What I Do & Why It's Different
Long-weekend climbing retreats at Spain's lesser-known walls, plus weekly local sessions at El Sumidor crag. Eight climbers maximum per retreat, two guides, locations released two weeks before each trip. For intermediate climbers ready to break a plateau.
Long-Weekend Retreats Monthly
Locations Released Privately
Belay & Movement Clinics
Two Guides Per Cohort
Weekly Sessions at El Sumidor
Route Development Background
Walls You Have Never Heard Of
Eight Climbers Maximum
Two Guides Per Cohort
Local Sessions for Continuity
What Actually Happens
Belay station above the Mediterranean, somewhere south of Valencia
Friday technical clinic, second retreat of the year
Lead climber on a 6b+ route, undisclosed wall
Approach hike, June retreat
Bouldering session warm-up before the main climbing day
"Mateo's walls are walls I would never find on my own. Ten years of route development shows in every weekend. I have done four retreats and not been to the same wall twice."
"The Friday clinic is where the work happens. Sat and Sun are where you apply it. I came on top of a long plateau and broke it within two weekends."
"Two guides means actual coaching. The rotation between guides over a weekend gives you four different perspectives on your climbing. Worth the travel."
"I am one of three women who keep going back. Mateo coaches everyone the same regardless of gender. That's exactly what good coaching should be."
"I joined the weekly sessions a year ago. Showing up consistently is what makes the retreats compound. Mateo runs a real local community at the crag."
"I have done six of Mateo's retreats. Every wall has been different, every retreat has moved my climbing forward. The two-guide format is the difference. I have not found this anywhere else in Europe."
"I was nervous joining as the only woman in a cohort. Mateo and his second guide coached me identically to everyone else. By Sunday I was sending routes I would not have considered at home. Highly recommend."
"The Friday clinic alone breaks plateaus. The belay refinement work I learned has reshaped how I climb at home. The Saturday-Sunday climbing is a bonus on top of that."
What It's Like to Be Here
Thursday-evening arrival, dinner together, gear check. Friday is technical work — usually movement drills, belay refresher, footwork. Saturday and Sunday are full climbing days at the chosen wall, with debrief in the evenings. Mateo and the second guide split the group, rotating partners. The food is simple and Spanish. The accommodation is whatever fits — sometimes a casa rural, sometimes a refugio, sometimes camping. The format is built around climbing, not luxury.
Who Comes to My Retreats
Intermediate climbers who can lead 5.10a outdoors and want to push to 5.11. Returning climbers who have done two or three retreats and trust the format. Roughly seventy percent return for at least one more retreat.
Not for climbers who want known walls, comfortable accommodation, or guaranteed Instagram backdrops. Locations are remote, conditions can change, and the format is climbing-first. Anyone uncomfortable with a flexible itinerary should choose a more polished operator.
Upcoming Retreats
I run a few retreats a year. Leave your email and I'll let you know when the next one opens.
Long-Weekend Climbing Retreat — June
Long-Weekend Climbing Retreat — October
If you have a question, want to discuss a private group, or just want to say hi — I read every message.