 4c”

The reality was that although there were a sprinkling of climbs in the 4a -5b range to be found in the guidebook, you had to be prepared to find a 5c/6a move on any of them.  Perhaps this problem is not as bad in the higher grades, although we did hear from a couple of climbers that the 6s were pretty seriously undergraded as well.

As to quality, the climbing tends to be pretty fingery, with substantial polish thrown in to provide slippery, insecure footholds.  While some may enjoy this kind of a challenge, it is not my ideal.  Many of the routes had a cryptic quality that will be familiar to Escarpment limestone climbers, making onsight ascents challenging.

The Rockfax guide has good photo topos and approach information, but I strongly suspect that most of their route descriptions have been poached from previous publications and that the authors have not actually climbed many of the routes, or even bothered to read the logbooks on UK Climbing, or they would correct the grades and descriptions of many of the routes.  Some commenters refer to the guide as “Wrongfax” and I have to agree.

As to the bolting, it was all over the map, but generally once you were out of the ground fall zone (if you were lucky), the bolt spacing increased substantially.  This may have to do with a “bold” climbing philosophy or just with economy, but it certainly could be off putting for those used to “safe” continental bolting standards.  I was able to live with it, but that was because I was usually climbing below my limit and not too likely to take a fall.  It really put Iain off, because he was nursing a sore elbow and back, and was looking to avoid falls.  Facing runouts and untrustworthy grading, he found it really hard to progress and ended up top roping many routes although he would have much preferred to have been leading.  

The age and condition of the bolts, and the type of anchor and lower off equipment was quite inconsistent as well, another impediment to “trying hard”.

On the plus side, many of crags were in beautiful locations and, with the odd exception, fairly quiet.  Our most frequently visited crags were Sa Mola de Felanitx and S’estret, mostly due a higher concentration of moderate routes, less polish and more modern bolting.

Thanks!  

This is really great info, esp as I am planning on doing mostly sport routes and setting up some of them as top ropes for my kids as well.

We’ve been a few times. The best time, weather and tourist crowd wise, was when we straddled May and June. It was dry, warm but not too warm, and the party crowds haven’t arrived yet. Also, the sea was just getting warm enough to swim in. Starting with the 2nd week in June, the population of the island quintuples with partying euros, and it becomes a total zoo until late September.

Mike Grainger wrote: I spent three weeks in Mallorca in April 2018.  The weather started cool and showery but improved steadily as the month went on.  Here are a few observations about the climbing from a trip report I wrote:

I don’t know if there is a Catalan word for “sandbag”, but the practice is certainly alive and well.  More often than not, routes were undergraded by at least two grades (think Judy is on the Drug Squad at its old 5.8 grade).  It’s as though they said to themselves “Well, most of the moves on this are 4c, so we’ll just ignore those couple of 5c moves at the crux, and call it a 4c”

The reality was that although there were a sprinkling of climbs in the 4a -5b range to be found in the guidebook, you had to be prepared to find a 5c/6a move on any of them.  Perhaps this problem is not as bad in the higher grades, although we did hear from a couple of climbers that the 6s were pretty seriously undergraded as well.

As to quality, the climbing tends to be pretty fingery, with substantial polish thrown in to provide slippery, insecure footholds.  While some may enjoy this kind of a challenge, it is not my ideal.  Many of the routes had a cryptic quality that will be familiar to Escarpment limestone climbers, making onsight ascents challenging.

The Rockfax guide has good photo topos and approach information, but I strongly suspect that most of their route descriptions have been poached from previous publications and that the authors have not actually climbed many of the routes, or even bothered to read the logbooks on UK Climbing, or they would correct the grades and descriptions of many of the routes.  Some commenters refer to the guide as “Wrongfax” and I have to agree.

As to the bolting, it was all over the map, but generally once you were out of the ground fall zone (if you were lucky), the bolt spacing increased substantially.  This may have to do with a “bold” climbing philosophy or just with economy, but it certainly could be off putting for those used to “safe” continental bolting standards.  I was able to live with it, but that was because I was usually climbing below my limit and not too likely to take a fall.  It really put Iain off, because he was nursing a sore elbow and back, and was looking to avoid falls.  Facing runouts and untrustworthy grading, he found it really hard to progress and ended up top roping many routes although he would have much preferred to have been leading.  

The age and condition of the bolts, and the type of anchor and lower off equipment was quite inconsistent as well, another impediment to “trying hard”.

On the plus side, many of crags were in beautiful locations and, with the odd exception, fairly quiet.  Our most frequently visited crags were Sa Mola de Felanitx and S’estret, mostly due a higher concentration of moderate routes, less polish and more modern bolting.

I didn’t find sandbagging to be an issue, except one easier route that was supposed to be 5.7 and was more like a 9 but that can be said anywhere in the low grades. I climbed mostly 6a-7a and got on some of the best routes I’ve ever been on. I thought the climbing was phenomenal, and never felt run out.

Low grade popular routes were more polished than others. We went in November and it was great. Water was warm, a couple rainy days, but average temps in the upper 60’s to low 70’s.

I’ve heard October is prime time. I also thought the Rockfax guide was good. I had it on my phone, so the gps coordinates were awesome for navigation.