Romanian Big Wall Climbing
Buila, 45°16’19.0″N 24°07’22.5″E
Bolting New Multi-Pitch Routes in Romania
In 2023 and 2024, I was bolting new multi-pitch routes in Romania. I was invited by strong local climber Cristian Stamate. He didn’t need to do much convincing—he sent some photos of the wall and I was already psyched.
We organized our first trip in 2023, and as soon as I arrived, I knew this was where the future of multi-pitch sport climbing lay: an amazing, slightly overhanging 300m wall with many potential lines. Not easy, but definitely full of fun.
First Route on the Wall
For a warm-up, I tried one of the master Cristian’s existing lines, Tin Man, to see what to expect. As always, not listening about the grades, I got my ass kicked on the first pitch. I still managed to “warm up” on it, but the second one destroyed me.
I continued up the wall and onsighted the rest. On the last pitch, something strange happened: my arms just stopped working. I had a jug and was struggling to pull on it. Oh well, I guess I’m also only human and can run out of energy too :).
A few days later, I tried the 2nd pitch again. It was close, and after a big fight, I was rewarded with a nice fall.
First Bolting Projects
Now that I knew what to expect, I jumped into my new project. Cristian had prepared photos of the wall with suggestions for lines, which made “fishing” much easier. Still, I needed quite some time to find the “possible” line.
I jumped into the most overhanging blank wall I could find (my eyes were stronger than my fingers), but the rock on the lower part wasn’t as good as expected, I came too close to an existing old line, and there were other random problems. I think I cleaned four lines before I could change the name from Impossible to I’m Possible.
The first time I tried to lead the route, I climbed all the pitches first go except pitch #6, where I fell. I sent it after a big fight on our way down.
Ground-Up vs Top-down
With the 2023 trip held in such good memory, I couldn’t wait to get back in 2024. Ready to make new lines climbable, I didn’t waste time. I played a bit with ground-up bolting but realized it wasn’t the best way to do a quality job on this kind of wall. Yes, it’s possible and fun, but it takes much more time and the end result wasn’t acceptable for my standards, so I had to make changes afterward.
I know many climbers are obsessed with the ground-up approach, but in my opinion, it makes a big difference for the developer, while for everyone else, it will be the same climb. For example, I followed a line until the wall went blank for about three meters. What to do? Put an anchor here and start climbing from it? Make an artificial hold? Leave it as an unclimbable 9c+?
I forgot about it, went down, tried again to the side, and there it worked. If I’d worked from the top, I could have tested everything without wasting 10 bolts and a day of effort. I still had fun, but when establishing sport climbs where no other style is possible, I don’t think it’s the best way. Climbers repeating the route won’t have any of these problems; they’ll just climb. And hopefully, they’ll say I chose a good line, not knowing how much time I actually spent searching for it.
The route is Cappy. Go ahead and try it. Climb the variation where I got lost, and then the final version, and let me know what I could have done better.
A Shorter Route on the Sunny Wall
To recover from this “monster wall,” I decided to bolt a shorter route on the sun-facing wall. Only 120m long, with an easy approach to the top.
Working on TR, I managed to place all the bolts in just one day, and Cappuccino was ready. By the end of the day, I ran out of battery—both in my drill and my human body. Luckily, Justin was there to help, bringing me a new battery and a pack of Haribo so I could place the final bolt.
One more day of cleaning, and the job was done and climbed.
Claia Strâmbă
Well-rested after enjoying the sun on the south wall, I went back to CLAIA STRÂMBĂ. The next four days were spent on the wall, finishing the 9 pitches of one of my favorite routes. More about that in the 2025 expedition report…
In total that year (2024), I bolted 3 routes with 20 pitches total, most above 7c, and cleaned around 700m of wall. Enough to call it a day and get motivated to climb them all on the next expedition.
