Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya

What is A Vía Ferrata?

Until a few years ago, I had no idea what a vía ferrata was. (“Via ferrada” in Catalán.) Now I do! And this one–my first–was great fun!

Yep, just like being a kid again!

Armando, a climber and mountaineer from Patagonia, Chile, was my most excellent ferrata buddy for the day. He contributed a few of the pics you’ll see below and that is him in the orange helmet.

In the States, these “iron routes” are not at all common. I only know of one in Colorado, for example, near Telluride, and I am guessing there might not even by a half dozen decent ones in the entirety of the US of A.

The many, many vía ferratas here in Europe (300+, according to one source) come in all levels of difficulty, from introductory routes suitable for those who have never climbed more than a paint ladder, to more advanced lines that require some specific vía ferrata/climbing skills, excellent physical conditioning (especially upper body), and a calm cranium for dealing with gut-wrenching exposure.

These routes are an excellent way to get your airy “climbing fix” without having to invest the time and energy in learning the intricacies of actual rock climbing. Take that for what it’s worth as it could be good or bad depending on the challenges you prefer.

[IMPORTANT NOTE: A vía ferrata can actually be more dangerous than traditional rock climbing–see my note below about potential factor 5+ falls!]

Some of my observations…

–First, although it is located in the town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, know that this vía ferrata is officially called the “Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí”. If you can read or decipher Spanish (Castellano), you can get just about all the info you need from THIS WEBSITE, including a selection of photos. Keep both the town name and the vía name in mind when you consult Ms. Google.

–You can easily get to this vía with public transportation. Just take the bus from Estació Nord in Barcelona to Sant Feliu de Guíxols (about 1 1/2 hours and 15 Euros one way). Then its about a 25-minute walk from Sant Feliu’s bus station, through town, to the start of the route. The Google Maps app is your friend. We caught the 8:30a.m. bus out and the 12:50p.m. bus back (Sarfa company).

–On good authority… Avoid this vía ferrata on fine weather weekends as it is likely to be insanely crowded with guided parties, folks freaking out on the high wire bridges, and just general bufoonery. We went on a cloudy Friday in February and saw two other parties at a distance but were never caught behind any slow movers or had anyone run up our butt.

–The Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí has two sections, or circuits. The first is suitable for beginners, while still being quite exciting and challenging for them. The second section is slightly more difficult and requires a bit more upper body strength and/or some knowledge of efficient climbing technique to move past some of the steeper and slightly overhanging areas. There is an escape route between the two sections for those who have had their vertical fill after Part 1.

–Both sections together took us something under an hour and a half–but we are both rock climbers and we moved fairly quickly with just a few photo stops here and there. Two to three hours might be more normal if this is your first vía and especially if it is a weekend.

–I wouldn’t consider a vía ferrata a good way to learn climbing technique. In fact, it may very well contribute to bad habits–for example, just using excessive upper body strength to pull up on the bars rather than using foot and leg technique to minimize the arm strength required.

–If you are coming from a climbing background you will definitely have a huge advantage. On more difficult moves, a climber knows how to use not only the metal bars, pegs, cables, and chains, but the rock as well. A climber is also accustomed to the exposure–something a new-to-high-places kind o’ person might lose their Oreo cookies over. And, most important, a trained climber can use technique and balance to get past some of the harder sections rather than just flexing the tatoos and muscling on through.

—IMPORTANT! Make sure you have all the right gear (again, see Ms. Google). A fall on a vía ferrata can be very severe–up to Factor 5+. Ferrata lanyards are specifically designed for absorbing this kind of shock and the ferrata carabiners are designed differently than standard crabs to (hopefully!) hold up better under odd load angles.

–Speaking of falling…there are many places on this route that are definitely “no fall zones” even though the likelihood of falling is very, very slim. Sure, your lanyards would catch you, but even on a short fall you could still hit ledges, protrusions, iron bars, tree limbs, and other obstacles on the way down to a very hard, jerky stop. Not pretty. See Vía Ferrata Tips from the Severe Climber for more great info.

–As it happens, I apparently have actually done two other vía ferratas in my life, although at the time, I didn’t know that is what they were. The first was the cable route on Half Dome in Yosemite–although I never actually climbed up it, I did come down it on two occasions after climbing Snake Dike and the Regular Northwest Face route with my buddy, Jimbo. The other pseudo-vía ferrata is the climb I have done several times takes you to the top of Picacho Peak in Arizona–a great beginner ferrata.

–Finally, a HUGE chapeau to the guy who was the genius and muscle behind the Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí: Albert Gironés. I can’t even begin to imagine all the careful thought, myriad decisions, and pure physical ball and ovary-busting labor that went into the project, let alone the pile of materials and money it required. Well done, Albert and friends!

Now to some pictures…

Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a pretty little coastal town on the Costa Brava, north of Barcelona and not far from Girona:

Vía Ferrata, #1, Sant Feliu, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #1, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

The beginning of the route on a bluff above town:

Vía Ferrata, #5, Sant Feliu, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #5, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

The initial part of the first, easier, circuit takes you down very close to the water, with the seagulls looking on a la Hitchcock:

Vía Ferrata Cala de Molí, #9, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #9, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Armando crosses one of the lower and shorter “Tibetan bridges” as they call them here:

Vía Ferrata Cala de Molí, #14, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #14, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

This short move may be the crux of the first circuit and is called “La Prenyada”, or “The Pregnant One”. It is sort of a bulge that you have to move awkwardly around. No worries as there are nice steel staples to grab as you go:

Vía Ferrata Cala de Molí, #15, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #15, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Here, you can see the bulge of La Prenyada on the wall to the right while Armando continues to work through the first circuit. On the crag above and beyond Armando’s pack you can see a portion of the route on the steeper second circuit:

Vía Ferrata Cala de Molí, #22, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Vía Ferrata La Cala del Molí, #22, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Catalunya, 2018

Armando is crossing one of the high Tibetan bridges that leads over to the second, and slightly more difficult, circuit. Before crossing this bridge, you have the option of escaping directly up a ladder to the trail at the top. That’s the Catalan independence flag hanging above: