May 18, 2024 was our first day of climbing at Todra Gorge. We drove the length of the Gorge slowly looking up at the high walls for the climbing routes and figuring out where we could park. We decided on a crag at the north entrance to the Gorge – Sous La Via (Regression).
The Crag
This crag is close to the road. We were able to park nearby and quickly walk across the dry riverbed to the crag.
Our two guidebooks have different names for this crag. The Oxford book calls it Regression and the local guidebook calls it Sous La Via. The Mountain Projects app also lists it as Sous La Via.
The guidebooks also have different climbs drawn on the photographs of the crag. If a climb is missing from one book, it’s probably in the other.
We chose this crag because the climbs are so well bolted and looked pretty moderate, well within our abilities. We wanted a gentle start to our cllimbing trip.
The crag is on the left side of the photo. The road through the Gorge is behind me.
On the other side of the Gorge, in the middle of the photo is Arete Nord, a multi pitch. We did not climb it this time. The descent seemed a bit sketchy and we read some accounts of climbers finding it quite run out near the top.
The Routes
Our rope is hanging on one of the three climbs we did that morning. If you zoom in, you will see the bolts. They are generously placed and the rock is good.
The climbing here is fun and easy with hand pockets and edges. This was a nice crag to warm up and learn the rock.
Here I am at the top preparing to rappel. The anchors are typically two bolts connected with a chain. There is usually a rappel ring.
This group is on a tour (non-climbing). Many tour groups stop at the Gorge and walk along the road as their guide tells them about the area.
They took photos of me so I took photos of them! Also having humans in photos helps show the scale of the rock.
Here Dan changes his shoes. There is graffiti on the rock behind him and garbage has blown into some of the bushes but it’s still a fun place to climb.
Dan is at the top of one of our routes.
Happy climbers after a successful first day at Todra Gorge.
This was definitely the first time I’ve climbed at a crag where donkeys graze behind me. The dirt path behind the donkeys leads up to the road and parking. The other cars there belong to hikers and sight-seers. We didn’t see other climbers that day.
Around noon, the sun came over the top of the cliff and shone on the crag. The air was already getting warm and with the sun on the rock, it quickly became too uncomfortable to climb. We called it a day and vowed to get an earlier start the next day.
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