Why We Bolt
Bolting is fun, but the main reason we do it is to bring climbing areas to life so others can enjoy safe climbing on these amazing walls. We bolted a lot over the last two years, which is why we decided to focus more on climbing in 2025. But what about bolting? There will still be time for that in the future. Now, it was time to have fun and enjoy.
If you’d like to se the list of all the routes, this TOPO might help 😉
Multi-Pitch Sport Climbing & Finding Partners
Multi-pitch sport climbing isn’t a well-known activity. Many climbers still don’t know how fun it actually is and how much more it offers compared to normal single-pitch routes.
The first problem was finding partners. Who would travel to unknown Romania to climb some 300m routes, most harder than 8a? Not easy, but we got a cool list of “almost humans” to join.
I managed to convince Mina Markovič, a strong Slovenian climber, to join me. She was a bit worried at first but relaxed after her first question was answered:
Mina: “What shall we do for the rest day?”
Me: “What rest day? We only have 8 days to climb before we go home :)”
The Climbing Trip
Arrival – Cheile Olănești, 45°17’24.4″N 24°07’54.9″E
After sleeping in an airport, arriving in Bucharest in the morning, and driving ~3h to Băile Olănești, we still had a few hours of light, so we drove directly to CHEILE OLĂNEȘTI. A “small” canyon just outside town.
The best thing? Zero approach. Yes, zero. You park in the middle and can belay from the car on both sides. Not that I’m lazy, but I’d just gotten off the plane and my gear wasn’t sorted yet (so it wasn’t catastrophic if I forgot something, like water).
Warm-up: Kerosen, 100m (7b, 7c, 7c+/8a). Perfect for stretching after a long trip—a cool vertical wall with a tricky slab section and an overhanging finish.
Day 2
We started with Solitude L1+L2, 55m (7b+, 8a). Climbing both pitches as one is a perfect warm-up route. I don’t think you can find a better one anywhere in the world. Nice, big, comfortable holds in an overhang and some crimps at the top. On routes like this, I remember why I love to climb.
Next was Ralu L1+L2, 55m (7a+, 8a), just beside it. Not as good as Solitude, but still nice, with a strange dihedral at the top.
Haribo & Asymptote
OK, enough of warming up. Time for the big boys’/strong girls’ routes. Haribo is my favorite big-wall food, so I decided to try the route named after it next: Haribo, 110m (8a, 8b/+, 8a/+).
This one was a bit more serious, and I had to start focusing. Luckily, I like this style and could switch to “enjoy mode” easily. One pitch was better than the last, everything nicely cleaned, and some chalk on the holds made finding them easier. Time flies when you’re having fun, and before I knew it, I was at the top without a fall.
I realized I still had some energy left, and there was a perfect line to destroy me: Asymptote, 75m (L1 7b+, L2 8c+?). Tricky start to an anchor on a small ledge just before the overhanging fun begins. A thin crack offers just enough to get your ass over. Well, not for me—this time, gravity won. I fell like a mango and had to admit I was tired. As an excuse, it also started to rain, and even though the lightning made a nice atmosphere, it was time to go back.
Day 3
Started with The Treasure L1+L2, 60m (6c, 8a/+), a vertical crimpy wall. Good for warming up, but I wouldn’t fly to Romania just for this. It did the job, though—I got warm and not too tired, even though I struggled on some parts.
Next challenge: L’innomable, 120m (7c, 8b/+, 8c, 8a/+). I underestimated the start and almost flew off—a good wake-up call, and I started climbing more focused.
The 2nd pitch begins with a small overhang and was so fun I was completely in the zone… until there were no more holds. The pitch was much longer than expected and finished with a crazy slab.
The 3rd pitch was supposed to be the hardest. Cristian said 8c or 8c+, so I took it seriously: a slightly overhanging wall with dihedrals, tufas, and pockets—my favorite style, similar to Bohinjska bela in Slovenia, where I climbed a lot as a kid. I kept waiting for the crux, but to my surprise, I reached the anchor first :). Of course, it helped that the route was well-cleaned and chalked, as Cristian had been trying it (and did a great job cleaning). Still, I didn’t think I was in shape to onsight 8c. Who knows? Maybe it is; the future will tell. Definitely a 3-star route (out of 3).
