The great classic of the Cavall Bernat and one of the most repeated routes in all of Montserrat: 240 metres up the north-east arête, seven pitches of superb conglomerate, and a final slab with 200 metres of air beneath your feet.
Book NowIf the Via Normal is the historic way up the Cavall Bernat, the Punsola-Reniu is the great one. Opened in May 1971 by Manel Punsola and Jesús Reniu, it follows the north-east arête of the spire from bottom to top, and it has become one of the most repeated and most loved routes in the entire massif.
The line is beautifully logical - you can trace it from the ground. It starts on friendly inclined slabs, steepens gradually into vertical and briefly overhanging terrain, and finishes by stepping onto the north face for a delicious slab of edged holds with the Paret dels Diables filling the horizon behind you.
This is what makes the route so accessible. It's fully bolted, and the hard sections can be climbed free at up to 6c or passed using the bolts at around V+/A0, pulling on gear rather than the rock. That means a solid intermediate climber and a strong one can climb the same magnificent route on the same day, each getting exactly what they came for. We'll agree which version suits you before we start.
Around 45 minutes from the Santa Cecília parking on the Camí de l'Arrel, then a short scramble of about 30 metres to the first belay at the base of the arête.
A pleasant inclined slab on good rock — the warm-up, and a chance to get used to Montserrat's pebbles under your feet before anything demands much.
The arête proper: ramps giving way steadily to steeper ground, with the exposure building beneath you and the protection getting closer together as the angle rises.
Where the difficulty concentrates. Vertical and in places slightly overhanging conglomerate, climbed free at 6c or on the bolts at V+/A0. These will test your endurance, best climbing on the route.
A famously exposed start at around 6a, stepping onto the north face with more than 200 metres of air below you, then a superb slab of sharp edges to the top. This is the pitch people remember.
The Moreneta, the tiny summit platform, and a 360-degree view of the whole massif. Photograph it — it makes you eligible for the Group Cavall Bernat.
Two rappels down the south side, the first around 20 metres and the second longer, landing at the foot of the Via Normal. Fully managed by your guide. Followed by a technical hike back to the car.
The Punsola-Reniu is beloved for a reason, and on a good weekend you'll rarely have it to yourself. Local guidebooks advise an early start to avoid queueing behind other parties, and we plan the day accordingly. Being first on the route is worth an early alarm.
Climbers who are comfortable seconding around V+ and want a big, sustained, memorable day rather than a short one. You don't need to lead or to have climbed multi-pitch before - we will guide you through every system and both rappels - but you should be happy climbing for four or five hours with consistent exposure beneath you. If that sounds like more than you want, the Via Normal reaches the same summit in four pitches.
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The grade, the two ways to climb it, the exposure and the practicalities of Montserrat's great classic.
If you'd rather a shorter day on the same summit, the Via Normal gets you there in three pitches with a great deal of history. If this would be your first multi-pitch, start with Gorro Frigi.
