Il grottone dei colombi sport climbing area

[9b]

Original, sardinian name: SOS PALUMBOS (in italian pulcini di piccione o colombo = chicks pigeon or dove).

Just .... AMAZING ;-)

Inside the cave, always SHADE.

(photo by Jirka Jevický)

(photo by Tomas Truhelka)

Outside the cave, shade after about 14 p.m.

(photo by Jirka Jevický)

WITH "MAESTRALE" (= WIND FROM THE NORTH), YOU CAN FIND PERFECT CLIMBING CONDITIONS IN JULY AND AUGUST.

As it as for Caroline Ciavaldini, when she climbed on sight an 8b in august in Millenium.

Access (MAP here):

1- down from L'alchimista

(photo-link)

2- by Millenium (video here), along the coast, 25 minutes walking (from about the center of millenium cave, you can see a small path going down towards the sea, take it for few meters, so you arrive to a fixed rope, than go to your left, in the direction of Orosei. The path is beautiful, you reach some little caves, then you start to see the cave "Grottone dei Colombi")

(from Millenium -left- and Colombi -right- it's possible to bolt about 50 routes)

(photo by Patrick Raspo)

(from Millenium to Colombi, photo by Progetto Everest)

(from Millenium to Colombi, photo by Progetto Everest)

(from Millenium to Colombi, you can see the entrance of colombi cave in this photo by Progetto Everest)

3- by Cala Cartoe (from Cala Cartoe to Colombi cave, it is possible to bolt about 100 routes, multipitches too), along the coast (about 30 minutes), a bolted multipitch climbing traverse, then 10 minutes walking.

(the access from Cala Cartoe to Colombi, photo by Enrico Roccato)

(the access from Cala Cartoe to Colombi, photo by Enrico Roccato)

(the access from Cala Cartoe to Colombi, photo by Enrico Roccato)

You can reach Cala Cartoe even WALKING from Orosei, Cala Osalla (less than 90 km from Olbia).

4- following the first part of the path to Cuile Sa Tintura, then traversing in the direction of the end of l'alchimista

(photo-link)

(photo-link)

In the future, the access could eventually become something like this:

5- by boat (from Cala Osalla, Orosei -cheapier- and Cala Gonone), 5 minutes (this canoe ? :-)

Inside the cave, it's possible to bolt about 100 routes, for a total amount of about 250 routes.

In december 2015 and may 2016, Jan Kares and friends, started to bolt the first single pitches (10 routes from 6a to 8b) inside the cave. 

(Jan Kares bolting inside the cave, photos by Tomas Truhelka)

Links:

- 1 (topo)

[9b]

Almost all the Sardinian coast is SIC, Site of Community Importance.

You can see the SIC areas in the:

• whole Sardegna here

• Orosei Gulf here.

This means You can not modify that places, in no way, bolting included.

To bolt in SIC area is criminal offense.

Then, every local Municipality, after Sardegna Region (supervisor of Sic areas) authorization, can modify sic rules, in its own way.

Baunei Municipality, for example, with this local law, if you ask them, allows new routes bolting:

“ Per l’apertura di nuove vie di arrampicata con il sistema della chiodatura, con l’utilizzo di protezioni fisse., è necessario informare preventivamente il Comune (To bolt new climbing routes with the bolting system, with fixed protections, You must inform the Municipality in advance)”.

Dorgali Municipality has no similar law, so, if you ask authorization to Dorgali Municipality to bolt new routes, it’s quite difficult, if not impossible, they give it.

At the same time, after 3 years, Dorgali Municipality obtained (translation here) from Sardegna Region authorization not to bolt new routes, but to rebolt old routes, as a kind of derogation from sic rules.

To prevent and avoid accidents (if an accident occurs, to prevent others, they can prohibit all, not only bolting, but even climbing).

So now they can buy bolts to rebolt old routes.

The first option is they buy A4 bolts and pay the bolting work, but, in this case, it will be difficult they can buy titanium bolts.

A possible, second option, IF MANY BOLTERS ASK IT with this LETTER, is they could “pay” the rebolting work giving not money, but their:

- bolts (4 in titanium: the first 2 and the 2 at the anchor) to rebolt OLD routes

- authorization to bolt a NEW route, for every old route rebolted

- 4 titanium bolts ( the first 2 and the 2 at the anchor) for every NEW route

- titanium anchors for every route, old and new.

 

So, it will be easier to obtain authorization to bolt NEW routes inside and around Colombi cave, if the proposal from MANY bolters (in a kind of “bolters party”) to local Municipality would be:

“ For every single NEW route you authorize me to bolt, with my and Your bolts, with your anchor, I first re-bolt an OLD one, with your bolts and anchor”.