An easier final pitch brings you to the mountain top, so we could say we conquered it 🙂 Descent is by rappel to the road, like all the others.
Master Cristian following us on TRS, pitch 2, crimpy finish of 8b+
End of Day 3
After eating something (yes, I do that too, not just Haribo), I thought I still had something left, so I jumped on Inshallah L1: 8a+, 40m with extension: 8b+. Here, I got my ass kicked again and barely managed to get to the top. A very nice route with a hard crux at the top. Not much chalk made it hard to figure out, but the real excuse was no energy left in my human body. Finito for the day. Go home, eat, sleep, get ready for the rest day.
Day 4 – Rest Day
Rest day. What’s your best rest-day activity? Mine is drinking Nescafé Cappuccino and climbing the route I bolted a year ago: Cappuccino, 110m (8a+, 7c+, 7b+, 7a+).
Yes, you guessed it—we moved from the canyon to BUILA, where I was bolting the previous two years. We passed this wall on the way to our new home and had to do something to relax after the 1.5-hour drive.
The route starts hard with a super-balancy crux where you really need to trust your feet (bring good shoes!). Then comes the most beautiful pitch (7c+), followed by a bit easier third. The last pitch isn’t so nice, so if you skip it, I don’t blame you—some algae over grass and breaky rock. I cleaned a lot but could probably do more. Oh well. Unless you want to conquer the mountain and take a selfie by the flag.
Funny fact: Mina is probably the only person who eats more cappuccino foam than she drinks coffee.
Day 5 – Eduard
‘Eduard’, 270m (7b, 8a+, 8a, 8a, 8b, 8b, 8b+). (There are two easier pitches to the summit (5+ and 7a+), but we skipped them due to rain).
Another favorite. An easy warm-up, and then we go. The first pitch is nice, but it just gets better and better, moving from vertical to more than vertical. The anchors are good, except one hanging under a roof.
By the last pitch, I was quite wasted. Mina was top-roping everything but wasn’t ready to jump on the final pitch. I pulled myself together and struggled with the start. I made it under the roof/overhang with a crack in the middle. It looked intimidating, but I knew I had to move fast.
The holds were far apart, and the moves were super cool. I was having fun, jumping from one hold to another until I needed to leap to the roof’s edge. I knew it was now or never, jumped like on a boulder, and there was actually a hold (Tip #16: If you don’t see the hold, imagine it and jump on it. Usually it works). Good thing I sometimes listen to my own advice :).
I had a one-handed jug but wasn’t finished. I saw the next hold, wanted to do the move perfectly, pushed on my foot like a zebra, and broke the foothold… After onsighting 270 meters up to 8b+, I fell on the last move because of a broken foot hold. Only a few more meters of 5+ slab remained to the anchor, and since it was starting to rain, we had to rappel fast. Oh well. C’est la vie.
Day 6 – Lumini si umbre
Lumini si umbre, 290m (6b, 7b, 8a+, 7a+, 8a/+, 7c, 7c+, 6b+). Cristian’s creation from last year. The line follows a crack over the wall—an obvious, logical line, super fun to climb.
Once you start… I was still in morning mode somewhere at bolt 3 or 4. Too much talking, too little focus, and suddenly I was flying. Not even sure what happened; the rock spirits pulled me off, I guess, trying to say, “Don’t be an idiot. When you climb, you climb. Focus!”
Mina did a great job catching me. Luckily, the routes are bolted sport-style, so you can fall anywhere, even on easy sections, as I just learned. Thank you, Cristian, for making these lines safe ;).
