This Saturday, Álora is home to Climbing Rally in El Chorro, which is to be celebrated for the first time in Andalusia
Thirty-two participants, members of the federation, who are divided in sixteen teams, are going to climb eighteen tracks with different levels of difficulty at El Desfiladero de Los Gaitanes gorge.
The Andalusian Climbing Association, organizer of the event, believes that this competition will form part of the National Climbing League next year.
The Town of Álora is to be home of twelve hours long Climbing Rally of El Chorro on Saturday, October 18th. This is the first competition of the kind which is to be celebrated in Andalusia. This competition is about power of endurance. There will be sixteen teams of two participants who are going to compete between them in order to conquer the longest possible length in metres, thing which depends on the difficulty of each track.
County Council representative for Tourism and Territory Promotion Jacobo Florido and the Mayor of Álora, Josê Sánchez, and Nicolás Rando from the Andalusian Climbing Association, have presented the competition and the requirements that are to be fulfilled by the participants. Eighteen tracks have been selected for the competition in the Gaitanes Gorge.
The Málaga County Council approves of this competition with 6,000 euros investment, as Mr Florido claimed during the presentation: ‘this is because its qualities are not only related to sport but to tourism as well’. The fact that the rally takes twelve hours (from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) will give the participants and their companions opportunity to spend the night in the area.
On his own behalf, Mr Rando has explained that the aim of the competition is to become part of the national Climbing League starting from next year. The rules of the competition are the same as those adopted by the Spanish Climbing Federation, and proper safety equipment is used. There will be two feeding stations, and the security of the zone is to be provided by the Civil Guard. The teams can be formed by men, women or mixed.
Control and Security
The roped party of mountaineers, which is to start at the bottom of the track and go through surrounding area, is to be marked by the colours of the participants’ vests that will be given by the organizers. There will be three control points, spread in different areas.
The organizers, in collaboration with the Andalusian Mountaineering Federation (FAM – Federación Andaluza de Montañismo), selected the safest routes and those with the best equipment in order to minimize the risk, and make it possible for the participants to climb safely and fast as far as possible. Security measures control that is required by the Spanish Federation is very severe, and if rules are not fully respected by participants, they are required to abandon the competition.
Finally, the Mayor of Álora assured that this event: ‘is a proof that sport and tourism are absolutely compatible’ and he applauded the fact that this municipality is the one which welcomed the competition that is the first of its kind in Andalusia and aims to reach national level.
More information at www.rally.escaladoresandaluces.com.
