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henryflaig
Aug 24, 2008, 7:14 PM
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Registered: Aug 24, 2008
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I was in panama for about a month this summer and managed to climb. there is good climbing in the highlands of chiriqui. In boquete there are about 25 routes from 5.7 to 5.13 they are all bolted for sport and top rope. also if you go to caldera there is good deep water solos you just have to look for them along the river! climb on
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srwings
Aug 24, 2008, 8:19 PM
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Registered: Jun 27, 2004
Posts: 247
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I'm jealous. I have dragged all my gear down to Panama 3 or 4 times now and the best I could come up with was a 5.7 slab route that I put in near Penonome. Would you provide more detail about the Chiriqui routes? Location? Is this at a place called El Gunko just outside of Boquette?
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henryflaig
Aug 25, 2008, 6:25 PM
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Registered: Aug 24, 2008
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yea its the el gunko or los ladrillos. the rock is wicked cool and not to sticky. If you are in boquete you can get in touch with a guy named cesar through the ecotour location in the establos plaza. he is the dude who put up all the routes. the routes are nice and tricky too so its not too easy!
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mike_gibson
Aug 26, 2008, 11:47 AM
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Registered: Jun 6, 2002
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Some of the old spanish forts were good for bouldering. I remember one on the Colon side somewhere near fort sherman, (Fort San Lorenzo maybe?) that is kinda remote. It also had some sea cliffs nearby that had potential also. I remember fort sherman had some good sea cliffs also.
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henryflaig
Aug 26, 2008, 3:54 PM
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Registered: Aug 24, 2008
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word thats rad. i played around on the ruins in panama viaja in the city and buildered in casco viejo but the police got in the way. i didnt make it to colon tho ran out of time and money. good free solos in caldera though
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srwings
Aug 26, 2008, 7:31 PM
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Registered: Jun 27, 2004
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It's funny that the El Gunko name stuck. For a while I was the Panama site manager on rc.com back before they migrated to a new server or database or something. My wife and I were driving around Boquette exploring back in July 2005. One of the river guides said that there was rock just out of town but to their knowledge no one had climbed it. It turned out to be that basalt formation. Further down the road we came to some undeveloped multipitch cliffs. We named those El Gunko in honor of the Gunks. So now you know.
There are a few other Panama photos under my profile. Campana National Park has multipitch possibilities but developing anything harder than a 5.10 sport single pitch is outside my skill set. Any developer is looking at major time commitment and a short climbing season. I've got maps, notes, and photos if anyone is interested. The last two trips down I've just stuck to mountain biking and a little kayaking. There's an ex-pat eco guide by the name of Panama Pete who knows a few sport routes closer to Panama City but I've never been able to get him to take me there. There's an old quarry just outside Penonome that has slab possibilities. I left my drill and bolts down there just in case I ever find the mother lode. Glad to see that folks are climbing in Boquette. For myself, I'm not keen on climbing on the ruins at Panama Vieja, San Lorenzo, or Portobello since those are cultural sites.
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henryflaig
Aug 27, 2008, 2:30 PM
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Registered: Aug 24, 2008
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haha thats pretty funny about the gunks lol i was wondering about that. the locals call it los ladrillos (the bricks) if youve seen the face you would kno. ive heard of panama pete but i only spent a few days in the city. cesar bolted the routes on the basalt though a couple years ago. i managed a couple 5.11s but the 12 and 13 are wicked hard.
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srwings
Aug 27, 2008, 2:43 PM
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Registered: Jun 27, 2004
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For a small country Panama sure has a lot to offer. Everytime I go down there I have some epic adventure. Have you been on the river Chiriqui Viejo? The white water is as good as the New or Gauley.
We were down there in dry season this year. Seems like the only time to go if you want to ride or climb.
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henryflaig
Aug 27, 2008, 4:54 PM
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Registered: Aug 24, 2008
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i didnt spend much time on the river becuase i was was studying during the afternoon and the white water outfitters at boquete adventures go on full day trips and minimum of two people and i was traveling solo which was kind of a bummer. i was there in the rainy season and i still managed the climb twice a week. i had my classes in the afternoon while it rained. so i did most of my outdoor activities in the morning. there was a couple really nice days though. also there is a really cool secret route set up right over the river if you go under the bridge after the wall that looks like pillars. after you go under the bridge you follow the trail to the edge of the wall. theres a guide rope along the wall that you can clip on to with a tail or multiple draws and traverse to the route maybe 15 ft. if not you can walk thru the water just hold your gear over head. the route is called paraiso (paradise) it is really difficult but the rock goes right into the river so your belay is hanging over the water! sick backdrop
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