Pandora, the new crag at Masua in Sardinia

Pandora is a new sector at Masua, a very popular area for winter climbing in Sardinia. The entire area is characterized by high quality limestone and breathtaking views. Although climbing here dates back to the early eighties, one must bear in mind that it is located in the mine of Masua and just above the Porto Flavia mine, now a tourist site; at present climbing is tolerated, but please follow the marked paths and respect the environment.

Castello dell'Iride is the most popular crag in Masua and is essentially made of goutte d'eau pocketed slabs on exceptional limestone. Over the years we have slowly but surely been replacing all the anchors, starting with the belays. This rebolting is carried out by Gianluca Piras and myself, with help from Bruno Fonnesu and Louis Piguet. Considering the morphology there are no major problems with corrosion, but nevertheless the original bolts still need replacing. In any case, throughout all of winter Castello dell'Iride is very popular and can easily be seen as one of the most famous crags in Europe.

On the left Gianluca Piras is recovering an old abandoned sector, Zoolook, reequipping routes put up by Antonello Pala and adding new ones. A further 50 meters to the left is the new sector Pandora which I have been working on since December 2022. The idea was to create some more athletic climbs, given that the wall overhangs here. Over the course of several months I bolted about fifteen pitches from 5a to 7b, up to 40 meters long. The first pitch of the two historic multi-pitches, one by Enzo Lecis and one by Flaviano Bessone, have been completely rebolted. The climbing here is mainly stamina based, while its south-west aspect makes the crag ideal for cold or windy winter days.

I would like to thank my partner Cecilia for here great help in recent months, Roberto Valdo Cortese and Gabriele Stocchi for bolting Messisardo, and B&B Pedra Rubia in nearby Nebida for donating gear for the three easy routes on the left.

by Maurizio Oviglia

Link: www.pietradiluna.com, Petzl