El Chorro '24
British winter is awful. Damp, slimey crags and cold drizzle offer little in terms of real enjoyment, even for the most psyched of climbers. The solution for many is to jet off to sunny Spain to clip some bolts in El Chorro! The famously warm, dry, and reliable conditions attract a huge gaggle British climbers, including us! Tom, Chris, Matt, Jono, Sam, and I are the only folks from a large groupchat of punting prospecters who actually get around to booking some flights (mostly living together also helps!), and we agree to fly out together on the 15th December, pretty much as soon as the university term is over. Day 1 - Sunday 15th After a radically early 10 o'clock bedtime for me on Saturday night, we walk exitedly down to the bus station to get the 2:40am coach to Manchester airport, crossing paths with many people just finishing their night out. At the bus stop, we're approched by a street performer who asks keenly if we're going hiking or something. When we tell him we...