After the wake-up call, the day was nice. I had one more fall on the crux of the 3rd pitch where I got lost, and the rest was pure fun.
Day 7 – DL BB
DL BB, 250m (8a, 8a, 8a/+, 8a/+, 7b+, 8a/+). Bolting a big wall might sound like a lonely job, but not in Buila.
When I was bolting Cappy, Cristian was on the other side of the valley establishing DL BB. From my side, that wall looked small, but it starts way down in the riverbed, so I was surprised when he said it was 250 meters long. Cool, let’s try it—I need a rest day anyway.
Swimming in the cold river helps recovery, but I was starting to feel tired.
The route starts from the (dry) river. The first pitch is just amazing. It looks breaky but is super solid—big jugs in a roof, cracks, spinning around. Like climbing in a gym with those cool dual-texture holds. Fun, fun, fun. And it’s 8a.
Next was a typical vertical 8a where you need to focus on your feet. The 3rd is another 8a, maybe a bit harder, steeper, but with good holds. The next was more vertical again, with a slabby crux and balancy moves, finishing on a big ledge with a “rocky vegetable garden” and an anchor under a tree.
I must admit, I dozed off a bit waiting for Mina—it was so nice and calm up there :). Then she arrived, and I had to climb again. Luckily, the next pitch was easier but hard enough to wake me up.
We were climbing in the sun, and tiredness kicked in. To finish, I still had another 8a. Nope, gravity won again. I was completely wasted at the top, and on the way down, I lost a climbing shoe :(. I just watched it roll down and finally drop over the edge. Jumping in the river on the way back to the chalet is a must for recovery.
Day 8 – Scorpion
Scorpion, 350m (8a, 8b/+, 7c, 8a, 7c/+, 8b, 6c, 7c, 7a+). I saved the best for last—the route I was most proud of bolting last year.
It took me 4 days to bring this mega line to life, searching for the most obvious, climbable way up the middle of the wall, trying to avoid easier sections. Unfortunately, there was some rockfall at the bottom, and the start was missing a bolt (now fixed, starting from the left).
When I jumped on it, it was the old version, which wasn’t so cool. I took a fall there, got past it, and then the nice wall began. They say the first pitch is 8a, but I’d say it’s less—technical, nice climbing, hard-to-see holds.
Now the fun begins: 8b, 60m, 24 quickdraws, super long. A slightly overhanging white wall full of small crimps and footholds. It took forever to clean but was worth it—such a fun pitch. I was happy to do it without a fall.
Next, a nice 7c leads to a strange alpine traverse on a ledge (rock less than perfect, but worth it).
Then, a song got stuck in my head, and I couldn’t stop singing. At the anchor, I decided to play it on my phone. I know—music in nature, on a big wall, weird—but at that moment, it was nice.
I kept it playing as I continued, fighting through a tricky 8a+ and singing. The big roof was much easier than expected; when bolting, I thought it would be 8a+, but today it felt like 7c. At least I recovered for the next 55m long 8b.
This one, if on the ground, would be the most-climbed 8b in the world. The rock was so good it needed almost no cleaning. Still, I got pumped as hell and barely climbed it.
The 6c just got you higher, and the 7c was great again—another piece of perfect rock in the middle of the wall with cool moves. When you reach the big ledge, you think it’s over. Not yet. There’s another 7a with a boulder start (you can avoid it by climbing the tree, but is that still rock climbing? 🙂 ).
The End
We made it to the top. Conquered the mountain. Selfie by the flag. Yippee!
What a great day and week. So much climbing, so many great routes, so many meters climbed, and also some epic falls and fails on the last move.
I onsighted many pitches, but in real life, to do the route, you need to do all of them, so I guess I’ll have to go back. And to be honest, I didn’t feel bad when I fell. I was happy to be there, doing what I like to do most: climbing.
Bonus: If you got motivated for an adventure in Romania, here is the topo of all the routes we have done so far. Enjoy climbing 😉
